banshee
A spirit from ancient Irish/Scottish Celtic mythology.From Old Irish "
ben síde" and modern Irish "bean sí
dhe"/"bean sí", the word roughly means "woman of the fairies" ("bean": "woman"; "sídhe": "fairy mound"). When a citizen of a village dies, a woman (sometimes known as
keener (taken from the Irish Gaelic word "caoin" ("to
weep/cry")) would sing a caoineadh (
lament); legend has it that, for five great Gaelic families: the O'Gradys, the O'Neills, the O'Briens, the O'Connors, and the Kavanaghs, the lament would be sung by a particular
fairy woman.When the stories were translated into English, a distinction between the "banshee" and the other fairy folk was introduced which does not seem to exist in the original stories in their original language, and the funeral lament became a
wail that heralded a death. Hearing the cry of the banshee came to
forewarn a death in the family and seeing the banshee would signify one's own death.Most often, the banshee appears a maiden in white,
combing their
cascading fair hair with a silver comb (which is likely confused with local mermaid myths), while they are also shown in black or green and wearing a grey
cloak.She may also appear (near a body of water) as a washer-woman, and is seen apparently washing the blood-stained clothes of the ones who are about to die. In this guise she is known as the bean-nighe (washing woman).
banshee
by angrytoast on Mar 24, 2009 05:16:30
people are actually getting the definition of a banshee very wrong. let me quote from john
allan's "mysteries".
"
banshees are really guardian spirits rather than harbingers of doom, but their cry always spell disaster."
so a banshee, or a bansidhe is not the
cause of death of someone, but a warning cry, if you will.
banshee
by beautifulsg on Jul 13, 2010 03:36:47
A beautiful girl who routinely is
too hard on her appearance, not realizing she's always
the most gorgeous girl in the room. She uses banshee in a
negative sense, unaware of its completely meaning.
Example:
Guy: "Hi. I love the way your hair looks!"
Girl: "Really? This mess? Oh, my gosh, I look
like a banshee."
Guy: "I'm not sure that means
what you think it means.
Banshee is good!"
Banshee
by littlecat on Feb 27, 2007 09:15:06
1. A female spirit derived from ancient Irish mythology, usually seen as an omen of death. Her Scottish counterpart is the Bean Nighe (washer-woman). It is said that when a person hears the Bansee's wail three nights in a row, a person in their family will die. When several
Banshees appear, it indicates the death of
someone great or holy.
2. Contemporary usage and depictions of the Banshee give her a much more evil nature, being often used as a foe in series and video games, and characterized by her powerful and
strident voice.
3. An obnoxious, loud woman.
Example:
1. I heard a
Banshee last night, I'm afraid this means mama will not heal.
2. "When a simple mortal hears a
Banshee's cry, they die. But
Banshees are former witches, and when a witch hears their cry, they turn into a Banshee!" - Charmed
3. Your mother-in-law is a
banshee!