As a child my sister and I loved watching the old movie Darby O'Gill and the Little People. We giggled at Darby's silly antics while he attempted to outsmart King Brian, Lord of the Leprechauns, and giggled even more at James Bond, er, Sean Connery singing sappy love ballads.
And then the Banshee showed up—the spectral keening woman who if you were unfortunate enough to hear her wail—then you were going to die soon. And there really isn't any way to get around it.
I've been fascinated with Banshees ever since. There are legends about them—slightly dif
ferent—from various parts of the world.
In Irish mythology, a banshee (bean si or bean-sidhe) is a fairy who wails if someone is about to die as an omen of death or messenger from the Otherworld.
In Scottish legend, the Banshee most often appears as an ugly, frightening hag, but she can also appear as a stunningly beautiful woman.
The hag may also appear as a washer-woman, or bean-nighe or washer woman of the ford, and is seen washing the blood stained clothes or armor of those doomed to die.
Her mourning call is heard at night when someone is about to die and usually around woods and streams.
So when I began my series with monster and ghost hunting brothers, one of the obvious choices of spirits the boys had to go up against just had to be a Banchee. It was great fun, mixing the Irish and Scottish versions and making her my own variation. Then when one of the brothers hears her keen, figuring out how the other brother could get rid of her curse through contemporary methods became a fun challenge. Ipod anyone?
Banshee's Cry was a blast to write.
Links: http://www.clovercheryl.blogspot.com
And/Or http://amzn.to/rgY29J
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