Myth
of the Mórrígan
Information about the Celtic War Goddess
for whom this site is named after.
[Introduction
of the Mórrígan] [Nemain, the maiden]
[Macha, the mother] [Badb, the crone]
[The legend of Cu Chulainn]
There are many different
variations to the myths surrounding this deity.
We know for certain
that she is part of the Tuatha Dé Danann, or the race of gods that
inhabited Ireland. The Tuatha Dé Danann means the "people
of the goddess Danu," because this race of gods traveled from islands of
the west on a cloud to Ireland. We also know for certain that this
is the goddess of war, death, destruction, and battle in Pan-Celtic mythology.
Some call the Mórrígan
a single goddess, and others a triple goddess sometimes called the Mórrígu.
In her triple goddess myths, she is sometimes Mórrígan, Macha,
and Badb, with Nemain being an alternative name for Macha. In others,
the Mórrígan are Macha, Badb, and Nemain.
Her names sometimes
is said to mean "great queen" and in others, "phantom queen." Her
name can also be spelled without accents as Morrigan. With accents,
it is pronounced differently. In many parts of the world, Ireland
including, it's pronounced as "Mor-rig-ahn" and in Ireland and Britain
it's pronounced "More Ree-an."
Some say that Mórrígan
was an evil goddess, but others believed that she was neither a negative
or positive deity, doing what was nessary.
Her many forms included
the maiden, the mother, the crone, the crow, the raven, a wolf, three shrieking
hags, and Washer at the Ford.
Nemain
Nemain, meaning frenzy,
was the maiden aspect of the triple goddess form of the Mórrígan.
There is very little we know about her.
Macha
She left a long-abiding curse
On the chiefs of the Red Brach...
-The Dinnshenchas, "The Story
of Macha"
The red haired mother of
the triple goddess of battle. She is the third of the Mórrígan
that controls their shape-shifting abilities, her name meaning "crow."
When Macha was pregnant
with twins, she was made to race a horse, and as soon as she completely
the course, she gave birth to her babies and then died, but she was reborn
several times. After each of her rebirths she again married
one of her three husbands.
Badb
Peace mounts to the heavens,
The heavens descend to earth,
Earth lies under the heavens,
Everyone is strong...
-Badb's victory song from The Book
of Fermoy
Badb, also called
Badhbh and Badb Catha, is the crone of the Mórrígan in the
triple goddess. Of the three, she is called "The Fury," because she
appeared over the the "fury" of battles, usually in the form of a crow,
on of the many animals the Mórrígan took form of.
She played an important
part on battlefields, either taking part in the battles, or influencing
the soldiers involved to affect outcomes. Perhaps this is why the
battlefield was called the "land of Badb."
Many times she was
also called "one who boils," for she was often portrayed as the hag who
stirred the cauldron of rebirth and death. This is one of the many
myths that were doing what is nessary, because death and destruction is
nessary.
The legend
of Cu Chulainn
When Macha died after the
birth of her twins, she cursed the men of Ulster to have pain similar to
that of the pain of childbirth when they were threatened by danger, so
as to render them unable to fight back. The only man who escaped
this fate ws Cu Chulainn.
The Mórrígan
declared her love to the warrior Cu Chulainn, however, to Cu Chulainn's
disadvantage, he did not recognize the maiden that appeared to him, telling
him about her love for him, as Mórrígan. She appeared
to him in three (or four depending on the myth you read) other forms, which
he also failed to recognize, bringing about his death.
Then she appeared to
him as a hag, in the form of Badb after he had wounded her. When
he gave her his blessing she was healed.
Then, in the form of
Macha, she was Washer at the Ford. Again, he failed to recognize
her. The myth goes that Washer at the Ford would was the clothing
and armor of soldiers who were going to die in battle, thus choosing those
who would die. When Cu Chulainn failed to recognize Washer, he also
failed to see that she was washing his armor.
Some myths do not include
this part, but some say that he did not recognize her in her triple form
as three hags who tempted him into breaking the taboo of eating canine
flesh.
And finally, at his
last battle, he did not know that she was the crow on his shoulder, waiting
with his before he would die in that final battle.
This information was taken from Encyclopedia
Mythica, Celtic Myth and Magick by Edain McCoy, and Wicca A to
Z by Gerina Dunwich. Other information is from varied sources.