Bean Nighe
Encyclopedia
The bean nighe is a Scottish
fairy
, seen as an omen of death and a messenger from the Otherworld
. She is a type of bean sìth (in Irish
bean sídhe, anglicized as "banshee
").
In the ancient Celtic
epic, The Ulster Cycle
, The Morrígan
is seen in the role of a bean nighe. When the hero Cúchulainn
rides out to war, he encounters the Morrígan as a hag
washing his bloody armour in a ford. From this omen he realizes this battle will be his last.
A bean nighe is described in some tales as having one nostril, one big protruding tooth, webbed feet and long-hanging breasts, and to be dressed in green. A mortal who is bold enough to sneak up to her while she is washing and suck her breast can claim to be her foster child. The mortal can then gain a wish from her. If a mortal passing by asks politely, she will tell the names of the chosen that are going to die. While generally appearing as a hag, she can also manifest as a beautiful young woman when it suits her, much as does her Irish counterpart the bean sídhe.
Both the Irish bean sídhe and the Scottish Gaelic bean shìth (both meaning "woman of the sídhe", "fairy woman" or "woman of peace") are derived from the Old Irish ben síde, "fairy woman": bean: woman, and sídhe: the genitive of "fairy".
In Scottish Gaelic, bean shìth can also be spelled bean-shìdh. Both are correct.
Sìth in Scottish Gaelic (síd in Old Irish, síocháin in Modern Irish
) also means "peace", and the fairies are referred to as the daoine sìth (Irish, daoine sídhe) - the "people of peace". Sídhe, in its variant spellings, refers to the Sídhe Mounds where these beings dwell.
The bean nighe is sometimes known by the diminutive
s ban nigheachain (little washerwoman) or nigheag na h-àth (little washer at the ford).
Scottish mythology
Scottish mythology may refer to any of the mythologies of Scotland.Myths have emerged for various purposes throughout the history of Scotland, sometimes being elaborated upon by successive generations, and at other times being completely rejected and replaced by other explanatory narratives.-...
fairy
Fairy
A fairy is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, a form of spirit, often described as metaphysical, supernatural or preternatural.Fairies resemble various beings of other mythologies, though even folklore that uses the term...
, seen as an omen of death and a messenger from the Otherworld
Other World
The Otherworld is a concept in Celtic mythology, referring to a realm of the dead, the home of the deities or spirits....
. She is a type of bean sìth (in Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
bean sídhe, anglicized as "banshee
Banshee
The banshee , from the Irish bean sí is a feminine spirit in Irish mythology, usually seen as an omen of death and a messenger from the Otherworld....
").
Legends
As the "Washer at the Ford" she wanders near deserted streams where she washes the blood from the grave-clothes of those who are about to die. It is said that mnathan nighe (the plural of bean nighe) are the spirits of women who died giving birth and are doomed to do this work until the day their lives would have normally ended.In the ancient Celtic
Celtic mythology
Celtic mythology is the mythology of Celtic polytheism, apparently the religion of the Iron Age Celts. Like other Iron Age Europeans, the early Celts maintained a polytheistic mythology and religious structure...
epic, The Ulster Cycle
Ulster Cycle
The Ulster Cycle , formerly known as the Red Branch Cycle, one of the four great cycles of Irish mythology, is a body of medieval Irish heroic legends and sagas of the traditional heroes of the Ulaid in what is now eastern Ulster and northern Leinster, particularly counties Armagh, Down and...
, The Morrígan
Morrígan
The Morrígan or Mórrígan , also written as Morrígu or in the plural as Morrígna, and spelt Morríghan or Mór-Ríoghain in Modern Irish, is a figure from Irish mythology who appears to have once been a goddess, although she is not explicitly referred to as such in the texts.The Morrigan is a goddess...
is seen in the role of a bean nighe. When the hero Cúchulainn
Cúchulainn
Cú Chulainn or Cúchulainn , and sometimes known in English as Cuhullin , is an Irish mythological hero who appears in the stories of the Ulster Cycle, as well as in Scottish and Manx folklore...
rides out to war, he encounters the Morrígan as a hag
Hag
A hag is a wizened old woman, or a kind of fairy or goddess having the appearance of such a woman, often found in folklore and children's tales such as Hansel and Gretel. Hags are often seen as malevolent, but may also be one of the chosen forms of shapeshifting deities, such as the Morrígan or...
washing his bloody armour in a ford. From this omen he realizes this battle will be his last.
A bean nighe is described in some tales as having one nostril, one big protruding tooth, webbed feet and long-hanging breasts, and to be dressed in green. A mortal who is bold enough to sneak up to her while she is washing and suck her breast can claim to be her foster child. The mortal can then gain a wish from her. If a mortal passing by asks politely, she will tell the names of the chosen that are going to die. While generally appearing as a hag, she can also manifest as a beautiful young woman when it suits her, much as does her Irish counterpart the bean sídhe.
Etymology
A bean nighe ("washerwoman") is a specific type of bean sìth.Both the Irish bean sídhe and the Scottish Gaelic bean shìth (both meaning "woman of the sídhe", "fairy woman" or "woman of peace") are derived from the Old Irish ben síde, "fairy woman": bean: woman, and sídhe: the genitive of "fairy".
In Scottish Gaelic, bean shìth can also be spelled bean-shìdh. Both are correct.
Sìth in Scottish Gaelic (síd in Old Irish, síocháin in Modern Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
) also means "peace", and the fairies are referred to as the daoine sìth (Irish, daoine sídhe) - the "people of peace". Sídhe, in its variant spellings, refers to the Sídhe Mounds where these beings dwell.
The bean nighe is sometimes known by the diminutive
Diminutive
In language structure, a diminutive, or diminutive form , is a formation of a word used to convey a slight degree of the root meaning, smallness of the object or quality named, encapsulation, intimacy, or endearment...
s ban nigheachain (little washerwoman) or nigheag na h-àth (little washer at the ford).
See also
- BansheeBansheeThe banshee , from the Irish bean sí is a feminine spirit in Irish mythology, usually seen as an omen of death and a messenger from the Otherworld....
- BeiraBeira (mythology)Beira is the name given by 20th century journalist and anthropologist Donald Alexander Mackenzie to the Cailleach Bheur, a goddess of winter, and the mother of the gods and goddesses in Scottish mythology....
- CailleachCailleachIn Irish and Scottish mythology, the , also known as the Cailleach Bheur, is a divine hag, a creatrix, and possibly an ancestral deity or deified ancestor...
- HuldraHuldraIn Scandinavian folklore, the Huldra , or the skogsrå or skogsfru/skovfrue or Tallemaja in Swedish culture, is a seductive forest creature...
- Les LavandièresLes LavandièresFrom Celtic mythology, Les Lavandières, also known as the cannard noz in Brittany, the Bean Nighe , or the Midnight Washerwomen in English, are three old washerwomen...
- MorríganMorríganThe Morrígan or Mórrígan , also written as Morrígu or in the plural as Morrígna, and spelt Morríghan or Mór-Ríoghain in Modern Irish, is a figure from Irish mythology who appears to have once been a goddess, although she is not explicitly referred to as such in the texts.The Morrigan is a goddess...
- Moura Encantada
- Wirry-cowWirry-cowIn Scotland, a wirry-cowe was a bugbear, goblin, ghost, ghoul or other frightful object. Sometimes the term was used for the Devil or a scarecrow.The word was used by Scott in Guy Mannering....