Irish goddess of war, fate and prophecy, who appears in bird form, as a black bird or crow.
In Cath Maige Tuired the Dagda meets her at Samhain, washing in a river with a foot on each bank; they lie together, and after the battle she prophesies both peace and the end of the world. In the Táin she offers her love to Cú Chulainn; when he refuses, she attacks him as an eel, a grey she-wolf and a hornless red heifer. Lebor Gabála names Badb, Macha and the Morrígan (also called Anand) as three daughters of Ernmas.
Symbols
In the ancient sources
Medieval Irish texts
- Morrígan
- “probably 'phantom queen' (later read as 'great queen')” Cath Maige Tuired
- Anand
- “another name for her” Lebor Gabála Érenn
- Cath Maige Tuired §84 At Samhain the Dagda finds her washing in a river with a foot on each bank; they lie together, and she promises to kill the enemy king.
- Cath Maige Tuired §§166–167 After the battle she proclaims victory and a poem of peace, then prophesies the end of the world.
- Táin Bó Cúailnge She offers Cú Chulainn her love; refused, she threatens to come against him as an eel, a grey she-wolf and a hornless red heifer.
- Táin Bó Regamna A red woman leading a cow, she turns into a black bird and foretells Cú Chulainn's death.
Reading her as a goddess of sovereignty is modern scholarship rather than something the texts say.
Cross-checked against these texts and records, in public-domain or freely available versions where they exist. Line, section and chapter numbers follow the standard editions, so a particular translation may differ slightly.
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These mix ancient attributes with modern associations from contemporary pagan and magical practice; the modern ones weren't part of her original worship.