Upon hearing others go on and on about their fantastic ancestry I got to thinking: I wish I had some amazing story to read about one of my ancestors or their family. There were people who would talk of their family's coat of arms or spiritual animals. Disappointed that I had no whimsical tale to spin, I went to the local library and looked up my family history. I looked up my Irish family, the O'Briens. Folklore and fairy tales leapt off the pages towards me. One particular word captured my attention: Banshee. I read further and further. I learned this:

The Banshees were bound to five great Gaelic families: the O'Gradys, the O'Neills, the O'Briens, the O'Connors, and the Kavanaghs.

They would warn members of the family when one of them was about to die. Often they would come in swarms. Then at the death of a family member they would mourn greatly.

The banshee can appear in a variety of guises. Including young or old, pretty or ugly woman. Banshees were dressed in green, red or black with a grey cloak.

The banshee may also appear in a variety of other forms, such as that of a hooded crow, stoat, hare and weasel.

I thought that was pretty cool. So apparently I have a banshee. Hopefully I won't have to see it anytime soon. Though I wouldn't mind if it appeared to me as a stoat. Stoats are cute.