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Banshee

  • 22-06-2010 10:05pm
    #1
    Registered Users Posts: 185 ✭✭


    First of all a question.
    Does anyone here believe in the Banshee ?

    My wife got a call yesterday from her brother telling her of a terrifying
    experience both he and his girl friend had the other night.

    Apparently his girlfriend woke up at roughly 3am to what she thought was their
    baby boy screaming. She got up and went into the Nursery.
    The baby was sound asleep. She returned to the bedroom and there was an
    old woman screaming at their window. She panicked and woke her boyfriend
    ( my wifes brother ) up. He looked at the window and saw the old woman
    screaming at them. They said the noise was defening. Both of them were
    s******g it. His girlfriend hid under the duvet crying her eyes out.
    My brother in law got up out of bed and went to the window to close it.
    As he approached the window the woman backed away. He also noticed that
    there was a really dense fog around the woman. He closed the window and
    ran back to bed.
    At this time the woman returned to the window and kept up her screaming.
    Both of them lay terrified under the covers.

    The thing is they live over a shop. So unless this woman was hanging from
    a Crane there was no way she could have moved as she did.
    This went on until 4:10am.
    They said their ears were ringing and that they never ever heard screaming like it.
    They swore blind they were not drinking or are making it up. The guy only told
    my wife and her sister as he fears he will be ridiculed if he told anyone else.
    Neither of them could sleep the following night.

    I dont believe in Banshees, UFO`s, Bigfoot etc but the guy and his girlfriend
    are really shaken.
    We told my mother and she believed me straight away. She is originally from
    Corporation street Buildings and she told me that she heard it many times
    as a child. Apparently the was a family there named Kavanagh and every
    time they heard the wailing a member of this family would be found dead
    in the morning.
    I looked up Banshee on Wiki and it mentioned the names of the old Celtic
    families that she follows and Kavanagh was one of the families.

    I just wanted to know what everyone elses take on this is and is there a
    difference between hearing her and seeing her. That is if she exists at all.


«1

Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 17,736 ✭✭✭✭kylith


    I do not believe that the banshee exists.

    I don't know what your family members may have seen, but is there a fire escape outside their window? Do they have any friends who may have set this up as a hilarious 'joke'? Is it possible that they're making it up or mistaken (foxes screech like you wouldn't believe)? Barring this I would think that it's most likely a case of one of them having a nightmare and waking the other to describe it. The second person, being half asleep, then integrates this into their own dream and believes that they've seen it too, as is believed to have happened in the Barney and Betty Hill 'abductions' in the 60s.


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 2,688 Mod ✭✭✭✭Morpheus


    so in an hour and ten minutes they never thought once of phoning anyone else up or taking photos or some other method of finding out what the f**k was happening?


  • Registered Users Posts: 17,736 ✭✭✭✭kylith


    Morphéus wrote: »
    so in an hour and ten minutes they never thought once of phoning anyone else up or taking photos or some other method of finding out what the f**k was happening?
    I too find it odd that they didn't so much as take a photo. I know that if I woke up to see an elderly lady apparently floating outside my window I'd be out like a shot to see how she was doing it, or at least call the police.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 25,848 ✭✭✭✭Zombrex


    I am very sceptically of anything people experience in the middle of the night because when you just wake up your ability to determine reality and imagination is quite diminished. I'm constantly waking up convinced there is someone in my room. I'm perfectly wake but what ever bit of my brain that is supposed to say "that is a shadow not a man" isn't working.

    My guess would be what your brother-in-law experienced was a fire alarm going off and in their sleepy state interpreted shadows and shapes outside the window as a woman.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,650 ✭✭✭sensibleken


    i was woken up only a few nights ago by the sound of someone walking up my stairs followed by soemthing casting a shadow accross the ceiling. i got up, armed myself and carefully walked around the house checking for a burglar.

    nothing there. completely made it up but i was absolutely convinced of what i saw and heard before checking and confirming it wasn't. when youre half asleep you can take a sound and a sight, put them together and a quick reference to the deep references of your memory usually results in a false positive


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 334 ✭✭Elbi


    If they were so scared why didnt one of them go in and get the baby..

    I dont believe it was a banshee at the window but whatever it was did frighten them but if I was that terrified first thing i would do is go get the baby to make sure it was safe.


  • Registered Users Posts: 185 ✭✭Senor Willy


    He must have been watching too many horror films.


  • Registered Users Posts: 893 ✭✭✭munsterdevil


    All I know is, if there was somebody outside my window roaring into me, I would open the window and tell them to f*ck off, and if the window was wide enough punch them in the gob:D


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,943 ✭✭✭wonderfulname


    Just going to go through a possible explanation:

    A fox cub has found itself alone and is crying like mad for its mother, who is off hunting.
    This crying half wakes a woman who, being mother to a young baby, is used to waking at obscene hours due to a similar sound.
    Not being quite fully awake the woman is confused to see it was not her son that woke her.
    She returns to bed, still half asleep.
    Stangely the screaming continues, the woman notices the movement of a branch/light/insert-random-object-here at the window, she does as i often have, and sees a person.
    She grabs her boyfriend to tell him. He sees what hes told (interestingly enough this is exactly what people do, look at this picture. calcite formation you say? why no its a face! look again, you'll see it now i've told you to look for it)
    The girlfriend hid her face from this point, now regardless of whether or not shes fully awake she is no longer a witness.
    Her boyfriend on the other hand is so asleep he is effectively dreaming.
    He truly believes he is seeing this mystical woman, does as you describe, and runs back to bed.
    Both man and woman are now in hiding, they see nothing and only hear the cubs cries for attention.
    The cubs mammy comes back from the hunt at 4.10.
    The screaming stops.
    The couple feel safe again.

    They get up the next morning and confirm each others story.
    They ring your mother who further confirms their story.
    They now fully believe they saw a banshee.

    The fear of this "sighting" leaves them unable to sleep the following night.

    Like i said just one possible explanation of what happened that night, minus the banshee!


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,292 ✭✭✭Cunning Stunt


    If they really saw a woman screaming outside their window and this went on for over an hour, why didn't they ring the guards?


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  • Registered Users Posts: 635 ✭✭✭jonbravo


    kylith wrote: »
    I do not believe that the banshee exists.

    I don't know what your family members may have seen, but is there a fire escape outside their window? Do they have any friends who may have set this up as a hilarious 'joke'? Is it possible that they're making it up or mistaken (foxes screech like you wouldn't believe)? Barring this I would think that it's most likely a case of one of them having a nightmare and waking the other to describe it. The second person, being half asleep, then integrates this into their own dream and believes that they've seen it too, as is believed to have happened in the Barney and Betty Hill 'abductions' in the 60s.
    Lets begin at the start; first of all the question was ,does anyone believe in the banshee?? i think this is the only post that answered that question.

    second thing, is the betty and barney hill story which is totally out of context in this post to what actually happened in the report, maybe the skeptic who wrote it should explain the reason it appears in the subject of the banshee!??:confused:


  • Registered Users Posts: 10,650 ✭✭✭✭maccored


    not matter if the banshee exists or not, I'd say that if you traced this story back would you find the same story?

    Im not trying to diss the OP in any way, but surely sometimes these kinds of stories grow in the telling (im assuming the post was copied from an email going by the formatting)?


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,943 ✭✭✭wonderfulname


    jonbravo wrote: »
    Lets begin at the start; first of all the question was ,does anyone believe in the banshee?? i think this is the only post that answered that question.

    Actually I would deem any post offering an alternative explanation, on a skeptics forum, to be one written by someone who does not believe in banshees, just because its not explicitly stated doesn't mean it wasn't said.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 23,316 ✭✭✭✭amacachi


    They've been watching too many horror films, not because of what they think they saw but because they stayed in the ****in house!


  • Registered Users Posts: 17,736 ✭✭✭✭kylith


    jonbravo wrote: »
    second thing, is the betty and barney hill story which is totally out of context in this post to what actually happened in the report, maybe the skeptic who wrote it should explain the reason it appears in the subject of the banshee!??:confused:
    I mentioned Barney and Betty Hill is that it is believed that their 'abduction' memories were caused by Betty having nightmares after which she would wake her husband and describe them to him in detail. He, having been woken from a deep sleep, was not fully awake while listening to his wife's descriptions and so his unconcious, suggestable mind led to him having similar dreams, and from there the couple's shared beliefs that they were victims of alien abduction.

    I brought this up because I believe it is a possible explanation for this 'banshee sighting'; one of the couple had a nightmare (perhaps influenced by the yowling of foxes or cats, or even a car alarm) and woke the other to describe it. The second person, being barely awake, is thus influenced to think that they too had the 'banshee' experience and each believes that the other's memory gives credence to their own.

    HTH


  • Registered Users Posts: 635 ✭✭✭jonbravo


    i understand the thinking behind whats being said however i disagree, maybe theirs another case study{other then betty and barney} which would make more sence to me!?
    Im not sayin your wrong i just think its the wrong case study to highlight.
    thats just my opinion....


  • Registered Users Posts: 17,736 ✭✭✭✭kylith


    It's the only one that I could bring to mind at the time. I'm sure there are more examples out there.

    Are you having trouble understanding it because you don't think it's true or because their shared false memory was about aliens rather than banshees?


  • Registered Users Posts: 635 ✭✭✭jonbravo


    kylith wrote: »
    It's the only one that I could bring to mind at the time. I'm sure there are more examples out there.

    Are you having trouble understanding it because you don't think it's true or because their shared false memory was about aliens rather than banshees?
    i dont believe in False shared memory but i do believe in shared memory, the banshee by myth Warns ,unlike ET in some case's. two different things in my opinion.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,943 ✭✭✭wonderfulname


    jonbravo wrote: »
    i dont believe in False shared memory but i do believe in shared memory, the banshee by myth Warns ,unlike ET in some case's. two different things in my opinion.

    Its not a shared memory, similar has happened to me before, your in REM, somebody attempts to wake you and tell you something, for example "wake up, its time to go to school" and then you start to dream about school.

    In this case the man was told "wake up theres an old woman at the window" he did not wholly wake up, and he dreamed of a woman at the window.

    And yes, in a sort of way, by myth the banshee warns, but not exactly in advance, or of something which can be prevented, so if it did happen who died that night?


  • Registered Users Posts: 635 ✭✭✭jonbravo


    Its not a shared memory, similar has happened to me before, your in REM, somebody attempts to wake you and tell you something, for example "wake up, its time to go to school" and then you start to dream about school.

    In this case the man was told "wake up theres an old woman at the window" he did not wholly wake up, and he dreamed of a woman at the window.

    And yes, in a sort of way, by myth the banshee warns, but not exactly in advance, or of something which can be prevented, so if it did happen who died that night?
    something like that has never happened to me before im 100% sure on that, maybe their is something wrong with me..(no comit)
    from the OP i dont know how someone would take from that, that the person was dreaming.... unless the dream had surround-sound or something, both persons heard something excluding the baby crying.
    besides this person didnt see an old woman, He seen the banshee or someone smoking tryin to ring a taxi home!?


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  • Registered Users Posts: 1,739 ✭✭✭oceanman


    judgeing from the content of post,i would say it most probably was the banshee.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,943 ✭✭✭wonderfulname


    jonbravo wrote: »
    something like that has never happened to me before im 100% sure on that, maybe their is something wrong with me..(no comit)
    from the OP i dont know how someone would take from that, that the person was dreaming.... unless the dream had surround-sound or something, both persons heard something excluding the baby crying.
    besides this person didnt see an old woman, He seen the banshee or someone smoking tryin to ring a taxi home!?

    Have you never even been half awake and something like thats happened? I can't tell you how many things my alarm clock has been, fire engines, blitz warnings, security breaches.. needless to say its not very good at getting me out of bed..

    Look at my first post, thats one possibility, people revert to myths when the truth is less than clear. Also if you read the OP he saw an old woman, he was told later that it was a banshee by someone who wasn't even there.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,039 ✭✭✭Seloth


    To the people who said why didnt they do anything..well in all fairnes be this true or not if a woman indeed did come to your second story window screaming Im sure you too would be hiding under yer sheets!


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 2,298 ✭✭✭a-k-47


    im sure they also would of snapped out of theyre sub consicous minds after an hour. Surely they would of come to theyre sensing after a minute or two?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 334 ✭✭Elbi


    Seloth wrote: »
    To the people who said why didnt they do anything..well in all fairnes be this true or not if a woman indeed did come to your second story window screaming Im sure you too would be hiding under yer sheets!


    NO a mother would run for her baby...
    you would get your mobile and all someone, no matter how scared you are hiding under sheets is not going to protect you


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,217 ✭✭✭pookie82


    a-k-47 wrote: »
    im sure they also would of snapped out of theyre sub consicous minds after an hour. Surely they would of come to theyre sensing after a minute or two?

    Exactly what I was going to say. I don't believe in the banshee but I can't swallow this tale of them both being in a confused and dreamlike state for an hour and a half. If it were a fleeting glimpse, then sure, but a sustained screaming and vision for an hour and a half? That must have been some deep sleep...


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,650 ✭✭✭sensibleken


    real or not the banshee is a bangin reel

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YapMcQgBwug :D


  • Registered Users Posts: 50 ✭✭ballinue


    Actually I would deem any post offering an alternative explanation, on a skeptics forum, to be one written by someone who does not believe in banshees, just because its not explicitly stated doesn't mean it wasn't said.
    I had a similar experience to this some years ago, myself and another person were sitting watching TV when the most horrible human crying started at the window (ground floor)
    I looked out to see what was making such a cry but there was nothing to be seen, but the sound continued as I stood there, I then went outside and the crying continued as it seemed right beside me, still nothing to be seen, as I stood there the sound started to move away until it faded into the distance. I was not woken from a sleep as this was about 10.00 at night and it was the most mournful cry I have ever heard in my life.
    I was born and lived in the country all my life and know exactly the sound foxe's cat's
    and any animal you would find in Ireland would make, this was not an animal.
    I am not saying it was a Banshee what other explaination?.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 228 ✭✭LevelSpirit


    This thread reminds me of something that happened only last week.

    I live in a rural area and know what cats and foxes sound like. I hear them all the time. and im definitely not the type to scare easily.

    I woke up about 2am to the sound of a baby crying outside the window. I remember thinking what the hell is a baby doing out in my garden. So I got up and went put. The crying kept going for about 2 mins while I looked for it and then stopped.

    I figured it must have been my imagination so I went back to bed. Then it started again about 10 mins later as I was falling asleep again. Went out and looked around and couldnt find the source of it in the garden. It was really exactly like a baby crying. I went into the woods beside the house then and didnt I see 2 eyes in the torchlight.

    As I got closer I saw another 2 eyes. This was about 100M from the house at this stage. It turned out it was two cats facing off against each other. Not fighting but wailing at each other. It was so much like a baby crying it would make you shiver. They were so focused on each other I was able to walk right up to them and nearly touch them before they noticed me and then they ran. Problem solved - or so I thought.

    Went back in to bed and closed my eyes. We have a metal toilet roll holder in the en-suite and I heard it moving in the en-suite. I was half asleep confused as hell as to how toilet roll could be coming off that by itself. I said to my wife, did you hear that, but no answer. So I got up and walked over to the door and opened it slowly. As I opened it a hand came up to the handle and scared the living **** out of me. I screamed and jumped back, looking for something to pick up.

    It turned out my wife had got up and gone to the toilet when I went outside. When I went back to bed I never even noticed she wasnt there. Shes still laughing at me even today.

    This is how cats, tiredness and someone not being where you assumed they were can play tricks on you.

    Check these out if you think you know what a cat sounds like

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVGj44PeGaI&feature=related

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0Ys0J4rvFQ&feature=related

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxbrL0e_5Hc&feature=related

    In this next one it is exactly like children crying
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hF0P5hS6DHo&feature=related

    .


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  • Registered Users Posts: 10,650 ✭✭✭✭maccored


    when you think of it, professional wailers or mourners were hired by those that could afford them many years ago which is probably where the idea of a wailing woman came from.

    Cats, foxes and various other nocturnal animals can make noises that really do sound like people crying so thats probably whats kept stories of banshees abounding til modern times.


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