Banshee

Banshee comes from the Irish “bean sidhe.” “Bean” meaning “woman” and sidhe meaning “mound.” (sidhe eventually came to mean “fairy” as people began to refer to fairies as “the sidhe” because they lived in the mounds) Originally, “Banshee” referred to any woman from the Otherworld (goddesses of the land or regional fairy queens). As time passed, however, banshee came to refer specifically to a fairy woman who wailed in prophecy of a death.

Alternative Names: ban shee, badbh, badhbh, badhbh, bean sidhe, ben sid, bean si, ben side, ban-sith, bean-shith, bean sith, ben shee

Origin: Celtic (Ireland, Scotland, Isle of Man)

Appearance: Like many Celtic spirits, the Banshee can appear both as a haggard crone or as a beautiful maiden. As a crone she has glowing red eyes and flowing white hair. She wears a green dress under a gray cloak. As a maiden, she has long red hair and is dressed in white. She is sometimes described as having red shoes.

Notes:
- Old Celtic families were believed to have their own banshee who attended only that family and sang the death song for its members. Some of the families knew their banshee by name, such as Cliodna (of the McCarthy family from South

Munster) and Aoibhill (of the Dalcassion family of North Munster). A banshee connected to a specific family will follow that family even if the immigrate to another country.

- The Banshee is very similar to the Washer at the Ford. The Washer at the Ford is most often depicted as an old woman kneeling by the water washing the bloody clothes of someone about to die in battle. Unlike the Washer Woman, the Banshee does not specialize in foretelling the death of warriors.
- The Banshee is occasionally reported to be combing her hair as she wails. Sometimes the comb is silver and sometimes it is gold.

- There is no agreed time of day or night at which the banshee wails. Some say it is in the morning or late at night, while others claim she usually wails at noon.
- The banshee is often linked to Celtic goddesses (i.e. Aine)

- Red and green were both colors associated with the fey. This explains the description of the banshee as wearing green and having red hair (and occasionally red shoes)

References:
The Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore by Patricia Monaghan
Fantasmagoria: An Atlas of Fabulous Creatures, Enchanted Beings, and Magical Monsters by Julia Bruce
Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins: An Encyclopedia by Carol Rose