In Ireland, there are tales of a woman that haunts her family members, a woman that watches over you, if you’re lucky, at least until you die. That woman is called a banshee. Also called the “fairy woman”, the banshee has been known throughout literature, such as Lady Fanshawe’s Memoirs, and Joseph Delaney’s The Last Apprentice series, as well as TV shows such as Supernatural. Her screams are often considered to be a sign of death, and she has been described as either a pale woman in a gray dress, or a beautiful woman with long, flowing red hair. She has an air of mystery to her, and while there’s sorrow in her voice, there can also be an undeniable hatred that makes her seem scarier than what she really is.

So, all things considered, why should you write about a banshee in your story? What makes them so wonderful to write about? What unique aspects can they bring to your novel that you might not have explored already?

A Member of the Fae

As I've said before, the word banshee means “fairy woman”. And I must admit, I was rather surprised as well. Still, despite this rather strange distinction, the banshee has been more closely associated with ghosts, and has been considered one of the harbingers of death. However, that doesn’t mean they don’t show kindness. Sometimes, when several banshees appear to lament the death of a person, it means that the person was noble. This was a characteristic of the fae in fairy tales, since, when you were a good person, you were often rewarded.

A Spirit with Human Characteristics

The banshee has also had a long history with humans. Dating back to the 8th century, women were often paid to sing sorrowful songs during a person’s funeral. These women were thought to become banshees themselves, forever damned to mourn others. Of course, with a myth like this, people can’t help but humanize banshees as well. For example, some banshees may decide to watch over their families and make sure that no harm comes to them. When a member of their family is dying, they will appear to that member as a beautiful woman with a lovely lullaby. Malevolent banshees, on the other hand, may have a reason to hate their families, and will appear to them as a frightening apparition so that they'd almost scare their families to death.

A Sad, Lonely Mistress

Despite the importance of the banshee, they're often stigmatized. They are depicted as monstrous creatures that need to be destroyed, or signs of an end that people tend to ignore. And because of their close association with death, many people fear them. On the other hand, like many supernatural creatures, they are often seen outside the realms of normality. It gives them a dark allure that every other monster has. It adds a layer of mystery and darkness to any story or legend, and is something that should never be ignored.

The banshee is a creature that is closely associated with death. She can appear as either an attractive, enchanting woman, or as little more than a monster that could destroy her former loved ones with a single scream. Even so, banshees play an important part in Irish mythology, and continue to captivate us today.