home Palmistry Banshees - who are they? Irish mythology. Banshees - who are they? The meaning of the word, the origin of the image of Banshee legends and myths

Banshees - who are they? Irish mythology. Banshees - who are they? The meaning of the word, the origin of the image of Banshee legends and myths

Banshee(Banshee, Benshee, Baavan Shea, White Shea) - in Irish folklore and among the inhabitants of the Scottish Highlands there is a special variety.

They are called differently in different parts of Ireland. The generally accepted and widespread name is Irl. bean si, consisting of bean - woman, and si - Shi, which together translates as a woman from the Seeds, from the other world.

In Irish mythology, these are fairies into which gods from the Tribes of the goddess Danu turned after the sons of Mil, the ancestors of the Irish, appeared on the territory of modern Ireland. These gods and goddesses were forced to go deep into the earth and live under the hills, in the thickets, hide among swamps in enchanted forests and among the clouds in magical skies. According to Celtic beliefs, banshees can take on any form - clouds, shadows, bushes, mist, girls, etc.

The author of the theosophical work “Demonology and Witchcraft,” Sir Walter Scott, believed that the banshee is not so much a creature with an appearance as an ominous death howl that fills the nights with terror in the vastness of Ireland and the highlands of Scotland. People imagine the banshee as a woman with long flowing black hair, in loose robes, with eyes swollen from tears, or as a vile and ugly old woman with matted gray hair. A banshee can be a pale-skinned beauty in a long shroud, and sometimes appears in the form of an innocent maiden who died early - a relative of the family.

One of the central aspects of the legends and traditions about the banshee is the idea that the banshee is the patron spirit of the family that she notifies of death, that is, there is a hereditary connection between them - it can also be the ancestor of the family. According to legend, not all Irish people have banshees. In oral and literary sources, families whose death is heralded by a banshee are designated as families with "O" and "Mac", that is, the banshee is believed to accompany truly Irish families. However, the list of surnames of such families is much wider, as it also includes families descended from the Vikings and Anglo-Normans, that is, families that settled in Ireland before the 17th century.

The banshee is described as a female figure. They appear as floating luminescent phantoms of their former selves. At night, their image glows brightly, but is transparent in the sunlight. Banshees are described as women dressed in white (sometimes green or black), with beautiful long hair, which they comb with a silver comb. However, this is not always a romantic image of a beauty. Most banshees are old and withered, but those who die young retain their former beauty. The hair of a moaning spirit is wild and unkempt. Her dress is usually tattered rags. Her face is a mask of pain and torment, but hatred and the fire of rage burn brightly in her eyes. Very often, signs of a real monster are visible in the appearance of a banshee: sometimes they will find membranes between her fingers, sometimes fangs, or saggy breasts.

Banshees are intangible and invulnerable to weapons. In addition, moaning spirits are highly resistant to magic. They are completely immune to charm, sleep and immobilization spells. Holy water poured on them causes severe damage to them.

Banshees can sense the presence of living creatures up to five miles away.

They hate all living things and therefore make their homes in the deserted countryside or ancient ruins, and remain there forever. The ground surrounding the lair of the groaning spirit is strewn with the bones of animals that heard the cry of the banshee. Banshees devastate any area where they live. They kill without mercy. Banshee has a powerful effect on vegetation. Flowers and delicate plants wither and die, and trees become twisted and sickly, while the hardier plants, thistles and others, thrive.

A banshee's treasure varies greatly and often reflects what they loved in life. In most cases, this is a supply of gold and precious stones. Other banshees, especially those who frequent their former homes, display better tastes, preserving great works of art and sculpture or powerful magical artifacts.

Banshees hunt at night, taking the form of beauties and seducing belated travelers. They are especially attracted to those who themselves have recently acted as a game beater - such people have an attractive smell of blood.

Banshees feed only on the blood of young guys; these creatures are not interested in the blood of their diet. Before drinking the blood, they dance with the victims, hypnotizing them. They can take part in a conversation, but give themselves away with a strong, incomprehensible accent. Occasionally, hungry banshees attack women, and then their victims turn into the same monsters.

Irish folklore is rich in amazing and interesting images. One of the brightest can confidently be called a banshee. Who are banshees and why do they appear? How do people's encounters with these creatures end? Read on!

Banshee: the meaning of the word and its origin

In order to understand the meaning of this word, you should look in the dictionary. It comes from the English banshee, which, in turn, is the closest relative of the Irish bean sidhe, which can be translated as “woman from the other world.”

Different names for the same character

An interesting fact is that the banshee has different names in different parts of Ireland. Of course, the most common is bean sidhe. But, along with the generally accepted designation, there are also local names. For example, in counties such as Tipperary, Mayo and Limerick, it is customary to call this character bean chaointe - “crying woman”. By the way, sometimes in Tipperary (and at the same time in counties Laish and Kilkenny) a banshee is called a bochenta. Residents of the southeastern part of the country call the banshee badhdh. This definition of banshee means a woman who is scary, aggressive and very dangerous. It is worth noting that in the Middle Ages the Irish called the goddesses of war with the same word. In the south of counties Wicklow and Kildare, Carlow and Wexford, the name bow is common. But in Waterford, banshees are usually called bibe.

Origin of the image

So who is a banshee? This is a character from Irish folklore who appears near the home of a man whose days are numbered. In fact, the woman messenger notifies the man himself and his loved ones about this. She does this with the help of moans, sobs and screams. Most likely, the researchers say, the myth of the banshee arose on the basis of an old tradition: once upon a time a woman had to be present at a funeral, singing a special funeral song. At the same time, the woman sobbed and wailed loudly. Another version says: the concept of a banshee is inextricably linked with the legend of the ghost of a murdered woman. According to the third version, this is the mother who died during childbirth.

This hero of Irish folklore has no direct analogues in the culture and beliefs of other peoples. Researchers suggest that the roots of this image go back to Celtic mythology. Patricia Lysaft, a professor at Dublin University, devoted more than 20 years to studying the image of the banshee. In her works, she notes that the Irish themselves practically do not think about the origin of this character, they simply take it for granted. However, Patricia managed to systematize the data about him.

Fairies are one of the opinions about who banshees are, widespread in the literature of the 19th-20th centuries. Today this identification has lost its relevance. The fact is that fairies are social creatures. They live in groups, and their lifestyle is similar to that of humans. Banshees are solitary creatures, and their entire connection with people is solely a warning of death.
Ghosts are a much more common opinion. Some Irish people say that the banshee is the ghost of the mourning woman. There is a belief that if during life the mourner did not fulfill her duties, then after death she will certainly become a messenger spirit.
The patroness of the clan is the main version. According to her, the banshee is the ancestor of the family, a kind of patron spirit. Only truly Irish families can boast of having such a spirit.

Appearance

Now that you know who banshees are, let's talk about what they look like. The appearance of these loud-voiced creatures causes serious controversy even today. Someone says that a banshee is a beautiful girl in a long light cloak. There is a hood on her head. Some people like the version according to which the spirit appears in the form of a wrinkled, decrepit old woman. The only thing about which there is no doubt is the hair - it is generally accepted that it is very long and light, possibly gray. It is very rare to find a description with dark or red hair, wearing colored clothes. According to the descriptions, the banshee's cloak is very long. Shoes are rarely mentioned in legends; it is generally accepted that the spirit appears barefoot before people.

Irish legends

To date, three main stories related to the banshee are known. According to the first, a man accidentally meets a ghost at night, mistakes him for an ordinary woman and tries to offend her. The creature pushes the man away, leaving a trace of fingers and palms on his body.

The second plot of Irish legends says that a man meets a banshee while doing laundry. He laughs at her and offers to wash his shirt too. There are two main versions of the further development of events: the spirit can actually wash the shirt, quietly removing it from the man, or it can simply strangle the one laughing at her with the collar of his own clothes. The third legend tells of a traveler returning home and accidentally encountering a banshee combing her hair. Having obtained the bone comb of the spirit, the traveler returns home, but soon the owner comes for her thing, threatens and demands it back.

Evil spirits or simple messengers?

Contrary to popular belief, researchers of Irish legends assure: banshees are not evil ghosts, but just messengers of approaching death. Usually the howls of the spirit are heard only by those who are about to die. But there are also cases when eerie screams are heard by other people. In this case, a great person or the most respected relative must die.

Image in culture

The meaning of the banshee and its image have often been used in world culture. This is how Ray Bradbury wrote the story “Banshee”. The same creature was also mentioned in the novels of Clifford Simak. Charles de Lint compared the cry of the heroine of his book “Taste the Moonlight” with the cry of this spirit. Strange creatures also appeared on the big screen. In 1970, a film called “The Cry of the Banshee” was released. In 2006, another film was shot with this creation - “Music of Death”. Another film appeared in 2008 and was released in our country under the name “Night Watch”.

Computer games

The character of Irish folklore also appears in computer games:

ghostly creatures fly and deafen everyone with their screams in the game World of Warcraft;
Banshee is one of the most powerful fighting machines in the BattleTech universe;
in the GTA world, banshees are the fastest cars;
Those who have at least once played the game “Cursed Lands” are also familiar with banshees - here they call ghosts in long black robes;
A banshee also appears in the game Mortal Kombat - here it is Sindel.

It is difficult to imagine that there is a more strange, remote, mystical place in the world than cool, often cloudy, full of castles and stone megaliths, Ireland. All the strangest evil spirits, popular in popular culture, wandering from song to song, from one Gothic novel to another, are somehow connected with this country.

Probably, the Irish themselves cannot imagine why so many different evil spirits settled in their green fields and hills. It is also worth noting that Irish mystical images are so original that finding more or less suitable prototypes in the mythology of other peoples is always very problematic.

The image is probably one of the most mystical in Irish folklore. Few aliens from a parallel world receive so many film adaptations and reflections in poetry and prose. Peculiarity is that she, like most of those strange spirits that live in foggy Ireland, has Celtic roots, and the Celts were very original people.

Celtic folklore takes into account the slightest change in nature, a change in a person’s mood, penetrates into the very depths of the human soul and finds there secluded, shady nooks and crannies through which strange images move.

If we remember that the Celts were primarily considered priests, then we can understand why the Banshee can be called one of the most mystical images created by them. After all, the priests, with the help of their spells, probably knew how to penetrate into those depths, where they could find an image, which later became embodied in the image of the mysterious Banshee - “woman from the hills” translated from Irish Gaelic.

Appearance of Banshee

Who is Banshee? The average Irishman, familiar with his folklore, will describe her something like this: she is a woman, and her obligatory attribute is long gray hair. True, folklore speakers give different names for this woman’s age. For some, this is a beautiful young girl, and for others, she is an old woman who is not very attractive in appearance.

There are also different opinions about the clothes of Women from the Fields. The banshee may wear a cloak, but its color varies depending on what the narrator remembers about his folklore. For example, a cloak can be green, because green is the traditional color of evil spirits, especially Irish ones. But more often it is white, because it is the color of death and emptiness. Banshee is, to some extent, the embodiment, or rather, its inexorable harbinger.

The Celts were particularly sensitive to the nature that surrounded them, and therefore it was from them that the perception of the Banshee as a part of nature came. It is believed that no one prevents her from appearing in this world in the form of trees, rivers and fogs. In general, Banshee is Nature in person, its integral part.

Why does Banshee come?

Irish mythology figuratively talks about the Banshee, but has no clear idea of what exactly the function of the sinister lady is. The fact that this is not Bones herself is quite clear, but why the Banshee actually “works” for Death is not clear from the folklore that has come down to us.

Some legends claim that the Banshee is the spirit of a woman who in the past was a mourner at someone's funeral. Apparently, she got so used to the role that even after her death she had to come back from the other world and disturb the Irish with her inhuman scream.

And if you can still sort out the hair and the color of the cloak, then with the Banshee’s voice everything has long been determined. The Harbinger of Death comes at night under the windows of houses and wakes people up with a prolonged howl. Probably, only the Celts with their eternal desire to create something out of the ordinary could have come up with such sophisticated mysticism.

The scream of a Banshee under the window does not bode well. It is believed that with her cry she warns of the impending death of someone living in the house. Legends describe this cry in the night as unbearable, heartbreaking, piercing through and through.

Some Irish legends say that the Banshee can not only scream, but also appear to travelers on lonely roads or near bodies of water. In an old or young guise, this messenger can answer any questions, but in return she will demand that you honestly tell her everything she wants. And you can't lie to her.

The Irish, not without pride, note the “nationality” of the Banshee. This means that neither the Russian nor the Chinese will see her, either in the form of an old woman or as a cry in the night. The banshee appears only to the Irish and Scots, that is, to the descendants of the Celts. There is also a version that the Banshee is the ancestral spirit of one or another Irish family. She comes to tell those she protects about the impending danger.

One way or another, the Banshee is one of the most striking and extraordinary images in Irish folklore. It is not just scary, but also in a special, Irish way, gloomy and full of all the most otherworldly things. This is probably precisely because in cool, cloudy Ireland it is difficult to come up with something less terrifying.

Banshee names

Banshees are called differently in different parts of Ireland. The generally accepted and widespread name is Irl. bean sí, consisting of bean- a woman, and si- Shi, which together translates as “woman from the Seeds”, from the other world. Along with the generally accepted designation, in many areas of the island there are also local names for the banshee, and in some areas of the island, until relatively recently, only the local name was used.

So, in the counties of Limerick, Tipperary and Mayo the name irl is common. an bean chaointe, which literally means a crying woman, a mourner. In southeastern Ireland, the name banshee is derived from the Irish word badhbh(badb), denoting an aggressive, scary and dangerous woman. In the Middle Ages in Ireland named badhbh often called goddesses of war. The name is common in counties Louis, Kilkenny and Tipperary. boshenta(boschenta), derived from badhbh chaointe. In Waterford they call it a banshee. bibe- bayb. The name is common in Carlow, Wexford, and the south of counties Kildare and Wicklow. bow- wow.

Origin of the Banshee

The banshee, as experts in Irish folklore believe, has no direct analogues in the beliefs of other peoples. However, in Breton folklore there is something similar to a banshee - the messenger of death Anku, and similar characters are also found in Welsh mythology. This suggests that the image of the banshee goes back to ancient Celtic mythology. Patricia Lysaft, a professor at the University of Dublin, who has devoted more than 20 years to studying the image of the banshee in folklore, notes that the bearers of traditions practically do not think about the origin of the banshee, but take it for granted. However, she managed to formulate the following ideas about the origin of the banshee:

It is a very common belief that the banshee is something like a fairy ( fairy), such an explanation is found in some literary works of the 19th and early 20th centuries. However, in actual banshee folk tales such an identification is made very rarely. In Irish folk tradition, fairies are social creatures, live in communities and lead a lifestyle similar to that of humans. Whereas the banshee who announces death is a lonely creature and all her relationships with human beings are determined by her connection with death.

Ghost

The following versions are more widespread: the banshee is nothing more than the ghost (spirit) of a female mourner, since mourning and sobbing are one of her characteristic features. Some Irish believe that if a mourner has not fulfilled her duties properly, then after death she continues to mourn the dying.

Patroness of the clan

According to legend, not all Irish have banshees. In oral and literary sources, families in which death is heralded by a banshee are designated as families with "O" and "Mac", that is, it is believed that the banshee accompanies truly Irish families. However, the list of surnames of such families is much wider, since it also includes families , descended from the Vikings and Anglo-Normans, that is, families who settled in Ireland before the 17th century.

Banshee Form

As for the description of the banshee’s appearance, the opinions are diametrically opposed. One thing remains unchanged - the female image. There is a certain romantic image of the banshee, mainly in children's stories, as a young beautiful woman with long blond or golden hair wearing a long white cloak with a hood. The banshee is also described as a small old woman, but again with long hair, white or gray. In general, long hair is as much a distinctive feature of a banshee as her scream. Less common is the description of black or dark hair of a banshee, as well as dark or colored clothes, since it is quite obvious that in twilight or darkness, the time when a banshee appears, it is easier to see her in a white cloak and with white, often gray, hair, which also confirms the legend of the old banshee woman. As for the headdress, it is mentioned extremely rarely, since it would be inappropriate given the long flowing hair. Since the banshee's cloak mostly extends to her toes, footwear is also rarely mentioned. Some bearers of the tradition believe that she walks barefoot.

Banshee in legends

The legends about meetings between people and banshees are very diverse in their presentation, but are united by a single motive: a meeting with the otherworldly is dangerous. Among all the legends, three plots clearly stand out:

A man met a banshee at night, mistook her for an ordinary woman, and tried to offend her. The banshee pushes him away and, as punishment, leaves an indestructible mark of her palm or fingers on his body.
The man who met the banshee while doing laundry laughed at her and told her to wash his shirt too. As a result, the banshee can either unnoticed take off his shirt and actually wash it, or strangle the man with his own collar.
A traveler returning home encounters a banshee combing her hair with a bone comb. He gets the comb and takes it home, but then the banshee comes for his thing and, threatening, demands it back. In the end, she gets the comb, demonstrating that things could very well have ended much worse.

Banshee in culture

Literature

Ray Bradbury wrote the story "Banshee" (English) Russian , on which one of the episodes of the television series “The Ray Bradbury Theater” was filmed that year (English) Russian .
Mentioned in the fantasy novels The Goblin Sanctuary and The Brotherhood of the Talisman by Clifford Simak.
In Charles de Lint's book Taste the Moonlight, there is a comparison between the crying of the heroine Jamie Pack and the crying of a banshee.
The image of a banshee also appeared in comics (Banshee from Marvel Comics).

Cinematography and animation

In 1970, the film “The Cry of the Banshee” was shot, where the banshee was a monster summoned by the leader of the witches to destroy the family of the witch persecutor she hated.
In 2006, the film “Banshee” was shot. Music of death."
2008 film "Banshee!!!" (dir. Colin Taze). In Russia it was also shown under the titles “Night Watch” and “Bringer of Doom”
Howl of the Banshee is a 2011 American horror film.
In the film "Avatar" (2009), banshees or ikrans are winged dragon-like creatures used by the local Na'vi people for flight.
In the animated series "Extreme Ghostbusters" one of the ghosts from which the main characters rid the world was a banshee.
In the television series Charmed, Phoebe is attacked by a banshee. Under the influence of her scream, Phoebe herself becomes a banshee, but the confession of her former lover Cole makes her human again.

Computer games

In World of Warcraft, banshees are presented as ghostly creatures that can fly and stun enemies with sound waves.
In the BattleTech universe, the name Banshee is one of the most powerful combat vehicles.
In the game Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun Banshee is an aircraft based on alien technology and equipped with powerful plasma weapons.
In the games Grand Theft Auto Liberty City Stories, Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, one of the fastest representatives of the car park is called Banshee.
In the Warhammer 40,000 universe, the Eldar race have "Howling Banshees" units, female close combat units that deal extra damage with sonic attacks.
In the game Disciples II - one of the units, a vivid image of the ghost of a crying and wailing girl.
In the game Cursed Lands, there are very powerful enemies called banshees, who look like ghosts in black robes.
In the game Fable II, the banshee, as a weeping woman who gives birth to evil creatures with the souls of children, is found in the Haunted Marsh. He is a very strong opponent.
In the Mass Effect game, banshees are representatives of the asari race turned into monsters by the Reapers and have a rare genetic disorder called ardat-yakshi.
In the Dungeons and Dragons series, Banshee's Scream is one of the most powerful offensive spells, instantly killing all enemies.
In the game StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, the Terran race has a unit - the Banshee helicopter, which has the ability to become invisible.
In the game Heroes of Might and Magic V, Banshee Scream is a racial skill of necromancers that lowers the morale and luck of enemy armies. Banshee is also one of the necromancer heroes, if the player plays as this hero, the Banshee Scream skill will be doubled.
In Game

Favorite type of undead (except vampires). The sexiest image of a kind of emo-ghost ^__^. Although she does not belong to ghosts, rather to fairy creatures.(opinions differ here). By the way, in games I always play for the undead)))

Banshee.

Aka: Washer of the Shrouds (more on her below), Washer at the Banks, Washer at the Ford, Cointeach, Cyhiraeth, Cyoerraeth, Gwrach y Rhibyn, Eur-Cunnere Noe, Bean sidhe, Bean Chaointe, the Bean-nighe, Kannerez- Noz

Banshee Form

As for the description of the banshee’s appearance, the opinions are diametrically opposed. One thing remains unchanged - the female image. There is a certain romantic image of the banshee, mainly in children's stories, as a young beautiful woman with long blond or golden hair wearing a long white cloak with a hood. The banshee is also described as a small old woman, but again with long hair, white or gray. In general, long hair is as much a distinctive feature of a banshee as her scream. Less common is the description of black or dark hair of a banshee, as well as dark or colored clothes, since it is quite obvious that at dusk or darkness, the time when a banshee appears, it is easier to see her in a white cloak and with white, often gray, hair, which also confirms the legend of the old banshee. As for the headdress, it is mentioned extremely rarely, since it would be inappropriate given the long, developing hair. Since the banshee's cloak mostly extends to her toes, footwear is also rarely mentioned. Some bearers of the tradition believe that she walks barefoot.

Patroness of the clan

According to legend, not all Irish have banshees. In oral and literary sources, families in which death is heralded by a banshee are designated as families with "O" and "Mac", that is, it is believed that the banshee accompanies truly Irish families. However, the list of surnames of such families is much wider, since it also includes families descended from the Vikings and Anglo-Normans, that is, families who settled in Ireland before the 17th century.

The banshee has long flowing hair, gray cloaks over green dresses, and eyes red from crying. Banshees take care of ancient human families, emitting heartbreaking screams when mourning the death of one of the family members. When several banshees gather together, it foretells the death of one of the great people. Seeing a banshee means imminent death. The banshee cries in a language no one understands; her cries seem to merge together the cries of wild geese, the sobs of an abandoned child and the howl of a wolf. (Here opinions are again divided: someone claims that her crying is like “low pleasant singing”, or “the sound of two shields hitting each other”, or "a thin screech, somewhere between the moaning of a woman and the moaning of an owl"). Her screams can be so strong that glass breaks (!). Sometimes the banshee takes the form of an ugly old woman with matted black hair, one single nostril and protruding front teeth. Sometimes she becomes a pale-skinned beauty in a gray cloak or shroud. And sometimes she appears in the form of an innocent maiden from among the members of the clan who died early (she is also sometimes represented with huge breasts, which she throws back). She either sneaks among the trees, or flies around the house, filling the air with piercing screams.

There is a story about how a certain woman saw a banshee in her window. She was sitting outside, on a stone ledge; she had red hair that seemed on fire against the background of her white dress and deathly pale skin. She hummed something monotonously, and then suddenly disappeared, as if she had melted into thin air. The next morning it turned out that the woman’s brother died that night.

There is also a story about how a certain farmer met a banshee at a bridge. He saw an old woman sitting on the railing, said hello and only then noticed that the old woman had very long hair, red with a purple tint. The old woman sat with her head downcast, as if saddened by something. When she turned to face the farmer, everything inside him froze: the skin was pale, like a corpse, the face was spotted, like a turkey egg... The old woman straightened up to her full height, and it turned out that she was three times taller than the tallest man. The farmer mentally said goodbye to life, but then the old woman stepped off the bridge straight into the water and disappeared. The next morning, the farmer learned that his old neighbor, the last in an ancient family, had died during the night.

Banshees, bensies, bansii ("heavenly women"), in Irish mythology, fairies into which gods from the Tribes of the goddess Danu turned after the sons of Mil, the ancestors of the Irish, appeared on the territory of modern Ireland. These gods and goddesses were forced to go deep into the earth and live under the hills in the thickets, hide among the swamps in enchanted forests, and among the clouds in magical skies. According to legends, banshees can take on any form - a cloud, a shadow, a bush, a girl, etc. Until now, many people believe that their mournful cry, called Kiening and heard at night, certainly foreshadows imminent human death. The author of Demonology and Witchcraft, Sir Walter Scott, believed that the banshee was not so much a creature with an appearance as an ominous death howl that filled the nights of Ireland and the highlands of Scotland with terror. People imagine the banshee as a woman with long flowing black hair, in loose robes, with eyes swollen from tears, or in the guise of a vile and ugly old woman with matted gray hair. The banshee fairy can be a pale-skinned beauty in a long shroud, and sometimes it can appear in the form of an innocent maiden who died early - a relative of the family. The enchanted forest from Arthurian legend was inhabited by lovely fairies. One of them, the Hard-Hearted Dame, a sorceress-temptress described by the poet J. Keats, was a banshee who lured mortal knights-errant, instilling in them reckless passion, and then left them, devoid of the will to live, to wander the hills "in sullen solitude and without meaning".

Banshees move with a sound similar to the sound of a bird flying. Therefore, some mistakenly identify them with a crow.

Benny or the washerwoman at the creek

In the folklore of the Scottish Highlands, the banshee is a close relative. She is called the washerwoman by the stream because benny can be found near forest streams, in which she washes the bloody clothes of those who are destined to die. She usually wears a green dress. If a person spots the benny before she sees him and stands between her and the water, she will be granted three wishes. Benny will answer three questions, but she will also ask the same number, and in no case should you be disingenuous with her. She can recognize the one who plucks up the courage and puts his mouth on her saggy breasts as her stepson and will help him. However, if Benny gets angry, she begins to whip the man with underwear, and the unfortunate man’s arms and legs begin to fall off. According to some sources, bennies are the spirits of mortal women who died during childbirth, and will find peace only when the time comes to leave this world (that is, on the day on which they would have died of old age).