The Morrigan: Battle Goddess Facts? The Morrigan: Battle Goddess Story?
The Morrigan is often classified as a “Battle Goddess,” and is often depicted as a Great Warrior. Yes, that may be true. But in my research and experience, she’s an even greater communicator.
In this time of misinformation, a Goddess of communication couldn’t be more important.
Myths may not be “true,” in the sense that they don’t contain a full set of historical facts. But myths contain truth. And in unpacking a myth’s truth, we can unpack guidance for ourselves in uncertain times. After all, that’s always been a role of myth!
The Morrigan Speaks Of Hope
At the end of the great battle in the Cath Maige Tuired, in which the Tuatha de Danann (The Morrigan’s people) defeated their oppressors, the Fomorians, it was the Morrigan they looked to in the aftermath.
One of the beautiful mysteries of this passage is that it’s unclear whether the Morrigan is delivering a prophecy (by seeing into the future), or creating the future by speaking it into being.
Then after the battle was won and the slaughter had been cleaned away, the Morrígan, the daughter of Ernmas, proceeded to announce the battle and the great victory which had occurred there to the royal heights of Ireland and to its síd-hosts, to its chief waters and to its rivermouths. And that is the reason Badb still relates great deeds. ‘Have you any news?’ everyone asked her then. ‘Peace up to heaven. Heaven down to earth. Earth beneath heaven, Strength in each, A cup very full, Full of honey; Mead in abundance. Summer in winter…(Cath Maige Tuired, translated by Elizabeth Gray.)
What this passage might inspire for a modern practitioner:
- Speaking things into being: If the Morrigan models speaking a world into being, what worlds can we speak into being with our own thoughts and words?
- What if there is no limit to justice? How might the victory of one be a victory for all?
- The Morrigan describes: Peace up to heaven. Heaven down to earth. Earth beneath heaven, Strength in each, A cup very full, Full of honey; Mead in abundance. Summer in winter… What does peace and abundance look like to you?
But then, The Morrigan relays a warning:
(the following is not the full text of the prophecy.)
“Something seen is a world that shall not be pleasing: summer deprived of flowers, cows deprived of milk; women deprived of modesty, men deprived of valour. Conquests without a king, pointed, bearded, mouths of many-oaths, sorrow, a lord without judgements (trees without acors). Sea without profid. Multitude of storms, excessively tonsured, forts, barren of structures, hollow, a stronghold coming from istakes a devasted time, many homeless, an excess of lords, joy in evil, a cry against traditions, bearded faces. Equipement decaying, nuemrous exploits, finding battles, silent towards a suprred horse, numerous assemblies, trachery of lord’s sons, covered in sorrow, crooked judgement of old men. False precedents of judges, a betrayer every man. A reaver every son…(Translation: Morgan Daimler, as printed in The Mórrígan: Ireland’s Goddess by Rev. Lora O’Brien)
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