Voices of Death: The Enchanting Spirits of the Bean Sidhe and Rusalki

Since ancient European spiritual belief focused on nature and natural phenomena, it is a logical assumption that deities and other spiritual entities were formed as the personification of spiritual catalysts in nature. Deities became the forces by which nature and human activity relied upon. Included in this spiritual realm are other spiritual beings that came at crucial milestones in an individual's life. These personified spirits belonged to neither world, existing in liminal space. Most famous are the Sirens of Greece, but in this category also live the Banshee of Ireland and Rusalki of Slavic lands. All of who are feminine and in many accounts highly sexualized while at the same time feared as omens of death. Their voices, abundant breasts, naked or flowing appearances and long hypnotizing hair are common themes in cultures that for the most part remained separated while these spirits evolved. What little information that remains of the Banshee and Rusalki, the written accounts from conquerors of these lands and the myths passed through families that live on today, paint a picture of potent female sexuality that evolves from liberating and honored to loathed and mourned.

These personified spirits originate from primordial waters of both mythological and geographical places. Water is many times associated with passages of life, life death and rebirth (baptism), emotion, and sexuality in psychological and spiritual contexts. In the woodlands of Eastern Europe, Rusalki are said to live along the banks of secluded brooks and rivers, or at the bottom of standing bodies of water. Water wells in the forests inhabited by Rusalki are especially powerful and have the ability to grant barren women fertility and cure every ailment for any person who drinks of this water. In many areas she is seen as a descendent of Mokosh, the goddess of fertility. Similarly, the Banshee (or Bean Sidhe) is often seen along waterways as well. Most descriptions give the Banshee the same appearance as Rusalki, but with different consequences. Instead of bestowing gifts of healing or lustful or enchantment, the banshee foretell death and their song is heard as a mournful cry and her appearances on battle fields or among the murdered spring from her association with the Celtic goddess Morrighan. Yet, the imagery stays the same, a woman with full breasts either naked or dressed in flowing robes with long dark or green hair. Following the mythos of Rusalki and the Banshee, the differences that develop lay in the variances of ecological culture, social history and the spiritual needs of the people.

When Roman warriors began to spread north and convert Slavic tribes, this altered the cultural and spiritual landscape and the images of Rusalki began to change from woodland nymph to dangerous shadow spirit. Her image of a terrifying symbol of death mirrored the image of the Banshee, a Celtic spirit that inhabited the war-torn land of Ireland. The Celts in Ireland were subject to numerous invasions and Christian conversion similar to the Slavs. From the Vikings to the Romans and beyond, the Irish Celts suffered massacres, war, hardship and famine. Death was at the forefront of many Celts lives. Similarly, Slavic tribes went into battle to defend their own lands and culture. Because of this similarity in social upheaval, spiritual needs are also common. Like the Banshee, Rusalki are seen as the guides through the transition from life on this world, death, and the transitory period in the otherworld. A local Rusalki will be called upon by a family to help mourn a deceased loved-one by having the Rusalki prepare the physical and spiritual bodies for the journey through death.

Today this is still practiced for those who are not baptized in the Christian church or those who have committed suicide and cannot receive a Christian burial. An annual celebration is offered to Rusalki in many Slavic areas, "The annual celebration of the Rusalki begins at a time known as Whitsuntide. This is special time of year when the Rusalki leave their watery dwelling places to gather in clearings and open fields, where they take pleasure in song and dance. Whitsuntide is also the first day of a weeklong celebration known as Rusalye, Rusalia, or Rusalki Week. This festival is cause for great celebration for the entire community, who join in with music, singing, games, and dancing. It is also a time for more solemn ritual processions and ceremonies to honor the Rusalki and those who have died that previous year." (Strong 2)

Unfortunately, there is not as strong of an accurate account of the purpose of the banshee, what can be inferred linguistically from her name Bean Sidhe, literally "woman of the hills" is that she is simply a feminine ancestral spirit, not one entity, but the remains of the dead women that linger on in every clan. Much of her representation as a fearsome entity comes from the 1958 film Darby O'Gill and the Little People, wherein the Bean Sidhe is a frightening figure who can steal a person's soul away. Modern storytelling through film can erase generations of myth in the flash of a reel. From some historical accounts we can see that the function of the banshee was the same as Rusalki, yet it is unknown why, even though both Slavic and Celtic cultures were Christianized with the same force and fervor, the Slavs retained the Rusalki as an honorable spirit but the Irish portray the banshee as loathsome.

author: Zhiva Mora