Myth is not a fantastic story about the dawn of mankind, it is a timeless cultural universal that accompanies the development of man at all stages of history. Naturally, the "shells" of the myth are changing, from irrational interpretations it is transformed into ideological forms of substantiation of the world order. Religions are a transient phenomenon, but a myth, being a universal category, is contemporary to man: it is sometimes in a latent state, sometimes it returns to its active form. The most actively manifested mythological tradition in Europe can be considered British, in particular Irish mythology, where the mythopoetic tradition was invisibly intertwined with works of art and merged into the life of modern man, becoming part of his worldview.
Characteristics of the image of the Banshee: myths and legends of the peoples of the world
Banshee is one of the varieties of fairies, an element of Irish and Scottish folklore. In a literary translation, this is a "magic woman", while the literal translation of her authentic name is bean sí or bean sídhe, which means "woman of the hills". The appearance of the Banshee is not exactly defined: she comes to some in the form of a sad, pale girl with eyes red from tears.either a deceased virgin from a clan, and to others she appears in the form of a frightening old woman with protruding teeth and deathly pale skin in spots.
The only thing that unites all interpretations of this image is her long hair. Most often, her hair is silvery, gray in color, however, there are several legends, around the 15th century, where she shows crimson bloody hair to people. Banshee is found in legends in different clothes, this is a gray cloak over a green dress, and a white dress glowing in the dark, and even a shroud.
Banshee - guardian of the family and harbinger of death
The main function of the Banshee in Irish mythology is guardianship of ancient families. She foresees the imminent death of one of the members of the family and foreshadows it to his relatives with a loud cry. Some American legends of the 18th century say that glass bursts from her heartbreaking scream. It is not clear in the image of the Banshee who is capable of making such sounds at all, because her moans do not belong to any language, it is rather a synthesis of dog barking, inarticulate speech, the cries of wild ducks, the howling of wolves and the desperate moans of an abandoned child.
When in the legends one of the people sees the Banshee, it means the near death of him or his friend.
For example, there is a legend about how a farmer met a long-haired old woman in a white dress by the river, when he greeted her, he saw how pale she was. The man became terrified, and when he decided to get out, the old womanturned to him and stood up to her full height, towering 4 meters above him. The farmer had already managed to say goodbye to life, as the woman simply stepped into the water and disappeared. The next day, the farmer learned that his neighbor had died.
Banshees: who are these creatures - a unique brand of Ireland or one of the popular images of mythological characters that portend death?
In Ireland, it is believed that the image of the Banshee is unique. Although there are mythological creatures in the British Isles that perform similar functions and have a similar appearance, the Banshee is a household name known throughout the world.
Few people will remember the washerwoman Ben-Niye, the sufferer Kiheriet or the malevolent Baavan Shi, when there is a perfectly replicated film story of Banshee as a crying long-haired girl in a white dress.
In other mythological systems there are also harbingers of death: in Slavic mythology it is a brownie, in Sumero-Akkadian - Anku.
With so many mythological analogies, the original image is somewhat blurred, and she herself acquires a wide variety of functional features. It is important to refer to the Irish source in order to understand the image of the Banshee, who these creatures are and what function they perform, because if you come across a description of the Banshee as a succubus that kills men, this is clearly not an Irish source.
Characters Raised as Banshees: The Scottish Analogy of Bunny and Baavan Shi
There are several Banshee prototypes in the British Isles. Who are these characters and what is their difference from the prototype, will tell usScottish mythology. It is from there that we know the image of Baavan Shi. Unlike the protector of the Banshee family, this faerie is malevolent, she feeds on the blood of men. You can protect yourself from them with the help of iron. With their beautiful appearance, faeries lure men into their lair and drink them dry. A distinctive feature of Baavan Shi is beautiful long golden hair and a green festive dress, under which deer hooves are hidden.
In turn, Bunny is the opposite of the evil Baavan Shi. This is a little washerwoman by the river, washing the bloody clothes of people who are destined for imminent death. Bunnies are women who died during childbirth, they will leave this world only when their real hour of death strikes.
There is a belief among the peoples of the Highlands that if Bunny sneaks up unnoticed and stands between her and the water, she will answer any three questions. However, she will also demand the same in return, and she must answer with the utmost truth.
