The Banshee

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The banshee is a fairy woman often appearing at the death of important persons. Stories dictate, the appearance of the banshee foretold death. Banshees are said to appear for certain Irish families, the families whom made it onto the list changed depending on where the story was told. Banshees are usually seen by a person who is about to die in a violent way such as murder. Stories of banshees carried over to the West Highlands of Scotland.

The banshee appears in a multitude of guises; often appearing as an ugly, frightening hag. She can also appear as a stunningly beautiful woman of any age that suits her. In some tales, the banshee is, or is related to, the Irish battle goddess, the Morrígan.

The mourning call of the creature is heard at night when someone is about to die and normally in the nearby woods. King James I of Scotland, 1437, was approached by an Irish seer who was later identified as a banshee who foretold his murder at the instigation of the Earl of Atholl. There are records of several prophets thought to be banshees infiltrating the great families of Ireland and the courts of Irish kings.

The wail can be so piercing that it shatters glass; other stories claim her voice is a "low, pleasant singing"; some say "the sound of two boards being struck together"; and on Rathlin Island as "a thin, screeching sound somewhere between the wail of a woman and the moan of an owl".