The history of the Fey: Banshees
Hello! For today’s post, I want to share info on banshees! The characters in my books are banshees, so this post means the most to me. ☺ Fey, Fay, or Fae. Whichever way you spell it, the Fey have an interesting and diverse history. So, if you want to share any information you have about my post, feel free to comment. I'd love to hear from you!
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Banshee:
Irish - Bean Sidhe (“woman of the fairy mound”) ~ Scots Gaelic - Bean-nighe, (“washerwoman”) ~ Welsh - Cyhyraeth (not sure how to pronounce this or what it translates to, but it seems to be their version of a banshee. What I did find said Cyhyr has something to do with flesh or muscles and -aeth is skeleton or wraith… If anyone knows Welsh, please help!)
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As with most folklore, there are varied stories and opinions about banshees. And from all my research on folklore, banshee legends are the most wide-ranging. Although in most, if not all, versions, the banshee is female and wails, cries, or screams to warn of impending death. In some tales, she is seen washing the clothes of those about to die. In others, she sings or appears as a ghostly figure, or even as a crow tapping at a window, still signaling an approaching death.
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Some say a banshee is attached to specific families — some of those say it’s specifically families with surnames beginning with ‘Mac’ or ‘O’ (like some of my characters 😊). Others say this is not true and banshees are unbiased with their warnings. Others believe seeing a banshee is an honor, but most think of it as a bad omen and fear them. In some she is beautiful and in others she is hideous. See, wide-ranging! 😆
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I really can’t pinpoint when I chose banshees as the foundation for the characters in my books. I remember learning about them at a young age, and I do not recall seeing them well-represented in books like vampires are. I just liked the idea of another, yet unique, version of the myth.
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So, I twisted the lore of vampires and banshees into my own beings. My banshees are both female and male. They look like and live among humans without humankind’s knowledge. They feed from humans, but not the way you’d think. 😉 They’re immortal and stop physically aging at 25-35 years old. My book, Becoming Banshee, dives deeper into my characters’ history.
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