Realms of Fantasy and Myth: Week 41 - Banshee

Oct 21, 201120 min read

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Published: Oct 21, 2011

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Realms of Fantasy and Myth: Week 41 - Banshee

Welcome to the forty-first issue of my fantasy features news article! I hope you enjoy it, and please, show the featured artists some love and recognition through pageviews,

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This week's creature feature is: Banshee

From Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banshee:

The Banshee, from the Irish bean sí ("woman of the síde" or "woman of the fairy mounds") is a feminine spirit in Irish mythology, usually seen as an omen of death and a messenger from the Otherworld.
In Irish legend, a banshee is a fairy woman who begins to wail if someone is about to die. Similar creatures are also found in Welsh, Norse and American folklore. Sightings of Banshees have been reported as recently as 1948.

The story of the bean-sidhe began as a fairy woman keening at the death of important personages. In later stories, the appearance of the banshee could foretell death. Banshees were said to appear for particular Irish families, though which families made it onto this list varied depending on who was telling the story. Stories of Banshees were also prevalent in the West Highlands of Scotland.
The banshee can appear in a variety of guises. Most often she appears as an ugly, frightening hag, but she can also appear as a stunningly beautiful woman of any age that suits her. The hag may also appear as a washer-woman, or bean-nighe (washing woman), and is seen washing the blood stained clothes or armour of those who are about to die.

Although not always seen, her mourning call is heard, usually at night when someone is about to die and usually around woods. In 1437, King James I of Scotland was approached by an Irish seer or banshee who foretold his murder at the instigation of the Earl of Atholl. There are records of several prophets believed to be incarnate banshees attending the great houses of Ireland and the courts of local Irish kings. In some parts of Leinster, she is referred to as the bean chaointe (keening woman) whose wail can be so piercing that it shatters glass. In Kerry in the southwest of Ireland, her keen is experienced as a "low, pleasant singing"; in Tyrone in the north, as "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".

Now, for the features! Works are featured from various categories, in no particular order:

Harbringer of Death- SDS Wrath by DarkGuardiann

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the wail of the banshee by RossanaCastellino

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Banshee Reaper Mini Ghost by spanky-paints

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Thank you so much for viewing, and come back next time for a different inhabitant of the Realms of Fantasy and Myth!