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'Chilling Adventures of Sabrina' Part 3: What is a 'dread banshee' and why should the Spellman family be wary of it?

Showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa recently tweeted out a picture from the filming of part 3, teasing a new villain and the possible death of a beloved character

If we were to stick to last year's schedule, Part 3 of 'Chilling Adventures of Sabrina' could have been expected to drop by Halloween this year. However, showrunner, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa revealed in August of 2019 that this was unlikely as the shooting was still going on. But that has not stopped Aguirre-Sacasa from teasing what could be awaiting our favorite teenage witch and her family and friends when she returns. For one, we can expect a trip to "Hell" as Sabrina and her friends attempt to rescue Nick, who at the end of Part 2 sacrificed himself to be a vessel for the Dark Lord in order to save Greendale.

As September rolled in, Aguirre-Sacasa also shared an image from the filming of an episode in Part 3, revealing one if not, the major villain of the upcoming season. Captioning the picture, which features a woman dressed in a long black dress and wearing a black veil standing against the misty-background of a tree, Aguirre-Sacasa wrote: "The dread banshee has arrived, but which Spellman will die?"

But what is a "dread banshee" and will we really have to say goodbye to a Spellman when the new episodes are released on Netflix?

A banshee is a commonly-seen fare in fantasy shows. Appearing in shows like the original 'Charmed', 'Supernatural', and 'Teen Wolf', the myth of the banshee comes from Ireland. The banshee is a female spirit in Irish mythology who heralds the death of a family member, usually by wailing, shrieking, or keening (which is a vocal lament for the dead). This in itself, should be scary and unless Aguirre-Sacasa tweeted a typo and meant to tweet, "dreaded banshee", the dread banshee could mean something much more. 

What a dread banshee really is, is not very easy to find. Although, if you look at gaming mythology (think 'Skyrim'), you might get some clues about what this new villain might mean for the show. In gaming mythology, the dread banshee is much like the original banshee, only she is "the enraged spirit of a female creature who either betrayed those she loved or was herself betrayed". The dread banshee might take vengeance on those who wronged her, but she would also harm those who might be innocent. Unlike the original banshee, the dread banshee can take the form of their appearance during life or might just appear as a beautiful, ghostly creature.

Keeping this in mind, could we guess who the dread banshee might be in the upcoming episodes of 'Chilling Adventures of Sabrina'? The first suspect that comes to our minds, if of course, Amalia -- Nick Scratch's werewolf familiar. If you recall, Amalia was highly possessive of Nick and did not like Nick and Sabrina being together. Eventually, she is killed by Sabrina as Amalia attacks Nick (after it is discovered that Nick lied earlier about killing Amalia). Amalia could view this as a betrayal from Nick, but in Nick's absence (he is in hell, after all), she could be enacting her vengeance upon the other residents of Greendale.

The thing to note is that Aguirre-Sacasa also tweeted that a Spellman could die, perhaps as a result of the dread banshee. This could be a clue pointing to someone else as the dread banshee: Lady Blackwood who died previously during childbirth. Could Lord Blackwood quickly moving onto Zelda Spellman after the death of his wife count as a betrayal? And if so, could Zelda Spellman be the character facing demise soon? Adding fuel to this fire, Cameron Andres was hired to play young Lord Blackwood in the seventh episode of Part 3. Maybe we get to see more about how Lord and Lady Blackwood met, and why this could mean Zelda's romance with Faustus would count as a betrayal.

We can safely assume that Sabrina Spellman is of course, safe. That leaves aunts Hilda and Zelda, as well as cousin Ambrose. Either of those characters' deaths could adversely affect Sabrina. Her aunts are who brought her up and she turns to them for guidance (when she isn't under the influence of Madam Satan). Ambrose is a favorite character of the audience, he is also a dear relative to Sabrina. We do have to wait a few months before our questions are answered. Let's hope Aguirre-Sacasa gives us more teasers for the upcoming season.