Tales and Creatures from English Folklore

The Banshee

A Banshee is known in Ireland as a female spirit who wails outside a home to warn of the imminent death of a family member.  Often heard before she is seen, her wailing is that horribly high-pitched that nobody would dare to willingly attempt to witness this terrifying spirit.

In Ireland, the Banshee does not bring or cause death but warns loved ones that a death is near which gives the family a chance to prepare. Some believe that she acts as an escort to ensure that their loved one passes safely to the other side.

Banshees may seem ghoulish, but they have no record of being violent or even mischievous. Their dark appearance probably comes from the tragedy of their own lives; many people believe they are the spirits of women who were murdered or died in childbirth. Others believe they are fairy queens who were driven underground by the arrival of humans.

Given their own sad history, it’s not surprising that Banshees are hypersensitive to sadness in other people’s lives, nor that their expression of grief has taken on supernatural powers.

Before there were spectral Banshees wandering the hills of Ireland, there were real women who did their job for them! These women, called “keeners,” were hired to grieve either at a funeral or outside of a house where someone was expected to die. Their wailing songs inspired other people to grieve for the dead as well.

Historical records show that keeners were active around the eighth century. Sometime after the eighth century, their popularity began to fade, but their legend lived on in the form of The Banshee.

By the fourteenth century, Banshee lore was in full swing. They can be found in Irish, Scottish, and Norman literature during that century. By the fifteenth century, belief in Banshees was so widespread that even the King James I of Scotland reported encountering one of them.