The origins of the Banshee. Death messenger, follows old Irish families -the Macs and the O’s. An awful wailing sound frighten the life out of you - quite literally #Banshee
The Banshee is heard but never seen in Cork and Kerry, is known as ‘The Bow’ in Waterford, in Clare called the ‘Dismal of the Burren’ and in olden times known as ‘the washer at the Ford’ #Banshee
The earliest mention of the Banshee occurs in a 15th century manuscript called ‘The Truimph of Turlough’ describes, not very flatteringly as an lone ancient hideous Hag’ #Banshee
The early Banshee appears “with a cairn of heads, a pile of arms and legs, a load of spoils all of which she washed in the river”. “ the carnage here” she said reassuringly to Turlough “stands for the destruction of your army” #Banshee
Very often the Banshee is heard outside the window of the death house. The sound is described as a dreadful and frightening wailing - she is crying death into the community #Banshee
Our friend @cushaglen suggests that the Banshee sounds like a barn owl. She is often described like the cry of a fox. It is very interesting and not surprising to think that the primal sounds of nature are like her cry #Banshee
So, if you met a banshee how would you recognise her? Different people describe her in different ways: ‘an old woman dressed in grey’ ‘sometimes dressed in white’ often a red cloak. Sometimes hideous, sometimes beautiful #Banshee
Many say she has long red hair. All agree that she appears bareheaded which is important as traditionally human Irish women covered their hair. Dishevelled hair and wild, she is clearly from the otherworld #Banshee
She is seen combing her hair as if she is preparing to meet someone and surely she is - you need to hope it isn’t you. Sometimes she loses her comb, if you find it do NOT bring it home #Banshee
Mickey Leahy from Ardfinnan, Co. Tipperary was coming home one night. He saw a woman wearing a white dress, coming her hair “Howya”. No answer. He grabbed her comb and ran. He regretted that #Banshee
He got home and hopped into bed but the morning and wailing outside his window was shocking. He placed the comb on the tongs and passed it out the window. “When she was taking it, she took half the tongs with her”. Mickey Leahy stole no more combs #Banshee
When you hear the Banshee you can be sure someone is going to die. Can you take encouragement from the fact that it won’t be you? I afraid not. Many people have heard her crying and died shortly afterwards #Banshee
The Banshee is seen or heard at night, at boundaries- at a river or the window of the dying - she exhibits wildness and disorder, terrifying and aggressive - hair unbrushed and flowing. She announces approaching death #Banshee
The Banshee’s cry- mournful and wild resonates through the veil of the ancestral otherworld preparing the way for the dead to pass. It is a mirror of the cry of the keening women. One cries death into the community, the other cries it out #Banshee 
Join me here tomorrow for more about the Banshee and her human reflection - the Ban Caointe - the keening woman. Please retweet #Banshee
