Mystery Of The Banshee – Is The Celtic Death Messenger Linked To The Tuatha De’Dannan Race?

Ellen Lloyd – MessageToEagle.com – The mysterious Banshee or Bean Sidhe is a fascinating creature we encounter in Irish mythology.

Throughout history and across cultures there are stories and myths of beings that forewarn of human death. In Ireland these frightening beings were known as the Banshees.

From Irish folklore we learn that whenever you heard the thin scream of the Banshee, you knew death was around the corner. The sound of their voice was prophetic.  The Irish do not believe the Banshee causes death, but merely warns of it.

The Banshees were Celtic death messengers and although it is unknown precisely when stories of the Banshee first were told, they can be traced back as far as the early eighth century.

The physical descriptions of the Banshees vary somewhat. In most cases, it is said the Banshee is a woman with long, red hair and very pale skin. According to other accounts, on the other hand, it is an older woman with stringy, gray hair, rotten teeth, and fiery red eyes. She is often depicted with a comb in her hair and this has led to an Irish superstition that finding a comb on the ground is considered bad luck.

Apparently the Banshees were also shape-shifters that could take on any form, much like the goddesses of Celtic folklore and the Greek gods who were also shape-shifters. Other forms of the Banshee include the Bean Nighe and the washer woman, both more attributed to Scotland than Ireland. According to legends, the Bean Nighe was ghost woman who died during childbirth and would be seen wearing the clothes of the person about to die while the washer woman is dressed like a countrywoman and is cleaning bloody rags on a river shore.

Sometimes a Banshee will perch on a windowsill like a bird, where she’ll remain for several hours or even days-until death comes to call. Often, as the Banshee escapes into the darkness, witnesses have described a bird-like fluttering sound. Thus, many believe that the Banshee is a birdlike creature.

The Banshee tradition is widespread throughout Ireland and nearby islands. The gaelic terms used most frequently to describe the Banshee are the “bean-si” (a female dweller of a sidhe, or fairy mound), the “bean chaointe” (a female keener, a term found in east Munster and Connaught) and the “badhb” (referring to a more dangerous, frightening bogey). Although “bean-si” implies an Otherworld or fairy being, the banshee is a solitary creature without male counterpart who never partakes in communal human or fairie social enterprise.

In Christianity, the Banshee was regarded as a devil who wails for the souls that are lost to her as they ascend to heaven, or that they are familial guardian angels or souls of unbaptized children or even the souls of women who committed the sin of pride in life.

Some researchers have suggested that the Banshee could be linked to the mystical race Tuatha De Danaan. The true origin of the Tuatha De Danaan is unknown. The name means literally “the folk of the god whose mother is Dana.” These fabled Irish gods appeared one day, on 1st May (Beltane) out of nowhere. According to some of the earliest sources, the Tuatha de Danaan came from the skies.  The Tuatha De Danaan landed in a dense cloud on the top of Sliev-an-lerin, the Iron Mountain in the County Leitrim.
This is very interesting because it is clear that they appeared in a manner similar to the Watchers when they descended on Mount Hermon.

Still, we wonder, do Banshees really exist or are they mere myth?

Although the existence of the Banshee is based on ancient myths and legends, there are still people who report seeing and hearing this mysterious creature lurking around before she disappears into a cloud of mist. When she vanishes, a fluttering sound like a bird flapping its wings is heard.

Written by – A. Sutherland  – MessageToEagle.com Senior Staff Writer

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