In Irish mythological history, the Banshee tradition may link to the fierce Morrighan as the "Washer at the Ford," a legend of Cuchulain. In this story, the Morrighan appeared as a young woman who prepared for an upcoming battle by washing the clothing-or perhaps the shrouds-of those who would fight and lose.
Despite her grim reputation, seeing or hearing a Banshee is not what actually causes the death. In fact, the Banshee is traditionally a very kind woman, as poet and historian W. B. Yeats commented, "You will with the banshee chat, and will find her good at heart." Perhaps her appearance and wailing before a death are efforts to protect her family from a death that she cannot prevent.
This is where we see the clearest link to what are popularly called "ghosts." In many stories, the spirit appears to warn the living about danger, illness, or death. Gothic novels often feature a ghost whose appearance forecasts the death of a family member. Likewise, in the Sherlock Holmes story, the Hound of the Baskervilles howled before a family death. In real life, my maternal grandmother and her siblings were individually visited by the spectre of their mother, to warn them of her imminent death in a hospital many miles away, and to say good-bye. This level of concern for the living is consistent with many ghosts, as well as the Banshee.
Whether the Banshee is more correctly a "ghost" or a "faerie" is an discussion that may never be resolved. However, we can see the Banshee as the clearest evidence that the line between ghosts, spirits, and faeries is vague at best.
For more information about the Banshee, one of the best studies is "The Banshee: Irish Death Messenger," by Patricia Lysaght (paperback, © 1986, Roberts Rhinehart Publishers, Colorado).
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