The Irish Banshee (Bean Sí). Women of the Fairy Mounds.

[dixmontasylum.]

*Note: There are many different types of variations on the Irish Banshee. Below are the ones that Ive heard growing up, and bits that Ive researched via books and internet. A bibliography will be presented on request. =)


The Irish Banshee is typically known as a forteller of death and is associated with the people of the mounds, commonly called The Good People or Fearies/Fairy. They also may be an ancestral spirit appointed to forewarn members of certain ancient Irish families of their time of death such as the O'Brians, O'Gradys and so forth.

Common Forms of the Banshee.

The three most common forms of Banshee are usually a washing maid with blood stained on her apron, an old woman clothed in a grey cloak to represent mouring, or a beautiful young woman in tattered clothing, suggesting a rape. There are also stories about handsome young men setting off into forests searching for Fearie Gold and coming across a Fearie Mound. Soon after they cross the path of the Mound they meet a young maiden in the woods, sitting on a stump and combing her hair with a silver comb. This is of course, a Banshee. Usually the men are so smitten with this beautiful woman that they become insane, and are eventually spirited away. In some Irish legends, the banshee can also come in an animal form such as a hare, raven or crow.

The Wail of the Banshee.

The exact sound of a Banshee cry varies in many tellings of the myth. In different parts of Ireland the wail of a Banshee can be different sounds according to the person in question and the region where they live. The most common forms are two wooden boards being hit together, a woman wailing together with the screetch of an owl, or even a low, melancholy singing.
The haunting wail of a Banshee heard from a home symbolizes death for a member of the family. If a banshee call is heard wailing for three nights in a row, then the entire family is supposedly about to die in fortnight after the third night.

Other Variations of the Banshee.

Across Northern Europe there are many different forms of the Banshee, all with similar characteristics and warnings. The Scottish Bean Shìth is the ghost of a woman who lost her firstborn child and is constantly doomed to search for it for all of time. The sound of the Bean Shìth usually fortells the death of a child, family member or the fall of a House/Family.
The Welsh Gwrach-y-Rhibyn or Hag of the Mist is portrayed as an ugly, foul looking old woman with warts and scraggly dirty hair. She usually cannot be seen and lives in boggy and fog drenched areas, crossroads and brooks. If encountered, the Hag of the Mist calls the persons name, appears and follows them until they untimately die.

How to Ward off a Banshee.

Ultimately, there is no way of warding off a Banshee once she has claimed your soul for Death. But living a good, honest life wavers the chances of ever encountering a Banshee. Although this is not written in stone. Some people believe that you are marked for the Banshee the day you are born. Others think that an accumulated life if sin causes the Banshee to haunt you. Personally, I assume that a Banshee's choice is random and quick, as is the act of death itself.

[Bracket]

That's cool. You should ask CT if you can have this published on True Ghost Tales.com or Our Ghost Tales.com. It will open it up to more people seeing it.

[dixmontasylum.]

Thank you. =) I will.

[Pitch Potter]

I learn from that. Thank you. Rather there is truth to the legend is entirely up to the reader. It is taken on faith after all.

[geogirlforever]

Hey some of these sounded familliar and now I know why. When I went to highschool -- Steve's Irish and he would talk about this thru lunch period but because I wasn't as interested in all this stuff thru highschool I didn't pay much attention (I had selective hearing back in highschool). B***H or S**B was what they'd call me I say it's called Selective Hearing.. But thanks for posting.

[CareTaker]

(08-08-2009 02:04 AM)dixmontasylum. Wrote:  Thank you. =) I will.

This great article has been published on TGT at http://www.trueghosttales.com/paranormal...ry-mounds/

Come on by and post your comments

[Ali]

Very interesting. Thank you for sharing.

[scarygirl67]

I posted my comment at TGT, but I will add here.........very well done, dixmontasylum. I knew from your first post what a great asset you would be on here.

[dixmontasylum.]

(08-08-2009 03:13 PM)scarygirl67 Wrote:  I posted my comment at TGT, but I will add here.........very well done, dixmontasylum. I knew from your first post what a great asset you would be on here.

Thank you so much. That made my day. =)

[Andraste]

I'm curious to know why you chose the spelling Bean Sí rather than Bean Sidhe. The latter spelling is the only way I've ever seen it.