The Banshee( Irish "Bean si`)

"A female spirit which in folk belief , is heard to cry when the death of a member of an Irish family is imminent. The designation means 'other worldly woman' and the banshee is a solitary being. Her cry is described as plaintive and very much like that of a keening woman of this world. "* The banshee are still part of Irish folk belief to this day. The banshee appears to have evolved from Badhbh which was another name for the warrior - goddess Mo'r-Rioghain (Morrigan). Morrigan was able to take a variety of forms including a fair maid, old crone with long white hair, animals (cow, crow) and the corpse hungry "scaldcrow" that roamed the battlefields.**

Morrigan is tied to Cuchulain throughout his life and times. "She met Cuchulain once and proffered him her love in the guise of a human maid. He refused it, an she persecuted him thenceforward for the most of his life. Warring with him once in the middle of the stream, she turned herself into a WATER SERPENT, and then into a mass of water weeds, seeking to entangle and drown him. But he conquered and wounded her and afterward became his friend. Before his last battle she passed through Emain Macha at night, and broke the pole of his chariot as a warning.*

It should be noted that the term BANSHEE did not come into usage until some point in the 16th or 17th century long after the days of Cuchulain.

Sorces: * MYTH, LEGEND ROMANCE : AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE IRISH FOLK TRADITION By: Dr. Daithi O hOgain, Prentice Hall Press, New York 1991.

**CELTIC MYTHS AND LEGENDS By: T.W. Rollenston, Dover Publications, New York, 1990.

Cuchulain* was the greatest warrior of Celtic mythology. Cuchulain was the mythical hero of the Old Irish Gaelic epic Tain Bo Cualnge (The Cattle Raid of Cooley) from the cycle of tales centering on the northern kingdom of Ulster. Though not a god, Cuchulain was capable of superhuman feats similar to those of the Greek hero Achilles. There are dozens of stories about him. This one is a very condensed version of his birth and naming. For additional information my source was "Celtic Myths and Legends" by T.W. Rolleston. Published by Dover Books 1990. And now, the story.

"It was during the reign of Conor mac Nessa that the birth of the mightiest hero occurred. The maiden Dectera, daughter of Cathbad, with 50 companions disappeared without a trace. Three years later they reappeared at the Fairy Mound of Angus on the river Boyne. The king requested that Dectera rejoin the court, but she begged off saying she was ill. The next day in the hut where the Ulster warriors slept was a baby, Decteras gift. The child was given to Dectera's sister to raise and named Setanta. The Druid Morann prophesied:" His praise will be in the mouths of all men; charioteers and warriors, kings and sages will recount his deeds; he will win the love of many. This child will avenge all your wrongs; he will give combat at your fords, he will decide all your quarrels."

When he was older he was sent to the court of Conor to be raised with the other sons of nobility. One afternoon, the King and company were invited to a feast at the home of a wealthy smith named Cullen. Setanta was supposed to go with them but he was in the middle of playing a game so he begged off and told the King he would catch up later. By the time Setanta arrived after dark the party was in full swing. Cullen protected his property with the aid of a large and ferocious dog who roamed the ground. The revelers inside , who had forgotten all about Setanta, heard a terrible sound, the baying of the hound of Cullen. As a group they ran outside, only to find Setanta and the dog dead at his feet.

The warriors made a great deal of the bravery of the lad, but their host was really stricken at the loss of his dog. "Give me, "then said the lad Setanta, "A whelp of that hound, O Cullen, and I will train him to be all to you that his sire was. And until then give me shield and spear and I will myself guard your house; never hound guarded it better than I will." "And all the company shouted applause at the generous pledge, and on the spot, as a commemoration of his first deed of valor, they named the lad Cuchulain, the Hound of Cullen, and by that name he was known until he died.

Cuchulain was killed by three druids at the command of Medb, queen of Connacht, after his enemies offered him a meal of dog's flesh, forcing him to violate one of two resolutions: never to refuse a meal and never to eat dog's flesh. He inspired a number of poems and plays by such Irish writers as William Butler Yeats and Lady Gregory.

*pronounced Koohoo`lin

Note: Cuchulain's real father was the God Lugh. Dectera had a mortal husband, Sualtam, who passed as Cuchulain's father.

information submited by Kathy and Maeve