The Morrígu (Irish myth)

Author: Traditional Celtic

Time Period: 999 BCE–1 BCE; 1 CE–500 CE

Country or Culture: Ireland

Genre: Myth

PLOT SUMMARY

Before the coming of the Gaels to Ireland, the Morrígu, also known as the Great Queen and the Crow of Battle, lives in the hill of Tara, or Teamhair. She is able to appear in many forms, including those of a large black crow and of three sisters. She has a great cooking spit that holds three types of food: a chunk of raw meat, a chunk of cooked meat, and a slab of butter. The food on this spit never diminishes. One day, nine outlaws go to the Morrígu and ask her to make them a spit of their own. She creates for them a spit that holds nine ribs, from which the outlaws eat every night.

The Morrígu has a son, Mechi, who is killed by Mac Cécht on Magh Fertaige. It is said that Mechi had three hearts, each with a serpent running through it, and that if Mac Cécht did not kill Mechi, the serpents in his hearts would have grown out of his body and devastated Ireland. Thus, after slaying him, Mac Cécht takes Mechi’s three hearts and burns them on Magh Luathad, the Plain of Ashes. He throws the ashes of the three hearts into a stream, which begins boiling and kills every living creature within it.

The Morrígu is often seen aiding in or instigating battles around Ireland. She frequently intervenes in the life of the great warrior Cúchulainn (Cuchulain), defender of Ulster. When he is only a child, the Morrígu appears to him after he has fallen under the spell of a shadow enchantment. She taunts him until he is angry enough to get to his feet and cut off the head of the shadow that is suppressing him. When the king Conchobar mac Nessa of Ulster is rousing his men during the war for the bull of Cúailgne, he orders that the Morrígu be sent to aid Cúchulainn.

During the Battle of Moira (or Magh Rath), as the king of Ireland does battle against the king of Ulster, the Morrígu transforms into her crow form and flies around the king of Ulster until he becomes confused and attacks his own warriors. In a later battle, she performs a similar trick on the king of Leinster.

She often meddles in cattle disputes and thievery as well. One time, Cúchulainn spots her stealing a cow from the hill of Cruachan, and the two begin to quarrel over the beast. On another occasion, she aids a druid named Talchinem in the acquisition of a bull that his wife wishes to have. The Morrígu also steals a cow from a woman named Odras and takes it to the cave of Cruachan. Odras pursues the Morrígu but eventually grows tired and falls asleep in a forest. The Morrígu casts a spell over the sleeping Odras and transforms her into a pool of water that flows into a river.

SIGNIFICANCE

The figure called the Morrígu, also known as Morrígan, appears frequently in Irish mythology, particularly in the Ulster cycle of legends. She is one of the Tuatha Dé Danann (people of the goddess Dana) and is often interpreted as a goddess of battle, strife, and fertility, making her a goddess of both life and death. She can appear in different forms, including the form of a trio of goddesses: the Morrígu herself, Badb (crow), and either Macha (crow) or Nemain (frenzy).

As a goddess of battle, the Morrígu’s role is often as a premonition of death and an influence on the outcome of battles. During battles, she often appears in the form of a crow, which is a symbol of death in Celtic mythology. Some accounts even have her feeding on the bodies of the dead after battles. In this way, she was seen as a harbinger of death, much like the Valkyries of Norse mythology, who would select the soldiers who were to die in battle. One way she serves as an omen of death is by appearing as the washer at the ford, who can be seen washing the bloody clothes or armor of men who will later die in battle. There are many stories of her washing the bloodied armor of Cúchulainn before his death. Once he recognizes that it is his armor being washed, he knows that he is doomed.

The Morrígu has an interesting relationship with the warrior Cúchulainn. She appears to him often, and in many of those instances, he fails to recognize her. Some accounts state that she becomes so enraged when Cúchulainn fails to identify her that she brings about his death by interfering during a battle. After he dies, she appears on his corpse in the form of a crow. Many interpretations blame Cúchulainn’s demise on his inability to recognize the Morrígu’s feminine power.

Other interpretations of the Morrígu depict her as less of a war goddess and more of a protector and guardian of soldiers during a battle. She uses her magic to influence the outcome of battles, thus providing kings with military aid. Helping certain rulers defeat their enemies makes her a goddess of sovereignty. The Morrígu’s association with cattle helps identify her as a fertility and sovereignty goddess. In Celtic mythology, cattle are symbols of fertility, and the prosperity of a tribe was directly reflected in its thriving herd of cattle.

Many myths associate the Morrígu with bands of Irish warrior-hunters who engaged in a lawless lifestyle and may have worshipped her. She provides food for them, and the symbol of her cooking spit further associates her with fertility. Other interpretations present a more metaphorical reading of the Morrígu’s food and spit, depicting them as symbols of her wisdom.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Billington, Sandra, and Miranda Green, eds. The Concept of the Goddess. New York: Routledge, 1996. Print.

Clark, Rosalind. The Great Queens: Irish Goddesses from the Morrígan to Cathleen ní Houlihan. Lanham: Rowman, 1992. Print.

Gregory, Augusta. “The Morrigu.” Gods and Fighting Men. London: Murray, 1905. 84–85. Print.

Hennessey, W. M. “The Ancient Irish Goddess of War.” Revue Celtique 1 (1870): 32+. Internet Sacred Text Archive. Web. 10 May 2013.

Jones, Mary. “Morrigan.” Jones’ Celtic Encyclopedia. Jones, 2003. Web. 10 May 2013.