Banshee

Region: Northern Europe
Location:Ireland (Irish Gaelic tradition), with regional variations across Celtic Ireland

The Banshee — *bean sí*, “woman of the mound” — is a spirit that heralds death in the family she is attached to. Descriptions vary by region: she may appear as a young woman with flowing red or fair hair, a stern matron dressed in grey, or an old crone with long white hair. Her clothing is often described as white, grey, or green — colors associated with the Otherworld. The Banshee rarely interacts directly; her presence is known through her keening — a high, mournful wail or lament that echoes across fields, valleys, or outside homes.
  Keening was a real Irish funerary practice, and the Banshee myth extends this tradition into the supernatural. Families with deep Gaelic roots believed each lineage had its own Banshee, whose cry announced the death of a loved one long before news arrived. Encounters could be visual or purely auditory: a woman combing her hair at a stream, a shadowy figure standing at a crossroads, or a chilling cry in the dead of night. Unlike demonic spirits, the Banshee does not cause death — she warns of it.
  The Banshee embodies grief, lineage, and remembrance. Her wail connects living families to their ancestors and acknowledges that death is part of the natural cycle. Over centuries, she became a symbol of Ireland’s deep relationship with mourning traditions and the idea that ancestors look after their descendants. While often feared, she is not malicious. She is sorrow given form — a messenger from the Otherworld whose cry anchors families to their heritage.

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. All characters appearing in this work are fictitious or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

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