Clearfield County Paranormal Investigations

Banshee:

Perpetrator of unearthly wailing that is much feared in Ireland and western Scotland as an omen of approaching death. The banshee is usually heard at night and its supernatural ululations are generally associated with a particular family or clan, who can often detail a history of such warnings from spectral (usually female) guardians. Examples of famous banshees include the one linked to the aristocratic Rossmore family of County Monaghan in Ireland, which was first heard in 1801 and has heralded the death of each successive heir to the baronetcy (including that of the sixth baronet in 1958).

Some claim that the banshee wail is made by the faeries, who sense the coming of death and want to warn the family.  Alternately the banshee is held to be a dead ancestor or perhaps the vengeful spirit of a woman who has suffered some wrong at the family's hands.

In some parts of Scotland the banshee is known as 'washer by the ford' because of her figure is seen washing bloodstained clothes of the person fated to die. Sometimes the banshee is not in the form of a voice, but is heard as a beating drum.

Bells:

Bells are almost universally credited with the power of frightening off bad spirits.  In churches, a "passing bell" is rung on the death of a local person, not only to summon the congregation to prayer but also to drive away any evil spirits lured by the presence of death.

On the darker side, a bell that tolls without someone pulling on the rope is a widely feared omen of death, which will strike down a member of the parish within the space of a week.

Specially cast hand bells containing mercury, lead, silver, gold, tin, copper and iron, and buried in a cemetery to "mature" for seven days figure prominently in the rituals of necromancy (the black art of calling up the dead to divine the future).

Black:

Of all the colors, black is the one most closely associated with evil and death. In Western culture it is the traditional color worn at funerals - not so much out of respect for the deceased but as a recognition (dating from Roman times) that everyone is subject to the dominion of death.

Black Dog:

Spectral dog of ancient English tradition, which is reputed to appear at places associated with death. Many churchyards and isolated graves claim a Black Dog in local superstition, and sightings have also been reported at sites where murders have been committed. Descriptions vary, some dogs apparently have huge eyes, while others lack heads altogether. Locals speak fearfully of the howling of the Black Dog, and many claim that the Devil himself oten manifests in such a form.

Blackbird:

In ancient British culture the blackbird was considered a messenger from the dead, and it has retained links with the unknown world of the hereafter ever since. Some families claim that blackbirds appear when the death of a family member is imminent.