Winter Moon: A Banshee's Tale

Introduction

Note: All following content is original and a product of my imagination. Duplication or plagiarism of any form will not be tolerated.

Welcome, dear readers, to a tale of love, friendship and sorrow. Much is heard of European folklore- of banshees, dullahans, chichevache, or gargoyles. A wide variety of these legends take root in Ireland and most accounts speak of the appearances and actions of these mythical creatures.

Set during the 1840's in a small town in Ireland, this tale revolves around the lives of a small family at the time of the Great Irish Famine. Intertwined with their lives is that of a girl who seems to have sprung forth from the legends themselves!

[The Great Irish Famine, mostly attributed to the potato blight, was a disaster that struck Ireland and England, claiming the lives of many, and causing the population to fall by about 25%, some from starvation and others from diseases like tuberculosis, smallpox, typhus, diarrhea, and so on. Many who survived migrated to other lands.]

Before we move on, here are some name/word translations that might come in handy.

Word meanings

1. Dadaí / Daid/ Da- father/ dad

2. Dearthaír mór- elder brother

3. Aíntin- aunt

4. Mamaí / Ma- mommy/mom

5. M'iníon- my daughter

6. Deirfiúr- sister

7. Mo shíorghrá- my eternal love

8. Dia ár sábháil- God save us

9. A leanbh- My dear

10. A pheata- mother's darling

Main Characters

*In order of prominence*

Bronagh (pronounced: brone-ah; meaning: sorrowful one)

OR

Aislinn (pronounced: ash-ling; meaning : dream/vision)

OR

Cara (pronounced: car-ah; meaning: friend)

OR

Bláthnaid (pronounced: blaw-nid; meaning: little flower)

A banshee (mythical being whose cries foretell the death of a family member, and whose sighting is a warning of impending death). She has been dead for about eighty years now, and has little to no memory of her life. She detests her role in the afterlife, and by extension, hates herself when we first meet her. Though typically seen as a young girl of about nine, she is also known to appear in different forms, including that of a disheveled old woman.

Aoife

pronounced: ee-fa

meaning: beautiful

A young girl of twelve, she and her father have been ostracized by the rest of their town for his beliefs. Lonely and estranged from her maternal family, she seeks to unite her family once more. She is also the first to strike up a friendship with Bláthnaid.

Oisín

pronounced: oh-sheen

meaning: fawn; also the name of a legendary poet 

Aoife's formerly estranged uncle. He runs a bakery in town and supplies baked goods in nearby cities and towns. He strongly believes it is time to call a truce at least till the famine lifts, and is instrumental in facilitating Aoife's interactions with his family. He has two sons, Nolan and Aodhán.

Nolan

pronounced: now-laen

meaning: noble

Oisín's son and Aoife's cousin. He helps his father at the bakery and travels to nearby towns to sell their goods. At twenty two years of age, the age difference between him and Aoife leads him to treat her as a child rather than a peer. His protectiveness over Aoife is the common ground he finds with Bláthnaid, leading to their friendship.

Aodhán

pronounced: aid-awn

meaning: fiery

Nolan's older brother, who also travels to help sell their baked goods. While he disapproves of Nolan and his father's encouragement of Aoife out of deference to his mother, he does not hold any ill-will towards her. As the elder son, he is more invested in looking for better prospects outside Saol, which is how he is introduced to the Young Ireland movement.

Alma

pronounced: ahl-mah

meaning: kind

Oisín's wife, and Aine's sister, who bakes the items he sells at the bakery. She holds a grudge against Liam's inaction during Aine's illness and holds him responsible for her sister's death, which leads to the two families becoming estranged. She disapproves of the men of her household associating with Aoife.

Liam

pronounced: lee-am

meaning: guardian

Aoife's widowed father, a kind man whose decisions are mostly influenced by his past. While initially unemployed, he finds work in one of the workhouses set up by the British and is rarely around monitor Aoife, a fact which leads to Oisín and Nolan stepping up for him.

Other Named Characters (Will be updated as the story progresses)

Aine

pronounced: awn-ya

meaning: radiance/brilliance

Aoife's deceased mother and Alma's sister. (Only mentioned)

Orla

pronounced: 

meaning: golden princess

Aoife's first friend. While she initially picked on Aoife along with other girls, she eventually feels remorseful and strikes up a friendship with Aoife, calling her home to play without her mother's knowledge or permission.