Supernatural Creatures and Haunted Places: True Spine chilling stories.

A Wailing Banshee: The Messenger of Death!

In Irish folklore, a Banshee is a fairy whose cry is thought to be a premonition of death. The scream is also known as 'caoine,' which means 'keening,' and is a warning that a family member is about to die. A Banshee is a spirit that can take the form of a beautiful woman wearing a shroud, a pale woman in a white dress with long red hair, a woman with a long silver dress and silver hair, a headless woman carrying a bowl of blood who is naked from the waist up, an old woman with frightening red eyes, a green dress and long white hair, or an old woman with a veil covering her face, dressed all in black with long white hair.

Historians have traced the origins of the Banshee back to the eighth century, when they were based on a ritual in which ladies sung a melancholy song to mourn the death of a loved one. These women were referred to as 'keeners,' and because they accepted alcohol as payment, they were considered sinners who would be cursed to become Banshees.

If the Banshee is seen, she will dissolve into a cloud of mist, making a noise similar to that of a bird flapping its wings, according to Banshee folklore. According to legend, Banshees do not bring death; rather, they act as a warning.

Other Irish mythology traditions about the Banshee claim that she is the spirit of a young girl who died in a violent death and that her spirit has remained to warn family members of impending death. This Banshee is supposed to resemble an elderly woman with decaying teeth and long fingernails. She's dressed in rags and has blood-red eyes so full with hatred that gazing into them directly will kill you!

The mouth of this Banshee is always open, as her piercing shriek torments the living souls. According to legend, there are wicked Banshees who like stealing people's lives and aggressively seek out their victims, cry at them until the individual commits suicide.

Depending on who you ask or where the legends come from, the Banshee can take three different forms. She is usually shown as a crouching hag with a hideous wrinkly face, yet she can also be a beautiful, ethereal young woman or a dignified matron in certain stories. She is sometimes referred to as the ghost of a slain lady or a woman who died in childbirth in other stories. Badhbh, Macha, and Mor-Rioghain are three common Banshee guises that may represent the three aspects of the Celtic goddess of battle and death, Badhbh, Macha, and Mor-Rioghain.

The Banshee almost always has long silver hair, which she is occasionally seen grooming with a comb. As a result, some individuals are afraid of being whisked away by fairies if they pick up a comb laying on the ground. Her eyes are crimson from sobbing, and she wears a grey hooded cloak or the white sheet or grave garment of the deceased. Many people believe she can take on any of the above personalities and switch between them whenever she wants.

Sinister banshees have the ability to emit high-pitched screams that can force anyone who hears them to commit suicide. The victims are the only ones who can hear their screams, and after the victim is dead, the banshee will feed on their frontal lobe. Banshees exclusively prey on the weak, both physically and mentally. They only hunt at night and stay in one spot until it is completely depleted. They, like spirits, have the ability to become immaterial.

They have the ability to navigate through mist. They have a long tongue that is specifically intended to eat the brains of its prey. Banshees are impossible to kill using traditional tactics. They can only be killed by a golden blade. Lights began to flicker as a result of their presence.

A banshee can be killed by a weapon made of pure gold. It is harmed even by being sliced with a golden blade. A simple spell can be used to expel them (but not necessarily killed). When invoked, a blood sigil can trap a banshee. They can be laid to rest, like all other spirits, by salting and burning their corpses.

Banshee ghost sightings have been reported in Welsh, Norse, and American folklore since 1948. According to folklore, each of Ireland's six notable families—the O'Neills, O'Donnells, O'Connors, O'Learys, O'Tools, and O'Connaghs—had a woman ghost who acted as a harbinger of death, appearing before the death, sobbing.

The account told in the Memoirs of Lady Fanshaw (Scott's – Lady of the Lake) goes that in 1642, while her husband, Sir Richard, and she were visiting a friend who happened to live in a baronial castle, the regal lady was startled awake by a frightful and piercing wail. "Then she noticed a female face and part of her form hovering at the window in the moonlight." The phantom appeared for a little longer before vanishing with two shrieks similar to the ones she had heard before."

The greatest places to find Banshee stories today are collections of Irish and Scottish folklore. Banshees are employed by some current authors, including as Terry Pratchett in his novel Reaper Man, but they are not often used in literature or art. However, several popular culture activities, such as role-playing games and video games, include the Banshee as a mythical creature.