An Mór-Ríoghan: The Morrigan in Irish Mythology
Irish mythology is rife with battles fought for land, cattle, honor and survival. Some, such as those involving heroes like Cú Chulainn and Fionn mac Cumhaill, include epic struggles among mortals that became tales passed down through the centuries, while others are between gods and other supernatural forces. Regardless, there’s one thing that many armed conflicts in Ancient Ireland had in common: An Mór-Ríoghan was involved.
An Mór-Ríoghan—or the Morrigan, in English—is a figure that evolved and modified throughout Irish mythology. Nonetheless, she is most commonly associated as the goddess of battle and war, and in the larger scope, the goddess of sovereignty. With her name translating as “great queen” (or by some accounts, “phantom queen” from proto-Celtic), she often takes an active part in influencing battles, whether by encouraging the warriors of one side or disrupting those on the other. While she is known as a shapeshifter that can turn herself into various animals, she most often takes the form of a crow.
The Complex Identity of the Goddess
Glactar leis gur bandia i Miotaseolaíocht na nGael í Mór-Ríoghain, agus níl sé chomh simplí sin! The identity of an Mór-Ríoghan is somewhat convoluted and sometimes differs according to the text in which she appears. She is often depicted as a “triple goddess,” being the cumulative existence of the three sisters Badb, Macha, and the Morrigan. The sisters are also called “the three morrígna.” In some sources, Nemian joins Badb and Macha as the third sister of an Mór-Ríoghan, while in other texts the sisters are the land goddesses Ériu, Banba, and Fódla.
In “Cath Maige Tuired” (“The Battle of Magh Tuireadh”), a story from the Mythological Cycle of ancient Irish narratives, an Mór-Ríoghan has a sexual encounter with the Dagda—the “great god” in Irish mythology—before his battle with supernatural beings called the Fomorians. She helps the Dagda and his people the Tuatha Dé (Tribe of the Gods) win the battle. In another story, however, an Mór-Ríoghan is called the “envious queen” of the Dagda, and is often noted as having a bad temper.
In some traditions, Badb is not just a deirfiúr (sister) in the trio of an Mór-Ríoghan, but is more or less the representation of an Mór-Ríoghan herself. Meaning “crow” in Old Irish (badhbh is “crow” in modern Irish), she—like the figure named an Mór-Ríoghan—often takes the form of the bird when causing havoc on the battlefield. Babh is married to Neit, another Irish god of war.
As the legend of an Mór-Ríoghan was passed from century to century, her identity evolved, conflating and diverging through various texts. However, the defining characteristics of the goddess, mentioned below, remained largely the same.
The Role of an Mór-Ríoghan
An Mór-Ríoghan often makes an appearance before, or during, a battle. Sometimes she manifests before warriors prior to the conflict, warning them of their impending demise. Because she is a harbinger of death, she is often linked to the folklore of the banshee. This association is strengthened by the fact that, as a crow, her cries resemble the wailing sounds of an bhean sí. Because crows are intelligent and may recognize that the congregation of large groups of people (as armies) can lead to carrion to eat, the presence of the bird likely increased before battles in Ancient Ireland. Therefore, some believe that is one of the reasons that the goddess of war is often portrayed by the figure of a crow.
Recent scholarship suggests that, because an Mór-Ríoghan is often taking the side of a king or ruler, she is more accurately described as a goddess of sovereignty. She is said to be primarily concerned with protecting the land in the role of guardian, usually against external forces. Her ability to shapeshift (much like the púca), suggests a “oneness” with the earth and its creatures, also causing her to be linked with the concept of fertility.
An Mór-Ríoghan in the Ulster Cycle
The earliest surviving text that mentions an Mór-Ríoghan is O’Mulconry’s Glossary, an etymological tract from around the late 7th or early 8th century that indicates that Macha is one of the three morrígna. While a few texts appear to make references to an Mór-Ríoghan a century later, it is in the Ulster Cycle where she first appears as an individual, especially with her involvement with the hero Cú Chulainn.
Cú Chulainn meets an Mór-Ríoghan in several stories, although he usually doesn’t recognize her. In the “Táin Bó Regamna” (“The Cattle Raid of Regamain”), he comes upon a woman in red driving a heifer in front of her with her chariot. Cú Chulainn, unaware of who she is, insults her. Even though he apologizes once he learns the truth, an Mór-Ríoghan declares “it is at the guarding of thy death that I am; and I shall be.” In fact, in another tale from the Ulster Cycle—the celebrated Táin Bó Cúailnge (“The Cattle Raid of Cooley”)— an Mór-Ríoghan appears before Cú Chulainn before his final battle, disguised as an old hag. She is washing his bloody armor, presenting him with an omen of his impending death.
Before Cú Chulainn meets his end, however, he spars with an Mór-Ríoghan again in the Táin Bó Cúailnge. In between battles with Queen Medb’s Connacht men, an Mór-Ríoghan appears to him as a young woman and offers him her love. For reasons unclear, he rejects her advances. To enact díoltas (revenge), she interferes in his next combat. First, she presents herself as an eel that bites his foot, then as a wolf that causes cattle to stampede, and then as a white, red-eared heifer leading the charging cattle. In each instance Cú Chulainn is able to thwart her, leaving her injured every time. Later, he comes upon an old woman bearing those wounds, and not recognizing her, asks for a drink of milk. She tricks him into blessing her three times, thereby healing her of the lacerations he had given her.
An Mór-Ríoghan and Irish Learning
The stories in which an Mór-Ríoghan is involved is part of a vast body of Irish mythology passed down orally for centuries before being transcribed in manuscripts from Early Ireland. These tales not only demonstrate the rich literary and cultural heritage of Ireland, but offers a glimpse into how Irish people from over a millennium ago made sense of the world around them. In learning the Irish language it is useful to get exposed to some of the history and tradition that helped shape it. For that reason, an Mór-Ríoghan—especially her appearances in the Ulster Cycle—are sometimes referenced in online Irish courses. Discovering characters from Irish folklore is not only a fun way to engage the language, but also to learn some of the stories that have been told for hundreds of years.
An Mór-Ríoghan stands as one of the most intriguing figures of Irish mythology. Interacting in the affairs of both gods and humans, anyone going into battle would do well to have her favor. With a complex identity that evolved through the years, she remained in the imagination of those in ancient Ireland. Often being represented by a crow, a common animal in Ireland, she proved that the link between the mythical and natural world is strong, and that the former was important to people in Ancient Ireland.
Bígí páirteach!
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