The Morrigan: Celtic Goddess :triskele:

The Morrigan: Celtic Goddess

The Morrigan is a Celtic :triskele: Triple Goddess, The Goddess of Magick & Might, The Goddess of War & Battle, Queen of the Otherworld, Phantom Queen, Dark Goddess, The Great Queen, Faerie Queen & others that refer to Her and/or her sister(s). She rules birth, rebirth, death, transformation, change, balance, the light & the dark, shadow work, circle of life, fertility, protection, sovereignty, witches, Magick, and more.

The Morrigan is the term given to Goddess Morrigan, one of the triple Goddesses in Celtic mythology. She is also a singular goddess. She represents the circle of life and is associated with both birth and death. Her name translates to “great queen” or “phantom queen”. She was a shape-shifter and looked over the rivers, freshwater, and lakes. She is also described as being the patroness of revenge, magic, priestesses, night, prophecy, and witches.

To truly gain a more insightful understanding of who Morrigan is, it is important to understand the Celtic culture of that era. The Celts idolized warfare, and women were warriors up until 697 CE, often fighting in battle or helping the wounded. Protecting their families and their land (viewed as female :female_sign:) was a dominant aspect of the Celts’ pride and was reflected in the Morrigan.

She is often a triple goddess but this varies by source. In Celtic :triskele: mythology, the number three has incredible significance. At times, Morrigan is featured as one of three sisters while other times she is a singular figure.

The Celtic Goddess is mysterious and dangerous and chooses who she aids carefully, and accountability is expected. With shapeshifting and prophetic abilities, The Morrigan is a modern beloved goddess of magic and witchcraft. And just like any powerful seeress, she has a mischievous nature.

Badb

Badb is associated with the crow and was said to take its form. Her Goddess aspect would be the Crone. Badb would be seen on the battlefield before the war as a harbinger of the fate to come and would take an active part in the battle, striking fear into the hearts of her enemies. She would create confusion amongst the soldiers and feed off the resulting chaos. The battlefield was referred to as the ‘Garden of Badb’, and her arrival could mean ruin for whole armies, or for one specific person.

Badb would scream and wail to terrify her enemies, in a similar way to the Beansidhe or Banshee, and was known to appear as a ‘washer at the ford’, washing the armor of those who would fall in battle.

Badb by herself is the Goddess of war, chaos, & death. One of the most telling links between the Morrigan and the banshee is the way the fairy is depicted in nearby Scotland.

As an omen of death and bloodshed, the Morrigan may have served as the inspiration for one of the most iconic creatures of later Irish folklore. From the Old Irish ben sidhe, the word banshee can be translated as “woman of the fairy mound.” These mounds, the sidhe, were said to be where the Tuatha DĂ© Dannan made their homes after the arrival of the Gaelic kings.

The mythologies and folklore of Scotland and Ireland are closely related, so the Scots have their own version of the banshee. There she is sometimes known as the bean nighe or bean nigheachain.

The bean nigheachain of Scotland appears as a washerwoman scrubbing the clothes and armor of those who are about to die in battle. This is the same form the Morrigan :raven: takes in one of her most well-known Irish myths as sister Badb.

NĂ©main

After the defeat of Macha, alongside the Morrigan and Badb sisters, NĂ©main appears. She, with the sound of her voice, led the soldiers into battle. But not only that, but her songs also accompanied the fallen towards the kingdom of the dead. Often, NĂ©main and Badb were seen as the same deity. In general, these charming Irish goddesses, thanks to their similar characteristics, have often been confused with each other; this made it difficult to be able to delineate their distinct and mysterious figures.

Macha

Macha is another aspect of the Triple Goddess the Morrigan. She is the other sister that is the goddess of fertility, motherhood, strength, vengefulness, feminine power, success, protection, & death.

Shortly after Cruinniuc’s wife died, she simply showed up at his house and started taking care of the family and the household. Not long after, Macha got pregnant. She promptly warns her new husband not to tell anyone about her real identity if he wants her to stay and raise a normal family with him. As luck would have it, though, Cruinniuc ran his mouth during a chariot race and boasted that his wife could run faster than all of the king’s horses combined. Upon hearing this, the king summoned Macha and forced her to compete with the royal horses, even though she was very much pregnant at the time. She pleaded to the king to postpone the bizarre race until after she’d given birth, but the man wouldn’t budge. Despite her situation, Macha ended up winning the race but suffered great pain because of it. As soon as she reached the finish line, she wailed in pain while giving birth to twins: a boy named ‘True’ and a girl named ‘Modest.’

Humiliated and hurt, Macha cursed the men of Ulster nine times nine generations thereafter to suffer the pain of childbirth in their time of worst peril. In effect, none of the Ulstermen, aside from the demigod Cuchulainn were able to resist the invasion of Ulster.

The story shows that the goddess Macha can be vengeful when disrespected, and how unworthy kings inevitably face short, disastrous reigns.

Symbols for Macha include the color red :red_circle: , horse :horse: , crow/raven :raven:, acorns

Morrigan

It is difficult to find the exact origin of Morrigan in existing texts. Some say that she was the wife of Dadga. Many say that she was part of the Tuatha de Danann or the tribe of the Goddess Danu. The tribe was a mythical race living in Ireland and were descendants of the goddess Danu. Dagda, was a powerful leader. Morrigan often helped to protect the people from invading armies by blowing a layer of fog :fog: over the land and decreasing visibility.

Samhain

Morrigan met Dagda, the King of the Tuatha de Dananna, at Samhain. The Dagda had a home in the north and he was told to meet a woman there before the battle. He found the woman washing herself in the river Unis of Connacht, which flowed just to the south of his home. She had nine loosened tresses on her head and captivated the king instantly. The Dagda spoke with her and they slept together. Morrigan then told Dagda that he should summon Erin’s men to meet her and that the Fomorians would land at Mag Scetne. She aided the Tuatha de Danann in their battle and once they had won, she proclaimed the victory to the royal heights of Ireland.

Correspondences

  • Colors: Black :black_heart: , Red :heart:, Purple :purple_heart:
  • Animals: Ravens/Crows :raven:, Horses :horse: , Serpents :snake: , Dragons :dragon:
  • Foods: Red Meat/ Red Juices/Red Wine/Mead/Apples :apple: /Pomegranate/Milk :milk_glass:
  • Herbs/Plants: Mugwort, Yew, Rowan, Clove, Sage :herb:
  • Incense: Dragon’s Blood, Sage
  • Sabbat: Samhain
  • Zodiac: Scorpio :scorpius:
  • Moon Phase: Dark Moon :new_moon:
  • Symbols/Items: Sword, Knife/Athame/Boline, Triskele :triskele:, Triquetra :triquetra:, Triple Goddess (not triple moon, not Maiden, Mother, Crone), Storm Water, Number 3, crow feathers :raven:
  • Crystals/Stones: Bloodstone, Jet, Clear Quartz, Obsidian

How do you know that Morrigan is calling you?

  • If you feel the need to win your fights
  • If you feel strong and empowered right after having evoked her
  • If you dream of a crow or see crows, especially in 3s
  • If you see the number three showing up over and over again

How do you honor Morrigan?

  • Create an altar for her
  • Use a crow image to honor her
  • Try to win your fights
  • Try to defeat your inner demons and be successful (shadow-work)
  • Cast protection spells
  • Place a statue of Morrigan on your altar

→ Spells8/Infinite Roots

Lessons: Goddess Morrigan
Prayer to the Morrigan at Sunset
Witch, Hekate, & Morrigan
 Oh My! (Oil Recipes)
Bean SĂ­ :scream: A Herald of Death

→ External Web Links

The Morrigan Playlist - Lora O’Brien: Ogham Academy

→ Meditation (Guided)

Morrigan Meditation: Awakening the Warrior Spirit
Meeting Macha by: @SilverBear
The Morrigan - Transformation Meditation by: @SilverBear
Meditation with the Morrigan: Reclaim Divine Power, Raise Vibration

→ Books (Further Reading)

Pagan Portals: The Morrigan Meeting the Great Queen by Morgan Daimler
Pagan Portals: Raven Goddess: Going Deeper with the Morrigan by Morgan Daimler
The Morrigan: Goddess of Magick & Might by Courtney Weber
Celtic Lore & Spellcraft of the Dark Goddess: Invoking the Morrigan by Stephanie Woodfield
The Book of the Great Queen by Morpheus Ravena

23 Likes

Wow. This was great! Thank you for sharing this information!

12 Likes

You’re welcome! She’s been hanging around me for over a month. I finally decided to honor her on my altar. It feels good to know more about what I’m going into though.

12 Likes

You did a great job!

12 Likes

Beautiful information!! Thank you! I’ve always wanted to learn more about Her but now I have. You did a great job :relaxed:

13 Likes

Great information. Thank you for your hard work!

I can add a guided meditation for Macha
You can tell this is an older video as it has my ‘old’ intro and outros. I like the new ones much better! LOL
:laughing:

12 Likes

Me too lol the music reminds me of an Irish song that I used to step dance with.

12 Likes

Oh yes please do @SilverBear! The meditation I added is nothing like yours! Thank you! :blush:

I worked on this for a bit yesterday before I posted it. I wanted to make sure I put what I knew & could support in the post.

Thank you for taking the time to learn about the Morrigan :heart:

11 Likes

I know you’ve been learning more about the Morrigan lately, @Susurrus- what a delight to see the result of all your hard work and dedication! :raised_hands: This is a beautiful piece about Her and a really valuable resource for anyone hoping to begin working with this deity. Great work and thank you so much for sharing! :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

10 Likes

Found this vid this weekend and thought you might like it!

[link redacted - video is no longer available]

11 Likes

Thank you @Amethyst! I will definitely watch the whole thing once I drop off Peanut at school.

@BryWisteria thank you, I wanted to make it something that had information about her & resources for anyone that wants to look into her. I know a few people mentioned wanting to learn more about her.

8 Likes

Oh goodness! Such a timely and useful post for me, thank you!

Morrigan entered my life a few months ago but didn’t know who it was initially. Seeing this little gem was a flash of light and I knew it was Morrigan.

My desk altar -

14 Likes

Oh, that is quite the gem! Great find!

I hope the information helps you too! :two_hearts: She has been hanging around me for a little over a month now. I have learned so much & I’m always looking to learn more about Her it seems.

10 Likes

Thank you for this information. I think I have found my Deity, or she found me. My favorite colors are red and black. My wedding was even red and black. I have always loved crows and when I see one I stop whatever I’m doing and just watch them. This has been happening since my childhood. There are usually 3. I have been researching all week because of the weekly challenge this week and I think I have found what I have been searching for my whole life.

9 Likes

You are very welcome! She found me around September after my mother passed. I read & read & researched some more. I would start with the books through Pagan Portals by Morgan Daimler. Courtney Weber is another good author & Stephanie Woodfield is a priestess of the Morrigan.

The Ulster Cycle & Tuatha de Danaan are good places to find out more also.

9 Likes

I’ve been fascinated with crows and ravens all my life as well. I am always their defender when one of my friends talks about how much they scare them or they dislike them. I go on and on about their intelligence. Not a day goes by that I don’t see at least one. It took me way too long to make the connection to Morrigan but I finally listened. :black_heart:

10 Likes

@Ostara & @Artemisia & @jessica72, since you are drawn to the Morrigan, I would read & read some more including Celtic stories & about their Spirits, Trees, Gods, & Goddesses because they all coincide with each other. & take your time. There’s a lot to untangle sometimes & keep in mind that she is 1 of the least recorded Goddesses, she goes back many years, so keep in mind that back then what she represented was because of the ancient ways of the Celts, such as women fighting in battle & sovereignty was being chosen king or queen of lands by a God/Goddess/Priest/Priestess/Druid, etc so those ancient ways need to be modernized but not by the modern definitions. (I hope that made sense :thinking:)

Also, to everyone: I have added a couple of more guided meditations :woman_in_lotus_position: for the Morrigan :triquetra: I use them all & some of the books that I have read (more than a few :joy:) are FREE on Kindle Unlimited. I prefer an actual turn the page book, but Free is Free. :rofl:

10 Likes

What a wealth of knowledge! Thank you for sharing @Susurrus.

Condolences to you on the passing of your Mother. :hearts:

I was going over some notes from my journal from a guided journey I took in September 2020 where I meet a childbearing aged, light brown haired guide at the well. I got the sense that she was connected to deep ocean, however she told me that she was The Mother of Fairies.

She then guided me to a battlefield where we healed the wounded. It was quietly, calmly and the sky was blue. After everyone was mended her message to me was, “You don’t need to keep fighting after the battle is finished.” and that it was time for ME to heal.

During my share the woman, who lead the journey, said it sounded like one of the aspects (?) of The Morrighan. I’ve always thought of The Morrigan as a much more intense Goddess and after a bit of research I learned of Airmed the Goddess of Herbs and Healing. I was thinking about taking another journey and if I meet her again I will asking her name.

I was curious @Susurrus, @Ostara & @Artemisia & @jessica72 if you have any thoughts or feeling of who this may have been. I am very attracted to crows, winning (though a bit embarrassed to admit), threes, championing those unable to for themselves, and death & decay (I love my Scorpion sisters). To be frank, The Morrigan scared the sh*t out of me but I’m open to the possibly this maybe Her who I meet.

With thanks,
Janis :triskele:

11 Likes

Brighid has a history over battlefields & Healing is 1 her qualities. I would look more into the stories of Brighid through the Tuatha da Danaan & other such stories.

The Morrigan isn’t so much related to healing aside from things like shadow work. Taking issues head on & fighting your battles. She is the washer at the Ford, who is said that if she was washing your armor in the Ford the soldier was going to die in battle. She caused chaos & panic to confuse their opponents & victory for those She was loyal to & protecting.

More of a shapeshifter & Goddess of the Otherworld, Queen of the Faeries

That’s not to say that it definitely wasn’t her, she very to the point & being a shapeshifter that’s how she presented herself to you.

The Spirit of the Celtic Gods & Goddeses may be a helpful book for in that respect too. It does have some information that is kind of meshed together with another, but other than that, it’s a great book for a little backstory on each one including Brigid, the Morrigan, Badb, Macha, Nemain might be in there too.

11 Likes

Oh my gosh! All of this is so amazing thank you so much for taking the time and effort to put this together for us. I can’t wait to get my notebook out so I can start writing all this down.

11 Likes