The Morrígan, Irish Goddess of war, sovereignty, death, and sexuality. Her name means “Phantom Queen”. She incites warriors to battle, carries the souls of the departed to the next life, safeguards justice, and empowers those she favors to pursue their destinies.
Strongly associated with prophecy, she often appears in the old stories to predict or facilitate the hero’s journey, and may be one of the inspirations for our modern image of the banshee, who mourns the dead before they have passed. Often she is depicted not as a singular Goddess but as a trio of sisters, though the names in the triad change depending on the story. They include Badb Catha, Macha, Nemain, Anand, Morrígan, and Fea.
It’s important to note that The Morrígan cannot be considered a “triple goddess” in the Maiden, Mother, Crone sense. Beyond the fact that this is a very modern concept, none of The Morrígan’s aspects is fixed in one guise or theme. Badb appears in some stories as a hag, and at other times as a beautiful woman. While Macha is associated with fertility and in one story dies in childbirth after racing horses, she is also a battle Goddess and psychopomp, rather than a standard mother figure. More than anything, The Morrígan should be seen as a shape shifter, capable of changing her form to that of a beautiful lady or a hideous old woman, as well as a wolf, crow/raven, cow, and eel.
The Morrigan -
is the Celtic goddess of war, sovereignty and fate. Her name can
either mean phantom queen or great queen, and she often foretells death and
doom in battle, appearing as a crow. She is also associated with the land and
livestock, and is one of the most important in the Celtic and Irish pantheon,
appearing as a triple deity such as Danu or Bridhid.
She is believed to be a manifestation of the earth-and sovereignty-goddess, representing the the role of the goddess as guardian of the territory and its people.
She appears in the
Ulster Cycle and the Mythological Cycle of Irish lore, and together with her
sisters, Badb and Macha, they make up the three Irish goddess figures of the Morrígna.
Titles -
Mórrígan (“great queen”), also known as Morrígu, Morríghan or Mór-ríoghain
Goddess of -
fate, especially with foretelling doom and death in battle. Life, death, prophecy, wisdom, protection, fear, sovereignty, rebirth, sorcery
Description -
The Morrígan is often described as a trio of individuals, all sisters, called ‘the three Morrígna’. Although membership of the triad varies, the most common combination in modern sources is Badb, Macha and Nemain. However the primary sources indicate a more likely triad of Badb, Macha and Anand
Sometimes she appears as one of three sisters, the daughters of Ernmas: Morrígan, Badb and Macha. Sometimes the trinity consists of Badb, Macha and Anand, collectively known as the Morrígna. However, the Morrígan can also appear alone and her name is sometimes used interchangeably with Badb
Badb: A war Goddess associated with battle, destruction, and death and often appeared over battle as a hooded crow, or ran alongside warriors disguised as a grey-red wolf. Badb was connected to rebirth as a watcher of the cauldron of regeneration in the Otherworld. She was also a Witch and a sorceress, and a Prophetess who foresaw the future. Macha: The root word “mag” translated means field, plain or pasture. This name connects and gives Macha power over the sacred land and horses, representing wealth, power and symbolizing the elite warriors. She was also connected to fertility by the land and horses, and cursed the male Red Branch warrior to suffer nine days of birth pangs when forced to run a race. As part of the trinity, she rained down fire and blood on her enemies. Nemain: Her name translates to panic, frenzy or venomous. Also a deity of battle, death and destruction, she appeared as a carrion crow. Neiman was a prophetess and her battle cries meant death would soon follow. By shrieking furiously, she intimidated, panicked and confused soldiers on the battle field into dying of fright or mistaking their own comrades for enemies. This aspect connects to the role of Banshee.
Notable Legends - In the Ulster Cycle, Táin Bó Regamna (The Cattle Raid of Regamain), which is a body of Irish mythology, Morrigan appears to the hero Cuchulainn (whom she has appeared to in different guises) and he finds her stealing one of his cows, yet he does not recognize her and becomes angry and insults her. Shape-shifting into a crow, he now recognizes her and acknowledges he would not have insulted her had he known, yet she prophesizes his death in battle which came to pass.
Morrigan also appears to Cuchulainn as a young woman (or hag, depending on the version) and offers him her love, and her aid in the battle, but he rejects her offer. In response she intervenes in his next combat, first in the form of an eel who trips him, then as a wolf who stampedes cattle across the ford, and finally as a white, red-eared heifer leading the stampede, just as she had warned in their previous encounter. (White and red animals were very symbolic of the otherworld and the sidhe)
In the Cath Maige Tuireadh, on Samhain Morrigan has an encounter with the Dagda (High King of the Tuatha De Dannan) before the battle against the Fomorians. When he meets her she is washing battle clothes while standing with one foot on either side of the river Unius and they mate. She then promises to summon the magicians of Ireland to cast spells on behalf of the Tuatha De Dannan and to destroy Indech, the Fomorian king.
Her role was to not only be a symbol of imminent death, but to also influence the outcome of war. Most often she did this by appearing as a crow flying overhead and would either inspire fear or courage in the hearts of the warriors. In some cases, she is written to have appeared in visions to those who are destined to die in battle by washing their bloody armor. In this specific role, she is also given the role of foretelling imminent death with a particular emphasis on the individual.[31] There are also a few rare accounts where she would join in the battle itself as a warrior and show her favouritism in a more direct manner.
The Morrigan was such a powerful symbol of life and birth that the Celts believed she could revive their dead soldiers to fight once more. The severed heads on the battlefield were called the “Mast of Macha” (harvest of Macha). The ground was considered sacred after the battle, as the soldiers would leave until the next day so Morrigan could gather the souls undisturbed. As a scavenger bird, she was an omen of war (both as a symbol and with prophecy) feeding on bodies and gathering souls and terrorized armies into dying of fear with her frightful and shrieking cries.
Although speculated, Morrigan may have been the daughter of Delbaeth and Ernmas whom in the earliest copies of the Lebor Gabala Erenn (The Book of Invasions) had three daughters, named Badb, Macha, and Anand. In the Book of Leinster, Anand is also known as Morrigu, while in the Book of Fermoy version, Macha is identified with Morrigan. In addition, Morrigan may had been one of Dagda’s wives and had sons.
Sacred Associations - Carrion eating animals, specifically crows. Fog, shapeshifting, bloodlust and battle, white and red cows, mugwort, yew, willow, rivers. Obsidian, bloodstone, apples, rebirth, swords, sorcery, bones and skulls.
