The MorrĂgan - Masterpost
The MorrĂgan (Irish: MĂłr-RĂoghain) is an Irish goddess of death, war and prophecy.
In the myths, she would often appear to foretell the outcome of a battle or to foretell a doom. When appearing to someone, she would usually take another form which brings us to her next special ability, and that is shape-shifting.
She was a great shape-shifter. Her most famous shape is the one of a raven. Besides the raven, she would also appear as a beautiful maiden, an old hag, a wolf, an eel and a heifer.
The MorrĂgan is described as a very powerful and sometimes erotic character. That is why a lot of people see her as a goddess of sovereignty, feminine energy and sexuality too.
A single deity or a trinity?
There is a discussion about whether The MorrĂgan is a single deity or a trinity consisting of a three different but closely related goddesses - Badb, Macha and Nemain.
In the myths, there is a great inconsistency when it comes to her names. It is stated that The MorrĂgan is a daughter of Ernmas, but Badb and Macha are also described as his daughters. So, it is possible that The MorrĂgan is a single deity, who then has two sisters.
However, there is also a theory where the three sisters, Badb, Macha and Anand, are collectively named as "The MorrĂgna", which would then make The MorrĂgan a trinity.
In Lebor GabĂĄla Ărenn it is stated: "Badb and Macha and Anand, of whom are the Paps of Anu in Luachar were the three daughters of Ernmas the she-farmer." (...) "Ernmas had other three daughters, Badb and Macha and Morrigu, whose name was Anand. Her three sons were Glon and Gaim and Coscar." (...) "Badb and Macha, greatness of wealth, Morrigu - springs of craftiness, sources of bitter fighting were the three daughters of Ernmas."
When it comes to me and my opinion:
I have always seen The MorrĂgan as a single deity, and not a trinity. Then, Badb, Macha and Nemain (or Morrigu or Anand) could be single, separated deities too, or they are just The Morrigan's different shapes, since she is a great shape-shifter, so they are actually different persons but in their core all of them are actually one person, The MorrĂgan - that (second) theory seems most logical to me.
I am talking highly theoretically here and theory is not always so important, especially not in Paganism. What matters are our experiences with the deities and our gut feeling, so I would say that you should go for a theory that seems more logical to you and that gives you a better "frame" for your spirituality.
These are the offerings that I find suitable for The MorrĂgan:
Pictures or symbols of animals that The MorrĂgan shape-shifted to
All red fruit and their juices
Sharp Items (swords, blades, knives...)
Black, purple or red candles
The Second Battle of Mag Tuired:
"Then she said to him, 'Undertake a battle of overthrowing.' The Morrigan said to Lug, 'Awake...'"
The Dagda had a house in Glen Edin in the north, and he had arranged to meet a woman in Glen Edin a year from that day, near the All Hallows of the battle. The Unshin of Connacht roars to the south of it. He saw the woman at the Unshin in Corann, washing, with one of her feet at Allod Echae (that is, Aghanagh) south of the water and the other at Lisconny north of the water. There were nine loosened tresses on her head. The Dagda spoke with her, and they united. "The Bed of the Couple" was the name of that place from that time on. (The woman mentioned here is the Morrigan). Then she told the Dagda that the Fomoire would land at Mag Ceidne, and that he should summon the aes dana of Ireland to meet her at the Ford of the Unshin, and she would go into Scetne to destroy Indech mac De Domnann, the king of the Fomoire, and would take from him the blood of his heart and the kidneys of his valor. Later she gave two handfuls of that blood to the hosts that were waiting at the Ford of the Unshin. Its name became "The Ford of Destruction" because of that destruction of the king."
"'And you, Morrigan,' said Lug, 'what power?' 'Not hard to say,' she said. 'I have stood fast; I shall pursue what was watched; I will be able to kill; I will be able to destroy those who might be subdued.'"
"Then the Morrigan the daughter of Ernmas came, and she was strengthening the Tuatha De to fight the battle resolutely and fiercely. She then chanted the following poem: 'Kings arise to the battle!' Immediately afterwards the battle broke, and the Fomoire were driven to the sea."
"Then after the battle was won and the slaughter had been cleaned away, the Morrigan, 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 sidâhosts, 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,
Peace up to heaven.'
She also prophesied the end of the world, foretelling every evil that would occur then, and every disease and every vengeance; and she chanted the following poem:
'I shall not see a world
Which will be dear to me:
Summer without blossoms,
Cattle will be without milk,
Women without modesty,
Men without valor.
Conquests without a king...
Woods without mast.
Sea without produce...
False judgements of old men.
False precedents of lawyers,
Every man a betrayer.
Every son a reaver.
The son will go to the bed of his father,
The father will go to the bed of his son.
Each his brother's brotherâinâlaw.
He will not seek any woman outside his house...
An evil time,
Son will deceive his father,
Daughter will deceive...'"
"It is the same day that the Morrigan, daughter of Ernmas, came from the Sid, so that she was on the pillar in Temair Cuailnge, taking a warning to the Dun of Cualnge before the men of Ireland, and she began to speak to him, and 'Good, O wretched one, O Dun of Cualnge,' said the Morrigan, 'keep watch, for the men of Ireland have reached thee, and they will take thee to their camp unless thou keepest watch'; and she began to take a warning to him thus, and uttered her words on high."
"Cuchulainn saw a young woman coming towards him, with a dress of every colour on, and her form very excellent."
"'I will be a help to you. ⊠I shall be more troublesome to you,' said she, 'when I come against you when you are in combat against the men. I will come in the form of an eel about your feet in the ford, so that you shall fall."
"I will drive the cattle on the ford to you, in the form of a grey she-wolf."
"I will come to you in the form of a hornless red heifer before the cattle. They will rush on you on the plains(?), and on the fords, and on the pools, and you will not see me before you."
"When Cuchulainn was in this great weariness, the Morrigan met him in the form of an old hag, and she blind and lame, milking a cow with three teats, and he asked her for a drink. She gave him milk from a teat. Then her head was healed so that it was whole. She gave the milk of the second teat, and her eye was whole; and gave the milk of the third teat, and her leg was whole. So that this was what he said about each thing of them, 'A doom of blessing on you,' said he. 'You told me,' said the Morrigan, 'I should not have healing from you for ever.' 'If I had known it was you,' said Cuchulainn, 'I would not have healed you ever.'"
https://mythopedia.com/celtic-mythology/gods/morrigan/
http://www.yorku.ca/inpar/tain_faraday.pdf
http://public-library.uk/ebooks/59/98.pdf
https://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=8884.0;p=0
Artwork: YaxeMoon (https://www.deviantart.com/yaxemoon/art/The-Morrigan-Celtic-Goddess-796517106)
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