The Morrigan is a fascinating Irish goddess with a complex history.
She is often referred to as a Celtic goddess (or goddesses, as there is often a trio of dieties linked to the name) but some pagans are unhappy with that classifcation, seeing the Celtic umbrella as more academic than actual as it covers a broad scope of cultures that share some similarities in language, stories and customs: Ireland, Scotland, The Isle of Man, Wales, Cornwall, and Brittany. They propose that The Morrigan belongs to Irish lore where Her stories are a part of the primary myths and folklore, and have persisted even into more modern times.
The Morrigan's name roughly translates as 'Phantom Queen.' She is among the most important of the gods who form the Tuatha Dé Danann, a race of supernaturals from the Goddess Danú - "although older references to them as Tuatha Dé could translate as ‘tribe of the gods’" (Ref: Irishpagan.school) The Morrigan is most well-known as a goddess of battle, war and death, and also of fertility, magic and prophecy.
In looking into The Morrigan I came across conflicting opinions on whether her true representation should be as a singular goddess, or as a trio of goddess who together form an entity known as The Morrigan.
Certainly there is a lot of folklore involving the trio - Badh, Nemain and Macha - though the pagans who hold to older views on the war goddess dismiss this version of The Morrigan. They believe the 'trio-goddess' stems from modern Wicca beliefs and is not part of true Irish Pagan traditions. (Ref: Irishpagan.school)
Those three figures - Badh, Nemain and Macha - are goddesses in their own right.
Badh is a war goddess, and she is the one that brings us the familiar representation of The Morrigan as a crow. In fact, her name translates to 'hooded crow' or 'scaldcrow', though in medieval Ireland words for black carrion birds appeared to have been interchangeable and so at times badh could refer to a raven. "The word badb persists into Modern Irish as badhbh, and the old war goddess survives in folklore as the badhbh chaointe, literally ‘the badhbh of keening’, a supernatural figure similar to the banshee." (Ref: Royal Irish Academy website)
Nemain has proved trickier to translate, though it has come to represent frenzy and strife, namely battle-frenzy, murder. "Scholars have suggested roots such as ‘twisted’, ‘venemous’, ‘wrath’ or ‘frenzy’. " (Ref: Irishpagan.school) She is the chaos of the battlefield, and it is said in some lore that her battlecry could kill one hundred men.
Macha is named from the Old Irish term for an open plain which links her closely with the earth. Macha is the land's fierce protector, and often depicted as a mother goddess figure, though depiction of motherhood through her is often vengeful and tragic. There is a story of her being forced to run a race while nine months pregnant. She was living a life as a farmer's wife in Ulster, and made her husband promise not to speak of her to anyone. He did not keep his promise, boasting that his wife could run faster than any of the King's horses. The King demanded the man prove the claim. Macha was forced to run despite being heavily pregnant. She won but collapsed and gave birth to twins. She cursed the Ulster warriors to suffer labour pains in the midst of battle, for generations to come.
Regardless of her form, The Morrigan is not a goddess to be trifled with. She is a powerful sovereign, a fierce warrior, and even fiercer mother.
For The Diabolus Chronicles I have leaned into the 'trio goddess' folklore. Badh, Nemain and Macha become central to the strife that permeates the series. As The Morrigan they will cause every bit as much bloodshed and chaos as the goddess they have named themselves after.
But who are they exactly? Where does their power come from? And what do they intend to do with it?
If you have a taste for ancient folklore and viscious gods, read The Diabolus Chronicles.
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