Tuesday, June 11, 2013

I don't care what Siouxsie Says

Welcome, Ireland!

As the keen observers among you will have gathered, We received our first page-view in Ireland overnight.   Which means that this is as good a time as any to apologize again for the Leprechaun post the other day.

Another thing that deserves a mention while we're specifically discussing Ireland - I'm becoming increasingly concerned with the mounting evidence that America is losing it's grips on the specifics of Banshee lore.

For the uninitiated - A Banshee is a female spirit* that appears to someone as a sign that they are about to die.  More specifically, if you hear the Banshee's scream it means you should avoid making any long term plans.  It's like Final Destination without the increasingly disappointing sequels.

*Yes, they are always female, I don't care what the X-Men say.  Although I quite like the character and - hey - why the hell aren't any of the Movie X-Men allowed to be not American?  How can you have a character named Banshee who isn't Irish?  They did the same thing with Colossus in X2, and he's clearly A: the most awesome X-man ever and B: Russian.  It's about standards people.  Get it together, Bryan Singer.

So- just to boil it down - the relevant thing that Banshees do?  They Scream.  That's their focus-area.  Hell, even the inexplicably American Movie X-Man got that detail right, even if he did let the forces of accuracy down slightly by having a penis.

<You can tell that he's Irish because of the long clay pipe.>
<No, that was not a reference to... oh get your minds out of the gutter.  Honestly.>

Which is all a way of me leading up to saying - The Expression is 'Scream(ed) like a Banshee'  e.g. 'Man, when I hit myself in the junk with that sledgehammer I screamed like a banshee.  And now I can't father children.'

Which is why I'm growing increasingly distressed at the sheer number of other activities I've heard described as being Banshee-like.  And not just from one person either.  If that was the case the problem would be easily solved by either explaining to them what banshees actually do, or smothering them with a pillow while they slept. (Depending on mood)  No, I've heard from a depressing variety of people things like 'Man, I slept like a Banshee', or 'Boy, she talked like a banshee' (so painfully close to right) or most disturbingly 'Boy, I am sweating like a banshee in here.'

Really. 

In your mind, the most notable thing that Banshee's do is sweat, is that the case?  If you smell the Banshee's BO, it means your doom is at hand, is that it, Miss Thang of Shalotte?

So let's as a people be clear on this.  The Banshee is not your all-verbs, all the time go to monster. 

They Scream, People.  That's all they do.

Well, that and provide back up for Siouxsie Sioux in the 80s and 90s.

I mean, check out the video for Peek-a-boo

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