Hidden Japanese and Celtic Folklore in the Banshees of Inisherin & Those Strange Masks...
Channel: Celtic History Decoded
Date: 2023-02-07

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Hidden Japanese and Celtic Folklore in the Banshees of Inisherin & Explaining Those Strange Masks

I just watched the Banshees of Inisherin for a second time, and there is so much more to unpack in relation to Celtic and even Japanese mythology. One curious aspect of the Banshees that has sparked debate is the masks that are in Colm’s house and feature in the back of the frame in numerous shots. What do these masks signify? I will try and show some of these shots in this video.

Many comments on the other video I made on the Banshees discuss these masks. A recent comment from jskd2953 made a fascinating connection: “Watching the film again, I noticed in Colm's house a number of items (possibly folklore/myth related) from other countries, including a Japanese mask of an "Oni baba". Based on the Japanese folklore of the demon woman who causes death and misery to befall a specific person or family, essentially like a banshee.”

Oni baba refers to a whole world of Japanese folklore and legends. An oni (鬼(おに)) is a kind of demon, orc or troll in Japanese folklore, mostly known for their fierce and evil nature manifested in their propensity for murder and cannibalism. A Kijo is a younger version of an onibaba, who has been turned bad by karma and resentment. The Japanese also have a word Yōsei, which is generally considered to be synonymous with fairy, with fairies heavily connected with Irish and Celtic mythology. 

There is also a 1964 Japanese horror film called Onibaba, which may serve as an artistic inspiration for the Banshees in part. I haven’t’ seen it but I might give it a watch. From the trailer, it definitely seems to have a similar dark, eery tone as the Banshees, and there are certainly elements of horror in the Banshees later in the film. The masks in the Onibaba film seem similar to some in Colm’s house as well. 

From the perspective of Celtic mythology, masks could potentially also be a reference to the Gaelic festival of Samhain, similar to Halloween. At Samhain, the barriers between the human realm and the Celtic otherworld are said to be lowered. Traditionally, people would often wear scary masks and dress up to scare off creatures from the otherworld, such as fairies, trying to kidnap them.  

Samantha Stone also made an interesting comment on the masks:

Sources:

Kijo (folklore) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kijo_(folklore) 

Oni https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oni 

Yōsei https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y%C5%8Dsei 

Banshee https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banshee 

Onibaba https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058430/ 

#banshees #bansheesofinisherin #history 

Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:08 The Masks in Colm's House and Japanese Folklore 
2:07 Celtic Samhain and the Masks
4:12 The Banshee (Mrs McCormick) 
4:54 The Banshee and the Sister (Siobhán) 
7:14 Support this Channel
7:30 More Japanese Folklore