Popular Superstitions: The Banshee (colour litho)

The Banshee. The word Banshee is supposed to be phonetic spelling of the Irish bean sidhe, "woman of the fairies." This fairy, in the folklore of Ireland and the Western Highlands of Scotland, makes herself known by wails and screams before a death in the family over which she exercises a sort of guardianship. There can be little doubt that these sounds, which are generally heard at night, are nothing more harmful than the cries of an owl. The owl, probably because of its night flying habits, has always been regarded as a bird of ill omen. Illustration for one of a set of 25 cigarette cards on the subject of Popular Superstitions issued by Godfrey Phillips in 1930.