Welcome back to White Rose of Avalon, my Darlings.   Today’s post is another discussion of Banshees, a favorite species of Faery who is oft misunderstood.    These Wailing Women are thought of as figures of the Monstrous Feminine, while in truth, they are meant to be Faery Women who bring warning of the oncoming death of a loved one.   The Banshee is not seeking to harm, but rather, she is a harbinger of the death that will happen with or without her presence. 

The Banshee has made her way into popular culture with common phrases like ‘screamed like a Banshee’ in everyday use and in fantasy television shows like Supernatural, Charmed, and Teen Wolf.   In Supernatural, the Banshee is one of many monsters fought, as the show did sometimes have a monster of the week format.   This is especially true in early seasons and when there was a need to fill out a season that had a longer overarching story when the longer story was not going to be the focus of an episode.   The Banshee there is more of a monster than Faery Woman of folklore, but the actual folklore is acknowledged, which I enjoy.   In a season three episode of Charmed (one of my favorites of the series, to be honest), Phoebe is turned into a Banshee due to her broken heart over the loss of her relationship with Cole, which is resolved when they are reunited.   I honestly really enjoyed this short look at the Banshee, and it served as my introduction to Banshees outside of hearing the word, as I grew up watching Charmed.   It led me to research what Banshees actually were, and I have had a strong affinity for these oft-maligned Faery Women ever since!   In Teen Wolf, Lydia finds out that she is a Banshee famously in the second season, and her ability to detect death and often find dead bodies comes in handy for the rest of the series.   Lydia even learned to harness her screams to weaponize them to her advantage.   She is the most sympathetic and badass interpretation of the Banshee we have gotten in pop culture, and I truly adore her for it!

Next, let’s dig a little deeper into the folklore.   In old Irish folklore, there are two Faery Queens who are considered the Queen of Banshees.   The most commonly discussed is the Morrigan.   The Morrigan is the Irish Goddess of War and is known as a triple Goddess with a deep connection to death.   This death connection has an obvious link to Banshees!   However, there is also Cliodhna, a much lesser-discussed Faery Queen often said to be Queen of the Banshees.   That being said, Cliodhna is very associated with many famous families who she is considered a Banshee for.   She is one of the Faery Queens we know more by name but do not have as many stories about her still existing!   This is a common occurrence in Celtic folklore, as we often have names found in inscriptions (as archeological evidence), but they do not have stories told about them, while the Celtic deities we have stories about often are not featured in archeological evidence.    It is all part of the difficult yet interesting nature of Celtic folklore and mythology!   Moreover, Banshees have an important connection to how the Irish mourned their dead in the past.   Keeners were very commonly employed at funerals, and their job was essentially to be professional mourners who would cry, wail, and keen to lament the dead person.   There are even tales of Keeners going on to become Banshees when they died, similarly to the tales of Witches becoming Faeries or Vampires when they die! 

Beyond that, of course, Banshees are also often tied to other Faery Women in Irish folklore, like another of my favorite species of Faery, the Leanan Sidhe.   I even named one of my Herbal Tea blends (a very lusty, sexy blend) after the Leanan Sidhe.   The Leanan Sidhe is the Faery Lover, often seen to combine the energy of the Muse with the energy of the Vampire.   So, while the Banshee is a predictor of death, the Leanan Sidhe is the Faery Lover who will inspire artists to the greatest heights of achievement before feeding on them (or leaving them to go back to the Otherworld, which will lead to her Lovers wasting away from wanting her to return).   There are links between how both of these Faery Women can be seen as negative, but there is also much misunderstanding about whether the intent is wicked, or they are simply a messenger of death and a muse who desires to return home (not realizing her Lover will waste away).   

Finally, I want to discuss how Banshees can relate to another great death-related figure in Irish folklore, the Dullahan.   The Dullahan is the origins of the Headless Horseman, and he pulls the Death Coach, which is called forth to collect the dying souls.   Sometimes, the Banshee is said to have her wailing call forth the Dullahan and the Death Coach, while in other beliefs, she is called forth when the coach is heard.   Either way, there is an obvious link between the Dullahan and the Banshee when it comes to helping souls cross over from the land of the living to the Otherworld!

I hope you have enjoyed this exploration of Banshees.   What is your favorite aspect of Banshees?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!   

Note on Image: The image at the top of the post is a lovely Banshee artwork.   I found the artwork on https://occult-world.com/banshee/. 

LINK TO AVALONIAN ROSE FAERY MYSTERIES PATREON: https://patreon.com/AvalonianRoseFaeryMysteries?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink

Further Reading

• Fairy Queens: Meeting the Queens of the Otherworld by Morgan Daimler
• The Celtic Goddess Grimoire by Annwyn Avalon
• A New Dictionary of Fairies by Morgan Daimler
• https://youtu.be/XachwkBD1jw?si=UtTCRtydIHWhlzt2 (An entertaining and interesting video discussing Banshees while doing makeup.)