Irish Mythology- The Banshee

I'm sure many of you have already heard of the concept of the banshee. She is an Irish spirit that is considered to be an omen of death. Mythology surrounding the figure tells us that she is heard wailing a horrible high pitched scream if someone is about to die. She is also sometimes seen washing the blood stained clothes of those about to die. 

Image Labelled for reuse under Creative Commons. Click for source.

It is said that particular families have a banshee attached to them, namely those with the old names of the chieftains of the Gaels and she is said to follow descendants of these family lines abroad in their travels. Nobody really knows why the Banshee is attached to certain family lines. 

She is said to appear in one of three guises, a young woman, a matronly figure or an old hag. These three forms are meant to represent the triple aspect of the Celtic goddess of war and death- Badhbh. 

She wears all white, has long flowing pale silvery hair and her eyes are always red from centuries of crying. 

She goes by other names such as The White Lady of Sorrow, The Angel of Death and The Lady of Death. 

Have you guys ever heard of the banshee before? Maybe you know some interesting stories or facts that I left out?

I would love to hear!

Rebecca. 

Irish Mythology Post: The Dullahan

Time for another instalment of Irish mythology me thinks. For this post I chose to write about the Irish version of the headless horseman, I didn't even know we had one until I started researching this kind of thing for my blog. I love learning about all these hardcore myths and legends with you guys! 

The Dullahan is a type of Irish faerie who sits headless atop a fire-breathing black stallion. He carries his head under one arm and a whip made from a human spinal cord in the other. He holds his grinning head up high to allow him to see across vast distances and he sometimes uses it as a lantern to light up the blackest of nights .

Image labelled for resue. Click for source.
(Ok so not directly realated to The Dullahan but close enough,
had a hard time finding licensed images for this one! :) )

If you are unfortunate enough to gaze upon The Dullahan then you should expect a bucket of blood to be cast upon your face. Sometimes The Dullahan renders onlookers blind in one eye as punishment for catching sight of him. The Dullahan is the harbringer of death and sucks the souls from humans after calling their name out. All locks, doors and gates open of their own accord as The Dullahan approaches and cannot be closed in his presence. 

The Dullahan has also been known to command a silent black coach headed by six black horses, a coach which travels so fast that it sets the road beneath it alight. 

Oddly this faerie has a fear of gold, one small gold coin is enough to ward The Dullahan away. The question is, for how long?

Miaow. x