- "The world has lost a good man! Woe! Woe!"
- ―a Banshee
Banshees were female spirits who mourned the departing of good men and carried their souls to the afterlife. They had skeletal appearances, wearing cloak-like garments, and sometimes wrapped chains and anchors around themselves.
History[]
S Carlow[]
- "Jack! The wailing! The preternatural disappearance! The ethnicity of the man over whom she grieved... ...T'was a banshee!
Usually in a situation like this, Mister Gibs, I would humbug your suggestion as nothing but fairy rhymes and figments. But I wholeheartedly believe your assessment." - ―Joshamee Gibbs and Jack Sparrow
While on a quest to find the Weather Gauge, in order to sail the Black Pearl away from Port Royal, Captain Jack Sparrow, crewing a dory alongside Joshamee Gibbs, Anamaria, and Marty, encountered the sinking S Carlow of San Silvestre. Needing a way to sail through San Silvestre without trouble, Jack was talked into boarding the sinking ship in order to steal its papers to pass themselves and their little dory as the Carlow and crew.[1]
Inside, Jack found a dying Irishman, mortally wounded in the attack that doomed the ship. There, Jack encountered a banshee mourning the death of the Irishman. Since Jack had given the man a last drink of rum, the Banshee used the pirate to carry the dead's soul and blessed Jack for his kindness; for a period of time, the Irishman's greatest strength would be his as well.[1]
Unfortunately for Jack, the Irishman's greatest strength was his honesty, rendering Jack unable to lie, and nearly getting himself and his crew hanged in San Silvestre until the sun set, allowing the Irishman's soul to depart to the afterlife, ending the time of the "gift."[1]
War Against Piracy[]
During the War Against Piracy, banshees were attacked and killed by pirate alliances for the resources their bodies provided.[2]
Biology and appearance[]
- "Not much of a conversationalist, that one."
- ―Jack Sparrow
Banshees were female creatures who appeared when morally good people died alone, mourning for their passing in place of others. They also carried the souls of those dead until the setting sun gave the soul passage to the afterlife. This duty of carrying souls could be also given to others, including mortal men. Banshees had the capability to bless living people who showed kindness to the dying;[1] but despite this benevolence, banshees were known to attack sailors who got too close.[2]
Some banshees were spectral in appearance. They had human-like heads, with long hair covering their eyes. Their bodies, visible through the ghostly cloaks and leaf-like headbands, where skeletal in nature.[1] Others looked like rag-clad, white-haired skeletons. The were known to perched on anchors, using chains to keep them in place.[2]
Banshees were rarely seen by pirates, since pirates were not known for being good men.[1] However, if a person could find and kill a banshee, the body could be used for many resources.[2]
Behind the scenes[]
- In Pirates of the Caribbean Online, there is a Voodoo Doll called Banshee Doll.
Appearances[]
- Banshee's Boon (First appearance)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Tides of War