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The Banshee (IPA: [ˈbæn.ʃi]), from the Irish bean sí ("woman of the síde" or "woman of the fairy mounds") is a female spirit in Irish mythology, usually seen as an omen of death and a messenger from the Otherworld. Her Scottish counterpart is the Bean Nighe ("washer-woman"). A banshee, in Irish mythology, is a fairy woman whose mournful wails herald an imminent death. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wiktionary (a portmanteau of wiki and dictionary) is a multilingual, Web-based project to create a free content dictionary, available in over 150 languages. ... Articles with similar titles include the NATO phonetic alphabet, which has also informally been called the “International Phonetic Alphabet”. For information on how to read IPA transcriptions of English words, see IPA chart for English. ... Sídhe (IPA , shee, modern Irish: sí; Scottish Gaelic: sìth) is an Irish and Scottish Gaelic word referring first to earthen mounds that were thought to be home to a supernatural race related to the fey and elves of other traditions, and later to these inhabitants themselves. ... by Sophie Anderson For other uses, see Fairy (disambiguation). ... The mythology of pre-Christian Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity, but much of it was preserved, shorn of its religious meanings, in medieval Irish literature, which represents the most extensive and best preserved of all the branches of Celtic mythology. ... The Otherworld in Celtic mythology is the realm of the dead, the home of the deities, or the stronghold of other spirits and beings such as the Sídhe. ... Scottish mythology consists of the myths and legends historically told by the people of Scotland. ... Les Lavandières (as they are known in Brittany), Bean Nighe (as they are called in Scottish myth) or Midnight Washerwomen are Celtic myth. ...

The aos sí ("people of the mounds", "people of peace") are variously believed to be the survivals of pre-Christian Gaelic deities, spirits of nature, or the ancestors. Some Theosophists and Celtic Christians have also referred to the aos sí as "fallen angels". They are commonly referred to in English as "fairies", and the banshee can also be described as a "fairy woman". Pre-Christian - The time before Christianity. ... The Gaels are an ethno-linguistic group which spread from Ireland to many parts of Britain, specifically Scotland, the Isle of Man, Wales and Cornwall. ... Look up deity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Theosophy, literally god-wisdom (Greek: θεοσοφία theosophia), designates several bodies of ideas. ... Celtic Christianity, or Insular Christianity (sometimes commonly called the Celtic Church) broadly refers to the Early Medieval Christian practice that developed around the Irish Sea in the fifth and sixth centuries, that is among “Celtic”/“British” peoples such as the Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Cornish, Manx, etc. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... by Sophie Anderson For other uses, see Fairy (disambiguation). ...

Banshees in history, mythology and folklore

According to legend, a banshee wails around a house if someone in the house is about to die.

Traditionally, when a citizen of an Irish village died, a woman would sing a lament (in Irish: caoineadh, [ˈkiːnʲə] or [ˈkiːnʲuː]) at their funeral. These women singers are sometimes referred to as "keeners". Legend has it that, for five great Gaelic families: the O'Gradys, the O'Neills, the O'Briens, the O'Connors, and the Kavanaghs, the lament would be sung by a fairy woman; having foresight, she would appear before the death and keen. When several banshees appeared at once, it indicated the death of someone great or holy.^[1] The tales sometimes recounted that the woman, though called a fairy, was a ghost, often of a specific murdered woman, or a woman who died in childbirth.^[2] For people named OGrady, see OGrady (surname). ... ONeill (also spelled ONeil, ONeal) may refer to: In places: ONeill, Nebraska, a US city ONeil, Florida, a US town In business: ONeill (brand), a wetsuit and surf clothing manufacturer In education: ONeill Collegiate and Vocational Institute, a school in Oshawa, Ontario People... OBrien is a common surname of Irish origin. ... // OConnor may refer to several different topics: Cian OConnor (b. ... Kavanagh or Kavanaugh may refer to: People with the surname Kavanagh or Kavanaugh: Kavanagh (surname) In places: Kavanagh, Alberta, a hamlet in Canada Other: Kavanagh QC, a television series Kavanagh College, in Dunedin, New Zealand Cavanagh Category: ...

Banshees are frequently described as dressed in white or grey, and often having long, fair hair which they brush with a silver comb, a detail scholar Patricia Lysaght attributes to confusion with local mermaid myths. This comb detail is also related to the centuries-old traditional romantic Irish story that, if you ever see a comb lying on the ground in Ireland, you must never pick it up, or the banshees (or mermaids - stories vary), having placed it there to lure unsuspecting humans, will spirit such gullible humans away. Other stories portray banshees as dressed in green, red or black with a grey cloak. A mermaid (from the Middle English mere in the obsolete sense sea (as in maritime, the Latin mare, sea) + maid(en)) is a legendary aquatic creature with the head and torso of human female and the tail of a fish. ... The word mythology (from the Greek μυολογία mythología, from mythologein to relate myths, from mythos, meaning a narrative, and logos, meaning speech or argument) literally means the (oral) retelling of myths – stories that a particular culture believes to be true and that use the supernatural to interpret natural events and...

Banshees are common in Irish and Scottish folk stories such as those recorded by Herminie T. Kavanagh. They enjoy the same mythical status in Ireland as fairies and leprechauns. Herminie T. Kavanagh (1876 - 1933) was an Irish writer, most known for her short stories. ... In Irish mythology, a leprechaun is a type of elf said to inhabit the island of Ireland. ...

Etymology

The term Banshee is an anglicization of the Irish bean sí - "woman of the síd" or "woman of the fairy mound". The Scots Gaelic version of the name is usually Bean Nighe - "washer-woman". Both names are derived from the Old Irish ben sídhe, "fairy woman": bean: woman, and sidhe: the genitive case of "fairy". Anglicisation is a process of making something English. ... Sídhe (IPA , shee, modern Irish: sí; Scottish Gaelic: sìth) is an Irish and Scottish Gaelic word referring first to earthen mounds that were thought to be home to a supernatural race related to the fey and elves of other traditions, and later to these inhabitants themselves. ... // Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) is a member of the Goidelic branch of Celtic languages. ... Old Irish is the name given to the oldest form of the Irish language which can be, more or less, fully reconstructed from extant sources. ... by Sophie Anderson For other uses, see Fairy (disambiguation). ... In Irish mythology, the sídhe (pronounced shee) are a supernatural race, quite distinct from humankind. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Síd in Irish, and Sìth in Scots Gaelic, also mean "peace", and the fairies are also referred to as "the people of peace" - Aos Sí or Daoine-Sìth.

Banshees in popular culture

• Gilderoy Lockhart, a character in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series of novels, is famous for allegedly banishing the "Bandon Banshee"
• A banshee appears in Terry Pratchett's Discworld novel Reaper Man, named Brother Ixolite. He has a speech impediment, so "instead of sitting on roofs and screaming when people are about to die, he just writes them a note and slips it under the door". Going Postal introduces "feral" banshees, whose predatory habits offer an explanation as to why a banshee's cry is an omen of death (i.e. the banshee is stalking its prey, most likely whoever hears the banshee's cry).
• Banshees have been featured in a number of video games, such as the MMORPGs RuneScape and Tibia, in which they are often known to attack players by singing. In the popular RTS game, Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, Banshees are trained by the Undead Scourge. They can attack other units with blasts of sonic waves. For spells, they can curse, cast anti-magic barriers to absorb magic damage, or sacrifice their bodies to possess a target. In another RTS game, Command and Conquer: Tiberian Sun, Banshees are a type of experimental aircraft developed by the Brotherhood of Nod.
• The name "Banshee" has been given to a type of whistling fireworks produced by various manufacturers.
• "Banshee" is the name of a mutant in the second iteration of Marvel's X-Men comics. He is able to cause damage with his "sonic scream."
• Banshees appear in the Disney children's movie Darby O'Gill and the Little People (1959)
• Banshee was used as a name for a General Motors series of show cars for its Pontiac Division, the first appearing in 1966. Reportedly, the name was to be used on the Pontiac Firebird, but GM executives thought better of using a name meaning a "screaming spirit of death" on one its products.
• A Banshee is a sports car found in various games of the Grand Theft Auto series
• A Banshee is a Covenant aircraft in the Xbox series Halo and Halo 2. When it is flown in high altitudes, it makes a noise that sounds like high pitched wind.
• In the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, "Wail of the Banshee" is a high-level spell that can instantly kill nearby targets.
• Siouxsie And The Banshees is a popular post-punk band
• Banshee is the name of the Brandeis University Women's Ultimate Frisbee team

• Banshee Beat is the name of an Animal Collective song.

Gilderoy Lockhart is a fictional character in the Harry Potter series of books. ... Joanne Rowling OBE (born July 31, 1965 in Chipping Sodbury, South Gloucestershire), commonly known as J.K. Rowling (pronunciation: roll-ing; her former students used to joke with her name calling her the Rolling Stone), is a British fiction writer. ... This article is about the Harry Potter series of novels. ... The Fresh Start Club, a society of the undead. ... Terence David John Pratchett OBE (born April 28, 1948, in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England[1]) is an English fantasy author, best known for his Discworld series. ... Cover of an early edition of The Colour of Magic; art by Josh Kirby Discworld is a comedic fantasy book series by the British author Terry Pratchett set on the Discworld, a flat world balanced on the backs of four elephants which are in turn standing on the back of... Reaper Man is a Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett. ... Memorial of the 1986 post office incident in Edmond, Oklahoma. ... An image from World of Warcraft, one of the largest commercial MMORPGs as of 2004, based on active subscriptions. ... RuneScape is a Java-based MMORPG operated by Jagex Ltd. ... For the similar computer game genre, see Real-time tactics. ... Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, released by Blizzard Entertainment in 2002, is a real-time strategy computer game and the second sequel to Warcraft. ... Command & Conquer is a real-time strategy series of computer games released by the game developer Westwood Studios, now a part of Electronic Arts. ... For other uses, see Fireworks (disambiguation). ... Banshee (Sean Cassidy) was a Marvel Comics superhero, a member of the X-Men. ... The X-Men are a group of comic book superheroes featured in Marvel Comics. ... Darby OGill and the Little People is a Disney film released in 1959 set in rural Ireland at the beginning of the 19th century. ... General Motors Corporation, also known as GM or The General, an American multinational corporation, is the worlds largest auto company. ... A show car, sometimes called a dream car, is a custom-made automobile created specifically for public display, rather than sale. ... Pontiac is a marque of automobile produced by General Motors and sold in the United States, Canada and Mexico from 1926 to the present. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The original Grand Theft Auto, PC Version Grand Theft Auto (GTA) is a video game created by DMA Design (now Rockstar North) and published by ASC Games in 1997. ... The Covenant is a fictional militaristic and theocratic alliance of alien races who serve as the main antagonist body of the Halo science-fiction video game series. ... The Xbox is a sixth generation era video game console produced by Microsoft Corporation. ... It has been suggested that Covenant Vehicles in Halo be merged into this article or section. ... This article is about the video game. ... This article is about games in which one plays the role of a character. ... “D&D” redirects here. ... Siouxsie and the Banshees are a British gothic rock band. ... Usen Castle, the most recognized building on campus Brandeis University is a private university located in Waltham, Massachusetts, United States. ... Ultimate Frisbee is a competitive non-contact team sport played with a Frisbee or similar flying disc most commonly weighing 175 g. ... Animal Collective is a internationally-based group of experimental musicians from Baltimore, Maryland. ...

References

• Sorlin, Evelyne (1991). Cris de vie, cris de mort. Les fées du destin dans les pays celtiques. Academia Scientiarum Fennica, Helsinki. ISBN 951-41-0650-4. 
• Lysaght, Patricia (1986). The Banshee: The Irish Death Messenger. Roberts Rinehart Publishers. ISBN 1-57098-138-8. 
• Briggs, Katharine (1976). An Encyclopedia of Fairies. Pantheon Books. ISBN 0-394-73467-X. 
• Evans-Wentz, W. Y. (1966, 1990). The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries. Citadel. 
• Vinopal, John (1986). Ten Years of Torment. UC Santa Cruz Press. 

Katharine Mary Briggs (November 8, 1898 – 1980) is the author of The Anatomy of Puck, the definitive 4-volume Dictionary of British Folk-Tales, and various other books on fairies and folklore. ... Walter Yeeling Evans-Wentz (b. ...

External links

• The Legend of the Banshee
• An Animated Tale of the Banshee
• The Banshee