Pantheon of Goddesses: Mórrígan

Welcome to Tursan Tuesdays, where I take you on a journey through the Celtic world…

Today’s post kicks off my new series on Celtic goddesses. Mórrígan, or Morrígu, is my personal favorite so of course I’ll begin with her.

You may recall my last post featuring this powerful deity. I’ve taken the bit of information there and expanded. Enjoy!

Some of the information I’ve gathered came from The Goddess Guide by Priestess Brandi Auset ~ a must read for anyone interested in Goddesses of all flavors!

The Morrígan, Mórrígan, Morrígu, Morrígna, Morríghan or Mórríoghain

The Mórrígan, or Great Queen, is the Irish warrior goddess of prophecy, battle, strife and fertility. Also called the Witch Queen of Death, she is known for being one of the most beautiful and sexual of all Goddesses, as well as being quite deadly. She has no problem using her sexuality to get what she wants, and can be ruthless in her pursuits. She can determine the outcome of wars, as well as predict when warriors will meet their end.

There is some debate over whether Mórrígan is part of a triple deity or the sum of three separate deities (Morrígna). Many believe that she, along with her sisters Macha and Anu make up the Great Goddess, or The Goddess, the Great Mother of all the land. Still others say Mórrígan is a triple goddess made by the aspects Badb, Macha, and Nemain.

Mórrígan is a shapeshifter; she can take the forms of raven, eel, cow, or wolf. The raven, or Carrion Crow, is a harbinger of death. It can frequently be seen flying above a battlefield, circling and casting spells to determine the victor. She will use the other animal forms in whatever way best benefits her agenda.

Mórrígan can also take different human forms. She can appear as a Crone, bringing news of death and destruction, or warnings of such. Less well-known is her form as a young maiden. Here, she will cast praise and love upon her chosen hero. Turns out she has a softer side…

She is the great sorceress of the Celts, her magical powers of prediction and enchantment are beyond compare. Mórrígan rules passionate love and sex, predominately affairs that tend to have negative consequences.

So maybe that side isn’t so soft.

 Mórrígan rules over the following attributes:

Addictions, Arts & Crafts, Authority, Blood, Brewing (Magical), Cemeteries, Courage, Crossroads, Darkness, Death, Deceit, Decisions, Destruction, Diplomacy, Disaster, Divination, Dreams, Enchantments, Endings, Exorcism, Fate, Fear, Fertility, Foresight, Grief & Sadness, Hindsight, Illusions, Initiation, Intuitive Abilities, Jealousy, Judgment, Justice, Love (Healing a Broken Heart), Magick (Dark), Magick (Light), Magick (Lunar), Magickal Arts, Memory, Men, Menopause, Mischief, Moon, Mysteries, Negative Habits (to Overcome), Night, Oaths, Oceans (Rivers & Bodies of Water), Pleasure, Poetry, Power, Prophecy, Protection, Regeneration, Retribution, Revenge, Seduction, Sensuality, Sexuality & Sexual Activities, Shapeshifting, Sorceress, Spirits & Ghosts, Strength, Vengeance, Victory, Violence, War & Battles, Warrior Goddesses, Wisdom, Witchcraft, Women & Femininity

Mórrígan’s colors are Red, Blue, Purple, Black, and Silver ~ All of my favorite colors

Mórrígan rules over the elements of Fire and Water.

Mórrígan is associated with the following sabbats or festivals: Midsummer & Samhain

See…don’t you just dig her?

So talk to me. What do you think of Mórrígan? If anyone knows of any symbols associated with her, please let me know…I’m researching art for my blank canvas.

If you have a specific Goddess you would like to see featured here ~ even if she isn’t Celtic ~ let me know!

And for Thursday, it’s Author Spotlight: James Hutchings. Don’t miss it!

The Power of Three

Welcome to Tursan Tuesdays where I take you on a journey through the Celtic world.

In earlier posts we’ve chatted about the triple aspects of The Great Mother, The Green Man, The Mórrígan, and Macha. Thus far, we’ve gotten a glimpse of how significant the triple aspect is in the Celtic traditions.

As you know by now, the Great Mother is the Goddess of all goddesses…and gods for that matter. She is The Lady, the female aspect of all creation. And, of course, she has three facets to her which we’ve gone over previously: The Maiden, The Mother, The Crone.

courtesy of lightgrid.ning.com

In each of her guises, the Great Mother represents a specific part of life. The Maiden represents beginnings, births, new cycles. She is the springtime of life, the glorious and precious creation in the natural world. The Mother represents the ever-changing, ever-growing part of life. She is the summer of life, the grower of all creation in the natural world. The Crone represents the ending of a cycle. Note I do not say, “life” here as life does not truly end in the Celtic tradition. Life is ever-changing, everlasting in new forms. The Crone is the winter of life, when all things prepare for winter’s sleep and for the new cycles The Maiden, or springtime, will bring.

Similarly, the Great Father is the god of all creation, including the gods and goddesses. While he is born from the Great Mother, he is no less important a deity. He is, in fact, consort to the Great Mother. As discussed previously, he not only has triple aspects, he also has many names! “The Great Father,” “The Green Man,” “The Horned God,” “Cernunnos (as some infer),” to name a few.

courtesy of hesternic.tripod.com

By the way, “The Horned God” is never to be confused with the Christian devil or Satan. They are not based on this Celtic creator, nor do they share any similarities. The Horned God is a benevolent deity, one who is full of love, compassion and tenderness for all of creation. Interestingly, I have not found any god, goddess, or deity thus far who is in any way similar to the Christian devil/Satan. It is my understanding there is no such being in the Celtic tradition.

Like the Great Mother, the Great Father represents a specific part of life in each of his three guises, which also compliment each of the Great Mother’s. In the springtime, he is the Divine Child, representing new beginnings and cycles. In the summertime, he is the Son or Lover, representing the maturity of the cycles, balancing sexual desire and need with companionship and tenderness. In the wintertime, he is the Sacrificed Savior or Lord of Death. In this guise he guides souls to their next phase in the cycle. He is renewal and reincarnation. He is wisdom and enlightenment.

In many of the Celtic traditions, the various goddesses have many of the same characteristics of the Great Mother, which makes sense considering she is responsible for all life ~ even the goddesses themselves. Some say goddesses such as The Mórrígan and Macha are separate aspects of one whole deity, others claim they are whole deities unto themselves with their own triple aspects. So, too, do the Celtic gods have similar aspects as the Great Father.

Interestingly, this belief in the power of three is not restricted to Celtic traditions. All over the world we see other traditions and religions which have similar symbolisms.

Christianity ~ The Cross, representing The Father, The Son, The Holy Spirit

Germanic Paganism ~ The Valknut, consisting of three triangles interlocked

Germany ~ yet another triple symbol here, the Trefot, consisting of three spiral arms which represent the Germanic god Woden

Europe (mostly France) ~ The Fleur De Lis, consisting of three flowers

Sicily ~ It’s flag consists of two separate triple symbols: the Trinacria (three bent legs) and three ears of corn, both adorning Medusa’s winged head

Denmark ~ Odin’s Horn, from Norse tradition

So talk to me. What do you think of the power of three? Some say there are magical powers associated with this mystical number, do you agree? Do you disagree? What other religions or traditions support…or refute!…the power of three?

*Swing by on Thursday for my interview with the wonderful and talented Nancy Lee Badger. We’ll be chatting about her new release DRAGON IN THE MIST, and there’ll be a fun giveaway! See you then

Fertility Goddesses

Welcome to Tursan Tuesdays, where I take you on a journey through the Celtic world.

I’m back, and I’m healthy! No more bronchitis, the head cold is pretty much gone. The stitches from oral surgery have dissolved…what, too much? Ok, fine.

Let’s do this…

Fertility Goddesses

Wikipedia offers a lovely list of fertility deities…far too many to compare here in this little blog, but feel free to peruse at your leisure.

For the purposes of this blog, we’ll compare Macha, from Celtic mythology, Anahit, from Armenian mythology, and Freyja, from Norse mythology. Ooooh, this is gonna be good!

Macha

courtesy of forum.baby-gaga.com

Daughter of Áed Rúad and Ernmas the ban tuathid, or female druid, Macha is said to portray the Fertile Woman aspect of the Celtic goddess, Danu. She hales from Ulster, one of the four provinces of Northern Ireland.

Known as a Triple Goddess herself, Macha has aspects to her other than fertility. She is also goddess of agriculture, war, and death. In fact, you may recall she is sister to The Morrígan.

It is interesting to note, Macha is listed as a fertility goddess, but is mostly known for her powers in war, death, and battle. Her fertility aspect may have come from the traditions of Celtic warriors in Northern Ireland collecting the severed heads of their foes, calling them “Macha’s Acorn Crop”…grisly.

Anahit

courtesy of armenian-history.com

She is the goddess of fertility, water, wisdom, and healing. Anahit is quite beloved and cherished by her people, and is considered their mother-goddess. In this respect she is similar to the Celtic goddess, Danu or Anann.

Known as the “Great Lady Anahit,” ancient Armenians believed the world existed at her will alone. She has many temples in her honor, and an entire mountain in Armenia is her throne.

Like Macha, Anahit is also known as a goddess of war.

Freyja

courtesy of momsawitch.blogspot.com

The patron and protectress of the human race, Freyja, or The Fair One, is goddess of fertility, love, beauty, war and death. I believe I see a trend here…

Daughter to the sea-god, Njord (some sources say his sister is Freyja’s mother!), Freyja is part of the Vanir ~ a group of gods of fertility and wisdom able to see the future.

It is said that Freyja and Odin split the courageous dead from the battlefield, Odin taking his half to Valhalla and Freyja taking her half to Fólkvangr. Some speculate that Freyja’s oft absent husband, Odur, of whom little is known, is in fact the battle god, Odin.

And did I mention Freyja has a chariot pulled by cats?

So talk to me. What do you think of these lovely ladies? I find it interesting that these fertility goddesses have such strong connections with war. Do you see the mother quality in each of these goddesses? Can you relate them to the mother in you? Do you know of other interesting fertility goddesses? Do you have stories of one of these portrayed here?

Warrior Goddesses

Welcome to Tursan Tuesdays, where I take you on a journey through the Celtic world.

Recently, someone asked if The Mórrígan, from Celtic mythology, was in any way similar to Pandora, from Greek mythology. I answered that The Mórrígan was a Celtic warrior goddess, and according to Greek mythology, Pandora was the First Woman; created by each one of the Gods. I went on to say that while these deities are not similar, there are many similarities between other Gods and Goddesses in our different cultures.

This got me thinking…wouldn’t it be fun to compare and contrast Celtic deities to those from different mythologies?

Let’s do it

I thought it only fitting we begin with The Mórrígan herself.

The Mórrígan, or Great Queen, is the Irish warrior goddess of battle, strife and fertility. She is known for being one of the most beautiful and sexual of all Goddesses, as well as being quite deadly. She has no problem using her sexuality to get what she wants, and can be ruthless in her pursuits. She can determine the outcome of wars, as well as predict when heroes will meet their end.

There is some debate over whether The Mórrígan is part of a triple deity or the sum of three separate deities. Many believe that she, along with her sisters Macha and Anu make up the Great Goddess, or The Goddess, the Great Mother of all the land. Still others say The Mórrígan is a triple goddess made by the aspects Badb, Macha, and Nemain.

The Mórrígan is a shapeshifter; she can take the forms of raven, eel, cow, or wolf. The raven, or Carrion Crow, is a harbinger of death. It can frequently be seen flying above the battlefield, circling and casting spells to determine the victor. She will use the other animal forms in whatever way best benefits her agenda. The Mórrígan can also take different human forms. She can appear as a Crone, bringing news of death and destruction, or warnings of such. She can appear as a young maiden to cast praise and love upon her chosen hero. This young maiden aspect of The Mórrígan is less well-known. Turns out she does indeed have a softer side.

Be warned however, cross The Mórrígan at your own peril…

Sekhmet, or Powerful One, is the Egyptian warrior goddess of vengeance, war and retribution. She is also known as a goddess of healing. It is said she is fiercely beautiful with the light of the sun shining through her. She leads the pharaohs in battle, and will protect them by shooting arrows of fire at their enemies. Like The Mórrígan, Sekhmet is quite deadly; only death and destruction will sooth her warrior’s heart and her breath is the hot desert wind that rips through the sand dunes.

A solar deity, Sekhmet is also sometimes referred to as the daughter of the sun-god Ra. She is frequently spoken of in connection with the goddesses Hathor and Bast. She bears the solar disk and the Uraeus, which associates her with Wadjet and royalty. This links her to the goddess of justice and order, Ma’at. In this aspect, Sekhmet is a divine arbiter in the Judgment Hall of Osiris, which also associates her with the Eye of Ra, and Tefnut.

Unlike The Mórrígan, Sekhmet is not known to shape shift. Often she is depicted as a lioness, the fiercest of all hunters, wearing a red gown the color of freshly spilled blood. In some depictions, Sekhmet’s dress has a rosette pattern over each nipple which is an ancient leonine motif and can be traced to the observation of the shoulder knot hairs on lions. Occasionally she is shown in her statuettes or engravings as being naked or with minimal clothing. Tame lions were kept in temples dedicated to Sekhmet at Leontopolis.

Over the centuries, Sekhmet’s power has gained her several titles, including Lady of Flame, Before Whom Evil Trembles, Mistress of Dread, and Lady of Slaughter. In order to placate Sekhmet’s wrath, her priestesses performed a special ritual before a different statue of her at different times of the year.

This warrior goddess isn’t all bad, however. Remember, she is also a goddess of healing. While she can bring pestilence and illness upon any whom she chooses, she can also bring cures for these ailments. At one time, her name became synonymous with “physician,” and her priestesses are considered to be at the same level as physicians.

Like The Mórrígan, however, I would treat Sekhmet with all due respect and deference.

When one thinks of the term, “goddess” one usually thinks of the wise and powerful Greek Goddess, Athena.

Athena is a warrior goddess, but according to Greek mythology, she is also goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, strength, strategy, female arts, crafts, justice and skill. A very well-rounded goddess. While she is a goddess of warfare, Athena isn’t quite as bloodthirsty as The Mórrígan or Sekhmet, though she is no less fearsome or ruthless when provoked.

Like The Mórrígan, there is some debate over Athena’s origins. Some say she is the daughter of Zeus, born from his forehead fully grown and dressed for battle with a war cry upon her lips. Others say that Triton, the son and herald of Poseidon, is her father (or foster-father!). Still others say that Pallas is Athena’s true father. Who can be sure?

Quite unlike The Mórrígan, Athena is a virgin goddess, and in fact she enforces the rules of sexual modesty. Athena has never taken a lover or a consort, and the Parthenon, her most famous temple, takes its name from her title, Athena Parthenos, or “Virgin Athena.”

Athena is known to guide heroes on their quests and in their battles, to protect her cities, and to weave magnificent and shining tapestries. She is often depicted with an owl, which is a symbol of knowledge and wisdom. In her warrior aspect, the goddess is more of a disciplined strategist rather than a violent slaughterer.

No, she leaves those particular qualities to her brother, Ares…

So talk to me! What do you think of these magnificent ladies? There is much, much more to them than I have shared here, as I’m sure you can imagine. Do you know of other myths or legends surrounding them? Have you learned of different aspects to their natures? What other warrior goddesses do you know? Please share, I love learning more about mythologies of all traditions!