The Morrigan (Morrígna) are a trio of war goddesses of Irish folklore consisting of sisters Macha, Badb and the Morrígan or Anand. Continuing to delve into the world of Irish mythology for influential feminine figures, we look at the complex Goddess of Death.
“What I shall follow, I shall hunt”
The Morrígan
The Morrígan (also spelled as Morrigu/Morgane/Morrighan, pronounced more-reean) are malignant beings, delighting in battle and slaughter. The tripartite goddess—meaning she is both three goddesses and one at the same time – is usually represented by three sisters named Bodhbh, Macha and Anand (varies to Dannan/Danu/Anu or Nemain in some stories) who together are called The Morrígan.
The Morrígan is the Great Phantom Queen of Ireland, the goddess of war and fate. She has the devious ability to shapeshift and transform into a multitude of different animals, including birds and fish, and also has the ability to transform from a beautiful young girl into a hag. Her favourite form is that of a crow, acknowledged as an omen of death when it appears before or during battles.
The Morrígan has also been described as the envious wife of The Dagda. She is associated with the banshee of later folklore. In a few stories, the Morrígan is also characterised as the birth mother of Brigid, the goddess of healing, fertility and spring.
The Morrígan’s home in Ireland is Rath-Cruachan in Roscommon. Rath-Cruachan is thought be a kind of entrance to the otherworld and is sometimes known as ‘Hell’s Gate’.
The story of Cúchulainn
The Legend of Cú Chulainn was probably the greatest one of Irish mythology. Before becoming a legend, Cú Chulainn was known as Setanta, a name given to him by his mother Dechtire at birth. She was the sister of Conchobar, king of Ulster. Setanta grew up to possess superhuman strength, as well as great courage and skill with weapons.
In the epic poem Táin Bó Cúailnge, an invasion is launched by Queen Maeve of Connaught to capture the Ulster stud bull, Donn Cuailnge. After Queen Medb casts a curse over Ulster so all the battle-aged men are unable to fight and defend their land without experiencing immense pain, the only one left to fight is seventeen-year old Cú Chulainn. The Morrígan makes the following ominous prophecy on the eve of battle:
The raven ravenous Among corpses of men Affliction and outcry And war everlasting Raging over Cúailgne Death of sons Death of kinsmen Death! Death!
Cú Chulainn defends Ulster heroically and, in between battles, The Morrígan offers him love and aid in battle, which he rejects. Feeling slighted, she retaliates by appearing as an eel that trips him, but he breaks her ribs. Then she appears as a wolf that creates a stampede of cattle, but he pokes the wolf’s eye out. When the Morrígan becomes the red heifer leading the stampede, Cú Chulainn breaks her leg. Later she appears to Cúchulainn as an old milk cow with the wounds inflicted by Cú Chulainn. When Cú Chulainn asks for a drink, she allows him to suckle from three teats, and with each drink he blesses her and with each blessing a wound is healed.
The Morrígan’s prophecy at last came true: Cú Chulainn was mortally wounded in battle with Queen Medb’s forces. He vowed to die standing up and used his exposed entrails to lash himself to a stone in the hopes he might trick his enemies into thinking he was still alive. The tactic worked, and the opposing forces relented. It was only when a single raven, the Morrígan, landed upon Cú Chulainn’s shoulder that his foes realized the truth.
Badb
The Morrígan is also a sort of faery phantom that is associated with war, who appeared as three malignant looking witch-hags with blue beards that came out before the battle of Magh Leana shrieking and calling out for victory for Conn the Hundred fighter.
The Badb (or Badhbh in Modern Irish, pronounced Baub or Bauv) — also meaning “crow”— is a war goddess who takes the form of a fennóg i.e. a scallscrow, royston or carrion crow, and is thus sometimes known as Badb Catha (“battle crow”). She is known to cause fear and confusion among soldiers to move the tide of battle to her favoured side. Badb may also appear prior to a battle to foreshadow the extent of the carnage to come, or to predict the death of a notable person. She would sometimes do this through wailing cries, leading to comparisons with the bean-sídhe (banshee).
Badb is one of the three ‘Morrígan’ sisters who appeared before the battle of Moyrath in 637AD. Badb is seen as grey haired, lean and nimble, hovering and hopping about on the points of the spears and shields of the army who were to be victorious. She has also been described as:
“A big mouthed, swarthy, swift, sooty woman, lame and squinting with her left eye.’’
In Cormac’s glossary, Badb is a malignant couple by the name of Neit and his wife to be, Nemon. They are described as being gods in the battle with pagans, and as being a “malignant, bad and venomous couple”.
An active participant in warfare, the battlefield was sometimes referred to as “the garden of the Badb”. She would often take the form of a screaming raven or crow, striking fear into those who heard her, and could also be heard as a voice among the corpses on a battlefield.
Macha
O’Mulconry’s Glossary, a thirteenth-century compilation of glosses from medieval manuscripts preserved in the Yellow Book of Lecan, describes Macha as “one of the three morrígna” and says the term Mesrad Machae, “the mast of Macha”, refers to “the heads of men that have been slaughtered”.
This ancient goddess of Irish mythology appears in many forms and is associated with war, sovereignty and horses. The city of Armagh takes its name from Macha. Armagh is an anglicized version of the Irish Ard Macha, which means ‘the heights of Macha’.
Macha is also particularly linked to Navan Fort, the ancient capital and seat of the high kings of Ulster. Its Irish name is Eamhain Mhacha (meaning ‘twins of Macha’) refers to the story where Macha, wife of Cruinniuc, an Ulster farmer, was forced to race against the King of Ulster’s horses while heavily pregnant due to her husbands boasting. She wins the race and gives birth to twins. She then curses the men of Ulster for nine generations to come, saying they will be cursed with a great weakness at their time of need.
This tale, The Debility of the Ulstermen, also indicates why Cú Chulainn was the only soldier able to defend Ulster when Queen Medb came to wage war.
The Triple Goddess
The Morrígan is often considered a triple goddess, but this triple nature is ambiguous and inconsistent. These triple appearances are partially due to the Celtic significance of threeness. Sometimes she appears as one of three sisters, the daughters of Ernmas of the Tuatha Dé Danann: 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.
The Morrígan is mainly associated with war and fate, and is often interpreted as a “war goddess”. She is said to derive pleasure from mustered hosts. Her role often involves premonitions of a particular warrior’s violent death, suggesting a link with the banshee of later folklore. Her role was to not only be a symbol of imminent death, but to also influence the outcome of war. In this specific role, she is also given the role of foretelling imminent death with a particular emphasis on the individual. 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.
Several locations in Ireland are linked to the Morrígan by name. Some examples include Fulacht na Mór Ríoghna (Cooking Pit of the Morrígan ) in County Tipperary, and two hills in County Meath known as Da Cích na Morrigna (Two Breasts of the Morrígan).
With references from www.mythopedia.com and The Irish Store blog.
