History Main / OurBansheesAreLouder

* ''Manga/TheAncientMagusBride'': Silver Lady was originally a banshee who's entire clan died and thus herself was on the verge of death until Spriggan took her to Elias' house when it was under the care of another who followed the old ways and transformed into a [[HouseFey silky]].

[[folder:Folklore]]
* In [[Myth/CelticMythology Irish and Scottish Gaelic folklore]], the banshee (or ''[[SpellMyNameWithAnS bean-sidhe]]'', sometimes called a "''caoineag''" in Scotland) is a [[TheFairFolk fairy-woman]] and often guardian spirit of the old Gaelic families who can [[PortentOfDoom foretell death]] in "her" family. She [[HowlOfSorrow wails]] and [[OneWomanWail cries]] through the night to warn the family that one of them will soon die; if the family hears her crying three nights in a row, they know that they should begin planning a funeral. As she can foretell death in the family that she protects, the banshee is also [[DeathWail grieving]] with the family as well as warning them of impending death. When multiple ''mná-sídhe'' (plural of ''bean-sidhe'') are heard wailing at once, it foretells the death of an important political or religious figure. She is heard more often than seen, and most often the banshee is depicted as old and menacing, but she can also appear as a strikingly beautiful woman of any age that suits her.

* In [[Myth/CelticMythology Irish and Scottish folklore]], the banshee (or ''[[SpellMyNameWithAnS bean-sidhe]]'') is a [[TheFairFolk fairy-woman]] and often guardian spirit of the old Gaelic families who can [[PortentOfDoom foretell death]] in "her" family. She [[HowlOfSorrow wails]] and [[OneWomanWail cries]] through the night to warn the family that one of them will soon die; if the family hears her crying three nights in a row, they know that they should begin planning a funeral. As she can foretell death in the family that she protects, the banshee is also [[DeathWail grieving]] with the family as well as warning them of impending death. When multiple ''mná-sídhe'' (plural of ''bean-sidhe'') are heard wailing at once, it foretells the death of an important political or religious figure. She is heard more often than seen, and most often the banshee is depicted as old and menacing, but she can also appear as a strikingly beautiful woman of any age that suits her.
* Another variation from Scottish folklore is the bean-nighe, a ghostly woman who is seen sitting by a stream and washing the clothes of those who are soon to die.

* Much of Latin America believes in the legend of La Llorona, the spirit of a woman who died after she drowned her children and cannot enter Heaven until she has found them; she is heard crying "¡Ay, mis hijos!" ("Oh, my children!") as she searches for them. Those who hear her crying supposedly are doomed to die soon.

* ''Film/DarbyOGillAndTheLittlePeople'' has a banshee that appeared and wailed to warn that someone was about to die. It also summoned the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_Coach Cóiste-bodhar]] (Death Coach) to take away the soul to the afterlife. It's generally considered a standard-bearer of childhood terror.

* Wrestling/{{MsChif}}, while often mistaken for {{goth}}, is a {{Metalhead}} banshee. A {{guttural growl|er}}ing, ScreamingWarrior with green hair.

* ''VideoGame/NexusWar'': The Doom Howler in ''Nexus Clash'' is louder to the [[IncrediblyLamePun tune]] of up to three different screaming-related attacks. The most basic one merely demoralizes the enemy, but the worst can kill huge numbers of people if left uninterrupted.

Here we have the ghostly women who originate from Myth/CelticMythology. They are usually noted for their voices, which are either [[OneWomanWail hauntingly hypnotic wails]], or blood-curdling screams. Traditionally, hearing a banshee wail is a PortentOfDoom, though this is often SadlyMythtaken for the wail itself being a [[MakeMeWannaShout sonic attack]] or BrownNote that ''causes'' death, which to be honest is [[RuleOfCool a lot cooler]] and [[RuleOfScary a lot scarier]], and makes for a more active antagonist.

** In ''ComicBook/Supergirl2011'', Silver Banshee gets reimagined, this time a girl named Siobhan Smythe who inherited [[CursedWithAwesome a family curse]], and became a friend of ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}. She retains the hideous scream, which now [[MakeMeWannaShout lays waste to anything around]], but also gets the power to speak any language, even alien or animal, after hearing only a few words. Her father, who she inherited the curse from, became one of the undead, feeding on others' souls.

* ''ComicBook/XMen'': Banshee was a male mutant with a [[MakeMeWannaShout supersonic scream]] and [[NotQuiteFlight bizarre flight powers]]. His daughter, incidentally, was originally called Siryn. Having accepted her father's death, Siryn has [[LegacyCharacter taken on his name]] -- including a LampshadeHanging that she was never quite sure why he named himself after a female spirit in the first place. Writer Roy Thomas [[WhatCouldHaveBeen had actually meant for Banshee to be a woman]], but Creator/StanLee [[ExecutiveMeddling decided that a male character would be better]]. When Siryn was created, Thomas' reaction was "that was what Banshee was supposed to look like all along!" So, with Siryn's taking on the name, the Banshee he'd created has finally arrived... and it only took thirty years. But hey, {{Legacy Character}}s can take a while.

* ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'' has the traditional Marvel male Banshee, Sean Cassidy, who's Irish-American by background (though he moved to Ireland a long time ago), like in the ''First Class'' film, which probably explains why he picked it for a name: he heard about the banshee, connected it to his powers, but didn't realise that they're all women. A friendly experienced super-hero and OldSoldier who looks several decades younger than he is, he's nevertheless extremely dangerous. For starters, unlike his comics counterpart, he has absolutely no compunction about killing with his MakeMeWannaShout powers if he deems it necessary, and having spent decades refining his powers, knows a number of horrifying methods of doing so (and that's before you get on to whatever he did with his CompellingVoice during a RoaringRampageOfRevenge when his wife was killed by an IRA cell that ended up giving Nick Fury nightmares). All in all, he's not someone you want to cross.

* ''Film/ScreamOfTheBanshee'': Naturally, the BigBad is an evil Banshee [[DugTooDeep released by a group of archeologists]]. Her scream itself doesn't kill (though [[MakeMeWannaShout she can make it do so if she wants]]), but ''hurts'' at higher volume and marks those who hear it as her victims. She then proceeds to torment and haunt them until they ''want'' to die, at which point she brutally kills them. She's also a shapeshifter with powerful YourMindMakesItReal illusion powers.

* ''Shadowfae'', by Erica Hayes, features banshees with [[OurSirensAreDifferent siren-like abilities]]. These banshees seem to be a type of [[TheFairFolk fae]] with a [[MagicMusic magical affinity]] for sound rather than death, although they can kill with a [[MusicalAssassin song]] or [[MakeMeWannaShout scream]] if they want to. They can also cast a variety of spells through song, [[CompellingVoice manipulate humans]], and secrete venom from beneath their tongues that they can use as an [[KissOfDeath additional weapon]] besides their voices. Their magical affinity for sound gives them [[SuperSenses preternatural hearing]] but also gives them the ability to [[RequiredSecondaryPowers filter sounds so they don't get overwhelmed by auditory stimuli]], as well as enhancements to their inner ear that give them extraordinary balance and agility. They all look like attractive human women, but with unusually colored hair and [[TechnicolorEyes eyes]], and usually their eyes and hair are of different but unnaturally bright neon or metallic colors. They are known for being violent, lustful, and usually [[AxCrazy just a little psychotic]], and in one book, a banshee is employed as an enforcer and bodyguard for a supernatural version of the mob. They are born with innately magical voices, but their magic can be taken from them by some other kinds of supernatural beings who [[PowersAsPrograms use the banshee's voice magic for themselves]].

* The ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' series has a few {{Mooks}} called banshees, generally either [[TheFairFolk sprite or pixie-like creatures]] or [[NightOfTheLivingMooks undead of various stripes]]. The ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'' incarnation (which is a zombie) is distinguished by having as its signature move the strongest of the game's many [[MakeMeWannaShout sonic attacks]].

* The Literature/{{Discworld}} of Creator/AAPessimal has Brigid O'Hooligan, a girl from the remote nation of [[UsefulNotes/{{Ireland}} Hergen]], who is a Banshee. In her case, she is a [[OurWerecreaturesAreDifferent shapeshifter]] who can Change from human to banshee form and back again. As she is also capable of flying without artificial or magical aid, and is generally a pleasantly-disposed law-abiding young girl, she has been snapped up by the City Air Watch as a Fledgeling. (Air Cadet).

* In ''VideoGame/CoffeeTalk Episode 2: Hibiscus and Butterfly'', Riona has sullen dark eyes, pale purple skin, and stringy blue hair, and her wails are believed to curse people with bad luck. Her screams get worse and her hair frizzes up when she gets angry, and she causes blackouts at the café on her worst days. As a semi-spiritual being, she [[NoBodyLeftBehind disappears when she dies.]]

* In ''VideoGame/CoffeeTalk Episode 2: Hibiscus and Butterfly'', Riona has sullen dark eyes, pale purple skin, and stringy blue hair, and her wails are believed to curse people with bad luck. Her screams get worse and her hair frizzes up when she gets angry, and she causes blackouts at the café on her worst days.

** Villainess Siobhan [=McDougal=], a.k.a. Silver Banshee. In order to affect you, Silver Banshee has to know your TrueName. Her power doesn't work on Superman because she doesn't know his birth name is neither Superman nor Clark Kent, but Kal-El -- or, at least, it won't kill him, but it will intense pain. An absurdly loud sound, at close ranges, being heard by someone whose ears are sensitive enough to pick up a whisper from across the city? ''Not fun.'' However, if she ''does'' know your true name, her scream is less "standard sonic attack" and more "BrownNote as you're forced to relive her botched beheading".

** In ''ComicBook/Supergirl2011'', Silver Banshee gets reimagined, this time a girl who inherited [[CursedWithAwesome a family curse]], and became a friend of ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}. She retains the hideous scream, which now [[MakeMeWannaShout lays waste to anything around]], but also gets the power to speak any language, even alien or animal, after hearing only a few words. Her father, who she inherited the curse from, became one of the undead, feeding on others' souls.

* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' gives us two different varieties of Banshee, the only sentient species on the Disc that evolved natural flight. There's the civilized type, which typically wails when someone is about to die (the one we meet has a speech impediment, so he just slips a note under their door). Then there's the feral variety, which are the reason for the legend--they ''also'' wail when someone's about to die, but in this case it's generally because they're cutting out the middleman and hunting you down themselves. The two we've seen (one of each) are both male. The civilized one hung out with the local undead support group; it's never really established if he was undead himself or just spending time with the other outcasts, but the term is rather broad in that universe in any case (including werewolves and bogeymen for example), with the definition seemingly being 'it comes from Uberwald and it's really, ''really'' hard to kill'.

* In Myth/BrazilianFolklore, it is said that the singing or presence of the american barn owl or common potoo indicates someone is going to die. More similar to the Banshee, the Bradador (screamer) is a lost spirit who has to pay for his sins, and screams in agony at night

* In ''WesternAnimation/XMen'', the above-mentioned Banshee makes an appearance, and he flies by screaming. So, naturally, at one point he has to give Comicbook/{{Wolverine}} a ride. [[HilarityEnsues Logan is not happy about this.]]

* ''The Banshee's Warning'', a short story written in 1867 by Charlotte Riddell, concerns a doctor who is seemingly haunted by a banshee despite leaving his family behind in Ireland to make his fortune in London. This banshee resembles as a shoeless old woman dressed in rags, and at first only the doctor is able to see her (though his dog seems to hear and cringe away from the banshee's wails). He fears that the banshee's sudden appearance portends demise either for a member of his family or for one of his patients. The banshee wakes the doctor in the middle of the night with a warning to get to his hospital, where he meets [[spoiler: the young son of the woman his parents refused to allow him to marry -- his own son, from their pre-marital dalliance -- who has suffered a mortal injury. The young boy can see the banshee as well; the doctor correctly guesses that his son and patient won't survive the night.]]

* ''Franchise/MarvelUniverse's Banshee was a male mutant with yelling and [[NotQuiteFlight bizarre flight powers]]. His daughter, incidentally, was originally called Siryn. Having accepted her father's death, Siryn has [[LegacyCharacter taken on his name]] -- including a LampshadeHanging that she was never quite sure why he named himself after a female spirit in the first place. ''ComicBook/XMen'' writer Roy Thomas actually meant for Banshee to be a woman, but Creator/StanLee decided that a male character would be better. When Siryn was created, Thomas' reaction was "that was what Banshee was supposed to look like all along!" So, with Siryn's taking on the name, the Banshee he'd created has finally arrived... and it only took thirty years. But hey, {{Legacy Character}}s can take a while.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'': A banshee appears in one episode.

* ''Shadowfae'', by Erica Hayes, features banshees with [[OurSirensAreDifferent siren-like abilities]]. These banshees seem to be a type of [[TheFairFolk fae]] with a [[MagicMusic magical affinity]] for sound rather than death, although they can kill with a [[MusicalAssassin song]] or [[MakeMeWannaShout scream]] if they want to. They can also cast a variety of spells through song, [[CompellingVoice manipulate humans]], and secrete venom from beneath their tongues that they can use as an [[KissOfDeath additional weapon]] besides their voices. Their magical affinity for sound gives them [[SuperSenses preternatural hearing]] but also gives them the ability to [[RequiredSecondaryPowers filter sounds so they don't get overwhelmed by auditory stimuli]], as well as enhancements to their inner ear that give them extraordinary balance and agility. They all look like attractive human women, but with unusually colored [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair hair]] and [[TechnicolorEyes eyes]], and usually their eyes and hair are of different but unnaturally bright neon or metallic colors. They are known for being violent, lustful, and usually [[AxCrazy just a little psychotic]], and in one book, a banshee is employed as an enforcer and bodyguard for a supernatural version of the mob. They are born with innately magical voices, but their magic can be taken from them by some other kinds of supernatural beings who [[PowersAsPrograms use the banshee's voice magic for themselves]].

* Wrestling/{{MsChif}}, while often mistaken for {{goth}}, is a {{Metalhead}} banshee. A {{guttural growl|er}}ing, ScreamingWarrior with [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair green hair]].

* ''Scream of the Banshee'': Naturally, the BigBad is an evil Banshee [[DugTooDeep released by a group of archeologists]]. Her scream itself doesn't kill (though [[MakeMeWannaShout she can make it do so if she wants]]), but ''hurts'' at higher volume and marks those who hear it as her victims. She then proceeds to torment and haunt them until they ''want'' to die, at which point she brutally kills them. She's also a shapeshifter with powerful YourMindMakesItReal illusion powers.