Banshee

Almost all the cultures in the world believe in the existence of death and the afterlife as well as these so called harbingers of death. Every culture has their own stories of such creatures or spirits that are said to foretell the demise of a person like the “White Lady” in the Philippines and some European countries, the “Red Lady” in China, the Pontianak in Indonesia, and the Grim Reaperin the West.

They may differ in names and in origin, but they are all considered to be precursors of death. In this article, we are going to know all about this mysterious and superstitious creature called the Banshee as we explore its paranormal roots as well as the scientific facts that can be used to explain this particular entity.

Overview Of The Banshee:
The Banshee is one interesting entity because stories and legends of its existence dates back as far as the 1300’s and it is said to manifest itself even to this day. As most legend suggest, the Banshee is a female fairy who begins to cry when somebody is about to die. The appearance or manifestation of this creature is said to be a bad omen it leads to the demise of an individual the next day. The legend of the Banshee is common in Ireland and similar creatures can be found in Scotland and in the America:

Some Facts About The Banshee:
Here are some interesting facts about Banshee that you should know:

1. In some stories, Banshees are seldom seen by the people. Their presence is only determined if they hear a loud wailing sound coming from the woods, which is heard mostly during the eve of someone’s death. Other versions of the stories indicate that there are certain Irish families which is attached to the Banshee and whenever a family member is about to die, the Banshee will appear and warn them by wailing. The cry of the Banshee may vary from a low pleasant singing to a piercing and shattering noise.

2. The Banshee is often seen to be dressed in white or grayish-white gown while brushing their long pale hair with a comb. According to a romantic Irish legend, the comb is used by the Banshee (and also Mermaids) to lure innocent souls into their doom. That’s why people in Ireland never pick up any comb that is lying on the ground even until this day. Others who have seen this creature described her as wearing a green, red, and sometimes black dress hidden under a grey cloak.

3. As mentioned, Banshee can manifest in any forms and disguises, the most common of which is the appearance of a beautiful or ugly woman. But they are also believed to appear as animals like the weasel, stoat, hare, or the hooded crow. These animals are commonly associated to witchcraft in Ireland.

4. One version on the origin of the Banshee tells that the female apparition is later revealed to be the Morrigan, the Irish goddess of battles, sovereignty, and strife. The Morrigan is the Irish version of the Valkyries who decides the fate of warriors during the Germanic battles.

5. The Irish death bringer is considered to be a fairy or elemental spirit, but the Banshee seen in the Americas are depicted to be more of a ghost or any ghoulish apparitions that are commonly mistaken by people to be the Irish messenger of death.

Some Scientific Explanations Of This Famous Irish Legend:
The Banshee is considered to be a creature bound under the belief in superstition and the supernatural. Others even think that it’s only a figure of wild imagination by some people. Let’s try to explore some scientific facts that might give an explanation to the existence of the Banshee.

1. Before the world was dominated with scientific knowledge, most of the people in the “old” world were more inclined to believe in the existence of the supernatural elements to give to give an explanation to some things or events that they cannot comprehend. It’s most likely a coincidence that the Irish folks saw an old hag, a beautiful woman, or a crow when somebody dies when in fact they can be seen daily and yet barely noticed. This goes to show that most people in the past tend to device an explanation they can think of to many things as scientific knowledge was still not available to provide a proper definition of things.

2. Banshees were considered as creatures in the woods and often not to be seen by most people. Instead, their weeping is only heard from a distance and there are only a number of cases reported that they were seen. Based on the description of the sounds that the people once heard, they can be easily explained to be howls of wolves at night, a gust of wind blowing on hollow trees, and other animals making weeping-like noises. Again, it’s most likely that the people from the old times tend to give a rational explanation to the sound they were not able to recognize and then added the idea of associating it to the event of death.

 

3. In cases of actual apparition, it could possible that those who have seen this mysterious being may have been seeing some type of optical illusion as the Banshee is usually seen covered with mist in the woods. According to some scientist, our human brain is trained to pick up any human-like figure from the things all around us. Basic examples of this phenomena is when one takes a picture and then sees a face at the background which was actually the cause of the distortion of light and the “mirage effect” (seeing images in the distance). In the case of the Banshee apparition, it most likely that people who have seen it just saw other inanimate objects in the dead of the night and then immediately conclude the idea that what they saw was the actual harbinger of death.

Conclusion:
Whether it is real or not, the Banshee still remains as one of the supernatural creatures that haunt the frail minds of human beings. Seeing it or hearing it is a definite sign of death. So the next time you hear a woman weeping, pray that no one will die the next day.