Glossary - exWitch Australia (formerly 'Born Again Pagan')

BEAN SIDHE ('Banshee')

A woman of the fairies, popularly known in England as the Banshee, who, by legend, attached herself to a family as a spirit and warned of impending death by letting out an eerie, piercing shriek or drawn-out wail.

She would also appear at the outset of battle lamenting the inevitable slaughter. In appearance, the Bean Sidhe could vary from young and beautiful to malevolent and hideous.

Some believe that the banshee takes the form of an old woman who walks under the windows of the house of the person who is soon to die. In Ireland it is believed that banshees warn just families of pure Irish descent. The Welsh counterpart, the gwrach y Rhibyn ("witch Rhibyn") visits only families of pure Welsh stock.

The word Banshee is believed to be derived from the Old Irish hen sidhe, 'woman of the fairy folk'.

PLEASE NOTE:
One of the major problems with 'defining' Paganism and/or its beliefs and practices is that it is an 'organic' movement, in that it is undergoing constant change and re-evaluation from within, and as such any 'one-size-fits-all' approach to understanding Paganism will be found wanting.

Due to the very 'organic' nature of Paganism, and the many differing Paths and Traditions within it, in many cases no one definition may be universally accepted by all Pagans. Therefore, where such cases of possible conflicting and/or contradictory meanings of certain terms occur I have endevoured to give not only the generally accepted meaning, but also any major 'variations' in belief and/or practice.

Christians who believe this difference in meaning of certain key terms, beliefs and practices to be unique to Paganism need to remember that such conflicts also arise within the Body of Christ - the Church. Take for instance the differing practices amongst Christians concerning Baptism and the different attitudes towards women in the clergy.

- Jean-Luc