The Morrigan, shapeshifting Goddess of war and fate from Irish mythology, well known
for appearing before great battles to offer prophecy and favour to heroes and Gods alike.
A trio of sisters who could morph into a single powerful Goddess, the Morrigan is one of the
best known and most fascinating figures of Irish mythology.
So, who was this shapeshifter and what tales did she inspire?
Let’s find out together, right now.
In “The Book of the Taking of Ireland”, a story that explains the origins of the peoples
of Ireland, the Morrígan is listed as the daughter of Ernmas, a mother-goddess.
Ernmas was herself the daughter of Nuada, a king of the magical Tuatha Dé Danann (“Tribe
of the Goddess Danu”).
The Morrígan’s father remains unknown The Morrígan was married to the Dagda, the
“Good God” and one of the kings of the Tuatha Dé Danann.
The Morrígan was a wise and powerful figure who would occasionally bestow her prophecies
and magical favours on heroes and kings—though usually for a price.
In addition to being a prophetess, the Morrígan was also a shapeshifter and would often appear
in multiple forms throughout a single story.
Her most common forms were a shapely maiden, a fierce warrior-queen, an old crone, and
a raven.
Due to her close connection to prophecy and fate, the Morrígan was often present at the
deaths of prominent figures; for instance, she appeared as a raven who landed on the
shoulder of the dying hero of Ulster, Cú Chulainn.
She was also occasionally portrayed as an otherworldly washerwoman, seen washing the
blood-stained clothes of the dead.
One of the most prominent characteristics of the Morrígan is her tripartite nature.
In many stories, she appears as both an individual and as three goddesses acting under a single
name.
The identities of the three goddesses vary depending on the source.
In most cases, Badb, Macha, and Nemain are named as the Morrígan, though sometimes it
is given as Badb, Macha, and Dannan or Danu.
Badb in particular is associated with the Morrígan’s appearance as a raven on the
battlefield.
These goddesses are also sometimes listed as sisters of the Morrígan.
The discrepancies of the members of the Morrígan are likely due to differences amongst local
legends.
The goddesses could also act independently of each other.
In one tale, Nemain and Badb, two of the goddesses who make up the Morrígan, screech out to
the men of Ireland under cover of night.
The sound of their calls is so terrifying that 100 men die of fright.
The shriek of the Morrígan was a horrible omen of misfortune to come.
In “The Book of the Taking of Ireland”, the Morrígan is named as a member of the
Tuatha Dé Danann, a tribe of magical people.
The tribe’s arrival in Ireland was met with resistance by earlier settler groups of the
island, including the supernatural races of the Firbolg and the Fomorions.
The Tuatha Dé quickly found themselves at war with the Firbolg, culminating in two fierce
battles.
In the First Battle, the Morrígan and her sisters aided in the combat by casting magic
spells to great effect.
Ultimately, the Tuatha Dé were victorious and established a foothold in Ireland.
More conflict, however, was on the horizon and The Fomorions proved more difficult to
defeat in the Second battle.
As the Tuatha Dé prepared for battle against the Fomorions, the Dagda sought his wife,
the Morrígan, for prophecy.
He found her at the ford of a river, where they proceeded to have intercourse.
When they finished, the Morrígan prophesied that the Tuatha Dé would indeed win the battle,
though their victory would come at the cost of great bloodshed.
On the day of battle, the gods gathered and prepared to fight the hordes of Fomorions.
When asked what skills the Morrígan would bring to battle, she replied, “What I shall
follow I shall hunt.”
The battle quickly turned into a bloodbath and ended when the Morrígan incited bloodlust
with her cries to the Tuatha Dé.
The Fomorions fled from her and perished in the sea.
The Morrígan was also featured prominently in the Ulster Cycle of tales, where she both
assisted and antagonized the hero of the cycle, Cú Chulainn.
In “The Cattle Raid of Regamain”, Cú Chulainn attacks an old woman driving a cow
from his territory.
However, the woman transforms into a raven, and Cú Chulainn, realizing that it is the
Morrígan, states that he would have acted more wisely had he known who she was.
As punishment for his misbehaviour, the Morrígan foretells of her own presence at Cú Chulainn’s
death.
Then he saw that she had become a black bird upon a branch near to him.
“A dangerous woman thou art,” said Cú Chulainn.
“It is at the guarding of thy death that I am; and I shall be,” she replied.
Later, she appears as a raven warning the Brown Bull of Cooley to flee Ulster before
Queen Medb of Connacht can capture it.
As the Queen invaded the north, all the men of Ulster were inflicted with a debilitating
curse.
Cú Chulainn alone was spared, and he single-handedly defended Ulster’s borders.
Cúchulainn defended Ulster by fighting a series of single combats at the fords against
Medb's champions.
In between combats, the Morrígan appears to him as a young woman and offers him her
love and her aid in the battle, but he rejects her offer.
In response, she intervenes in his next combat, first in the form of an eel who trips him,
then as a wolf who stampedes cattle across the ford, and finally as a white, red-eared
cow leading the stampede, just as she had warned in their previous encounter.
However, Cú chulainn wounds her in each form and defeats his opponent despite her interference.
Later, she appears to him as an old woman bearing the same three wounds that her animal
forms had sustained, milking a cow.
She gives Cú chulainn three drinks of milk.
He blesses her with each drink, and her wounds are healed.
He regrets blessing her for the three drinks of milk, which is apparent in the exchange
between the Morrígan and Cúchulainn: "She gave him milk from the third teat, and her
leg was healed.
'You told me once,' she said, 'that you would never heal me.'
'Had I known it was you,' the warrior replied, 'I never would have.'"
As the armies gather for the final battle, she prophesies the bloodshed to come.
During a later battle with Queen Medb’s warriors, the Morrígan’s prophecy at last
came true: Cú Chulainn was mortally wounded.
He vowed to die standing up and used his exposed entrails to lash himself to a stone in the
hopes he might trick his enemies into thinking he was still alive.
The tactic worked, and the opposing forces relented.
It was only when a single raven, the Morrígan, landed upon Cú Chulainn’s shoulder that
his foes realized the truth.
It has been hypothesized that the Morrígan is connected to the banshee of Irish folklore.
The ominous shriek of the Morrígan and her presence at the death of men may have served
as inspiration for the banshee, or they may come from the same oral tradition.
Apart from Celtic mythology, many similarities can be seen between the Morrígan and the
Valkyries of Old Norse legend, including their appearance either alone or in threes, their
ability to prophesy, and their association with birds.
According to Celtic scholar Patrick K. Ford, mythological women like the Valkyries and
the Morrígan represent the full circle of life: they had the power to give life (by
giving birth) and take it away (by choosing who would die on the battlefield).
Thus, it was natural for female figures to know the fates of men.
The Morrígan is unique to Irish mythology, though scholars have found similar figures
in Celtic lore.
One such figure was Morgan le Fey, the great antagonist of Arthurian legend, who shared
many attributes with the Morrígan.
Both were shapeshifters and prophets who appeared in multiple forms.
While some scholars believe the figures’ names stemmed from the same root, Morgan and
Morrígan have entirely separate meanings in Welsh and Irish, making the connection
tenuous at best.
What is clear however is the fascinating nature of this shapeshifting Goddess.
Indeed, her name and legend have been a persistent inspiration in popular culture across TV,
film and video games and she remains today one of the best-known figures from Irish mythology.
Whether one being or three, the Morrigan is a Goddess truly worthy of the title.