Baobhan Sith by Marjabella La Fey

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

 

A baobhan sith (pronounced baa'-van shee) is a type of female vampire in Scottish mythology, similar to the Irish banshee or leanan sídhe. Also known as "the White Women of the Scottish Highlands," they are beautiful seductresses who prey on young travelers by night

 

Description and attributes

A baobhan sith has the form of a beautiful woman in a green dress. Once a year she arises from her grave to feed on young men by night in forests or other natural places away from society. They operate in groups, together seducing victims with their beauty, inviting the men to dance with them and eventually drinking their blood.

Much like other vampires, the baobhan sith use seduction to gain their victims and cannot tolerate daylight. But rather than using fangs to draw blood, it seems they use sharp fingernails.

According to one version of the legend, they have deer hooves for feet, which they keep hidden under the dress. Another variation says that a way to stop them from waking is to build a cairn over their grave.

There is a certain legend in regards to the baobhan sith, where a group of young travelers stopped for the night in a small glade in the Scottish Highlands. They built a fire and began to wish for the company of beautiful women. Four stunning women appeared, and began to dance with the men. The dance, which started out for enjoyment, became harsh, and the women tore at the men and drew blood. One of the men ran from their shelter and hid between two horses. The strange women circled the horses, but could not seem to cross to him. When dawn came, they disappeared. He found his companions dead and drained of blood. It is thought that the Baobhan Sith could not cross to him because of the iron in the shoes of the horses.

At the 2005 West Coast Salsa Congress in Los Angeles, USA, a team from Singapore called Salsa Fanatico performed a hybrid Scottish-Salsa dance called Bao Bhan Sith to a standing ovation. It closely followed the legend.

 

Literature

The baobhan sith have appeared on a number of occasions in author Mark Chadbourn's fantasy trilogies The Age of Misrule, The Dark Age, "Hellsing: TV Series - Episode 9: "Red Rose Vertigo" and Kingdom of the Serpent. The baobhan sith is also mentioned in Michael Scott's "The Magician: The Secrets of The Immortal Nicholas Flamel."