Page 21 - SMITE Magazine Issue 33

ARTICLE

instances have an extended o sound over the first

part of the name, for ‘Mórrígan’, mór in this case

meaning ‘great’. In any case, she was known to

be a fierce and powerful goddess, a permanent

fixture on any battlefield and dreaded in the hearts

of men. She is sometimes called The Morrígu, or

The Anand, after Anu. ‘Phantom Queen’ is, however,

the most widely accepted nickname for the trio.

Badb translates directly as ‘crow’, and is

often known as the Badb Catha, or ‘battle crow’.

Needless to say, she was seen as a constant

during wartime, feasting on the dead, and was

said to carry their spirits between the worlds.

Badb as a crow was even legendarily sighted

on the fallen corpse of Cú Chulainn, the nigh-

unkillable hero, when he was finally defeated.

Macha roughly translates as ‘plain’. Her

association tends towards wartime, horses,

and the sovereignty of rule over the land. She

was particularly known for her abilities at the

slaughter and inciting war, and can possibly be

associated with Epona, the horse goddess.

Lastly, Anu is associated with the goddess

Danu, and the Tuatha De Danann or ‘Tribe of Danu

the Goddess’, likening her to the mother of the

Celtic gods. Despite being one of the Morrígna

and the ‘three raven goddesses’, and her ties to

death, war, and fate, Anu is something of a fertility

goddess, and has domain over prosperity. Parts

of the landscape in Ireland still bear her name.

For her reign, The Morrígan has always been

seen as a terrible foe and strong witch, of sorts. In

her guise as a queen, she guided the fates of men,

started all wars in their due time, and turned every

battle into a rout when she participated herself.

As the crow or raven she flew overhead, escorted

the souls of fallen warriors to the afterlife, and

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