Banshee

Banshee
Season(s)	11
Species	Monsters
Status	Extant
Portrayed by	Atlin Mitchell

"Malevolent banshees. They use their piercing scream to drive their prey crazy. Forces the vics to crack open their own eggs, and then the Banshees feed on the yolk. Oh, and the only people who can hear the Banshee's scream are the vics. Oh, and they, uh, travel through mist and they only prey on the vulnerable. They hunt the same place until it's picked clean. And they only hunt at night."

—Dean, about Banshees

A Banshee is a Gaelic malevolent creature that use their screaming voices to drive humans insane. Once the human is dead, the banshees then feed on the brains.

Characteristics

Banshees appear like a female with dark flowing hair, sunken eyes in robes. Their body is covered with dark mist. They also emit a glow from their mouths.

Malevolent banshees are able to produce high-pitched screams that can drive anyone who hears their scream to commit suicide. The only ones capable of hearing their screams are the victims and once the victim is dead, the banshee will feed on their frontal lobe. Banshees only prey on the vulnerable, both physically and emotionally, only hunt at night and hunt a location until it is picked clean before moving on.

Banshees tied to fairy lore are good and cry out to warn of impending death.

History

In 1986, a banshee broke into the Leahy house in order to feed on Padraic Leahy, who was suffering a nervous break down from losing his job. Padraic's wife Maura was able to banish the creature, but at the cost of her own life. The couple's daughter, Eileen Leahy, survived, but lost her hearing.

In 1999, Sam Winchester joined his father John on a hunt for a banshee, while his brother Dean spent the weekend with yoga instructor Lisa Braeden.

In 2016, the same banshee that attacked the Leahys went to the Oak Park Retirement Living to feed on Harold, a resident there. The banshee then moved onto Arthur, the manager. Eileen, who was out trying to kill this banshee to avenge her parents, received assistance from Sam and Dean. The brothers initially wanted to use resident Mildred Baker as bait, only for the banshee to go after Dean. Fortunately, they were able to trap the banshee and save Dean. Eileen delivered the killing blow.

Power and Abilities

A Banshee preparing to feed.

• Pitching Scream - Able to produce a high-pitching scream that can hurt people who hear it. Humans affected by it are forced to bash their head in, effectively forcing them to commit suicide. Short-term exposure at close range can render a baby deaf.
• Intangibility - Like spirits, they are intangible.
• Camouflage - Able camouflage to their surroundings. They are able to travel through the mist.
• Tongue - They have a long, and specially designed, tongue to consume the brain of their victims.
• Electromagnetic Interference - Their presence caused lights to flicker.
• Telekinesis - With a single gesture, a banshee was able to fling Eileen Leahy across a room into a bookshelf and Sam Winchester through a wooden door.
• Flight - The banshee was floating through the air.

Weaknesses

• Gold - A weapon of pure gold can kill a banshee. Just being slashed with a golden weapon hurts it.
• Banishing - Can be banished by a basic spell.
• Celtic Blood Trapping Spell - Can trap a Banshee.
• Higher Beings - Archangels, Death, God, and the Darkness can kill them effortlessly.

Known Banshees

• Eileen's Banshee (deceased)

Lore

A Banshee in lore

The banshee (from bean sí, meaning "fairy woman" or "woman of the fairy mounds") is a supernatural being found in the folklore of Ireland and Scotland. Traditionally considered a type of fairy, she is a feminine entity whose cry signals the coming of death.

In Ireland and parts of Scotland, women were customarily appointed to wail at funerals. Evidence indicates that this practice (known as keening) goes back as far as the 16th century. According to legend, if the deceased was part of a noble family, the duty of keening would be carried out not by an ordinary human woman, but by a fairy woman, or bean sí. Over time, the word "banshee" came to describe a specific type of fairy woman -- a creature with the power to foretell death with a piercing scream. Some stories indicate that families of Milesian descent each have their own banshee, who follows them wherever they go and warns them whenever someone among them is about to die.

In western popular culture, the banshee is often portrayed as a malevolent spirit or demon who actively causes death with the sound of her voice. She is also commonly depicted as a restless ghost rather than fairy. However, it should be noted that the line between fairies and ghosts is sometimes blurry in Celtic mythology.

Appearances

• Season 3
  • The Kids Are Alright (mentioned only)
• Season 11
  • Into the Mystic
• ​Season 13
  • The British Invasion (mentioned only)