There was a time when there was a singular continent known as Pangea, but it later split into the continents that we know today. The Appalachia we have today is unfinished, half of it is lingering in Ireland so it’s no wonder that we share so many similarities with that country from the fauna and flora to the weather and deep fogs that roll in during the early mornings and late at night, so dense it’s almost impossible to keep driving, especially if you’re not the most confident.

Looking around at this region, it’s no surprise that the Scots-Irish would feel at home here and indeed they did as any American history professor will tell you, arriving even before America was a colony for the British.

What we didn’t expect was for their monsters and ghouls to come with them. Though by now, maybe that’s more of a given. There are plenty of legends of crying women, but they are proportionately dissimilar from Banshees. These are often depicted as women or wraiths with no specific shape who have a penchant for screaming. Here’s to hoping you never hear it, because it’s said to be an omen of death.

Photo illustration of a Banshee. (Contributed/irishpost.com)

There are no specific region tied to the legend of the Banshee, except for one source claiming that the legend goes as far as Ohio. The culture which it originates has a slightly different take on the lore, saying that Banshees have also been seen washing the armor of the dead or soon-to-die.

What piqued my interest the most however, was the mention that in Ireland, families can have Banshees tied to them and that people don’t like to marry into families who have them. This is seen throughout depictions of media such as Harry Potter with the Weasley family, who (in the books) mention the banshee that lives in their attic.

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