A Banshee is said to be a fairy in Irish legend and her scream is believed to be an omen of death. The scream is also called 'caoine' which means 'keening' and is a warning that there will be an imminent death in the family and as the Irish families blended over time, it is said that each family has its own Banshee!
A Banshee is a disembodied spirit and can appear in any of the following forms:
A beautiful woman wearing a shroudA pale woman in a white dress with long red hairA woman with a long silver dress and silver hairA headless woman carrying a bowl of blood that is naked from the waist upAn old woman with frightening red eyes, a green dress and long white hairAn old woman with a veil covering her face, dressed all in black with long grey hair
Historians have traced the first stories of the Banshee to the 8th century which were based on a tradition where women sang a sorrowful song to lament someone's death. These women were known as 'keeners' and since they accepted alcohol as payment, they were said to be sinners and punished by being doomed to become Banshees. According to the mythology of the Banshee, if she is spotted, she will vanish into a cloud of mist and this action creates a noise similar to that of a bird flapping its wings. Legend says that Banshees don't cause death; they only serve as a warning of it.
Not all Banshees are hate-filled creatures; there are some that had strong ties to their families in life and continued to watch over them in death. When they manifest themselves, these Banshees appear as beautiful enchanting women that sing a sorrowful, haunting song which is filled with concern and love for their families. This song can be heard a few days before the death of a family member and in most cases the song can only be heard by the person for whom it is intended. On the other side of the coin we have the angry and scary Banshee that most of us are familiar with. During their lives, these women had reasons to hate their families and appear as distorted and frightening apparitions filled with hatred. The howls emitted by these Banshees are enough to chill you to the bone and rather than appearing to warn a family member, these Banshees are celebrating the future demise of someone they loathed!
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Folklore, Urban Legends, Myths, etc.
General FictionHello everyone and welcome to my various stories I based this book while reading some stories about Folklore and Legends and now I want to write down their stories just for the fun of it and it will be possible for me because I'll be researching bef...
