Irish tradition says that the eerie wail of a spirit known as Bane Sidhe, commonly called the Banshee, announces that someone is about to die.

The Irish Bean Si means "woman of the side" or "woman of the fairy mounds". The Banshee was considered a messenger from the Otherworld who announced a coming death.

Her eyes are red from weeping and her hair flows wildly. Bane Sidhe wears a green dress and gray cloak. If caught, she will reveal who will die. But she is seldom caught since she sticks close to the wild moors and remote hills.

In Scotland the Banshee is known as Bean Nighe. Her hands run red with blood as she washes the clothes of the doomed person in a remote lake. A Bane Nighe has one prominent tooth, one nostril, and webbed feet.

Interesting side note:The gaelic name Bane Sidhe(pronounced bane shee) means "Elven Death". This name was given to them because their scream was, to an elf, actually fatal instead of a mere warning of death, as it was to humans.