Also called a Ban Sith, or “woman of the fairies,” in Scots Gaelic; a Bean Sidhe in Irish Gaelic; and a gwrach y Rhibyn (“the witch of Rhibyn”) in Welsh, the banshee is a female spirit or ghost whose cry, wail, scream, or keening is said to tell of an imminent death. According to Celtic folklore, the spirit’s unearthly sounds, which can be heard only at night, are meant as a warning to the doomed person and/or his or her loved ones. Banshees have been a part of oral tradition in the British Isles for centuries, and beliefs regarding the beings were also documented in such works as Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South of Ireland (1825–1828) by Thomas Croker and Letters on Demonology and Witchcraft (1830) by Sir Walter Scott. According to Celtic tradition, banshees also watch over the person or families to which they have attached themselves. One of the best-known cases of a family banshee is the Rossmore banshee of County Monaghan, Ireland, which has wailed shortly before the death of every Rossmore heir since 1801. The first of many Rossmores to trigger the banshee wail was also the first Baron Rossmore, General Robert Cunningham. While he was lying ill in his bed, family members heard odd keening and shrieking, followed by cries of “Rossmore! Rossmore!” outside their estate. Within half an hour, the baron had died. SEE ALSO: ghosts, human

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The Greenhaven Encyclopedia of Paranormal Phenomena – written by Patricia D. Netzley © 2006 Gale, a part of Cengage Learning