Author Insight: Fate of the Messenger
The legend of the banshee is found in the mythology of Ireland and Scotland. Variations of this story usually involve an other-worldly woman, either a fairy or a ghost, singing a dirge or mourning song at someone’s death. The banshee was thus an emissary of death and was generally feared. The fact behind the fantasy may be found in the keeners, professional singers who sang at funerals in Ireland and Scotland during the Dark Ages and perhaps much earlier. This short literary fantasy piece is a fanciful combination of the legend of the banshee with a mortal keener.