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Comment by Ghillie Dhu on December 30, 2018 at 9:47am

Iom-air o, 'ill-ean mhara,
Iom-air o, 'illean mhara,
'Ill ean o horo eile.

(Iona Boat Song)

Comment by Ghillie Dhu on December 30, 2018 at 9:45am

Badb and Other Aspects Badb was the daughter of Delbáeth and Ernmas, and sister of Macha,  Finally, as Nemain, Morrígan was goddess of strife and panic. Her name means "Panic". Nemain was also said to be the wife of Neit, like Badb. Nemain had been associated with the British goddess Nemetona, the goddess of the sacred grove. Badb and Nemain appeared in Táin Bó Cuailnge on the eve of the final battle between Ulster and Connacht. They entered the camp of Connacht and her allies, where a hundred warriors died in fright. The goddesses inspired terror in the night. . Again, Eriu appeared as the goddess of fertility. Eriu was the sovereignty of Ireland wedded to a mortal king. Like all her previous aspects mentioned, Eriu was also a war goddess and had the ability to change her shape from a girl to a hag, or to bird or animal.  Morrígan was also associated with Medb or Maeve, queen of Connacht, married to a mortal king Ailill.

Comment by Ghillie Dhu on December 30, 2018 at 9:40am

Macha

She was known as Macha, the goddess of fertility – a mother goddess. Macha appeared several times in Irish myths. In her first appearance, she was the wife of Nemed, leader of the Nemedians.

Macha also appeared as the wife of Nuada of the Silver Hand, king of Ireland and leader of the Tuatha Dé Danann. Here, Macha was the daughter of Delbáeth and Ernmas, and sister of Badb, Morrígan, and possibly of Nemain. As a tripartite goddess of war, Macha was one of the three aspects of the Morrígans. Macha died with her husband in the Second Battle of Mag Tuired (Moytura); they were killed by Balor's destructive eye.

However, Macha was most popular and active in her roles in the northern province of Ulster (Ulaid). Macha appeared twice in the Ulaid Cycle.

She was once known as Macha, the red war-goddess. Macha was the daughter of Áed Ruad. Macha married her uncle Cimbáeth and became queen of Ulaid (Ulster). It was she, who founded the city that was named after her: Emain Macha. The name Emain Macha means the "Brooch of Macha", because she marked the boundary of hill-fortress with her brooch.

In the second story of Ulster, Macha appeared again, this time as the second wife of the wealthy farmer Crunnchu. This Macha placed the curse upon the men of Ulaid, for their mistreatment of her, during her pregnancy. The curse was that during Ulster's hours of greatest need, the men of Ulster would suffer the pang like those of a woman giving birth. In this story she was the goddess of horses (See Curse of Macha).

Badb and Other Aspects

Comment by Ghillie Dhu on December 30, 2018 at 9:39am

Goddess of war and fertility. Her name, Morrígan (Morrigan), means the "Queen of Demons" or the "Phantom Queen".

Morrígan was the daughter of Delbáeth and Ernmas. Morrígan was the sister of Badb, Macha, and possibly of Nemain.

Morrígan was one of the wives of Dagda. During the festival of Samhain, held on November 1, she would sleep with Dagda, to renew the future prosperity of Ireland. In this role, she was seen as the Sovereignty of Ireland.

Morrígan was also the godddess of divination and prophecy.

In Cath Mag Tuired, she was washing clothes at the ford in Unshin in Corann, near Dagda's house at Glen Edin, when Dagda encountered her on eve of Samhain festival. One foot was at Allod Echae (water in the south) and the other foot at Lisconny (north of the water). She nine loosened tresses on hair. After Dagda slept with her, she advised him of where the Fomorians were gathered and what she would do in battle. It was from Morrígan that other Celtic folklore had derived the Washer at the Ford. The Washer was sort of like a banshee, who was able to predict who would die.

In several sources, Morrígan had children, some by Dagda, and sometimes the father or fathers of her children were never named.

Morrígan had also been identified with the goddess Danu or Anu, or that Danu was Morrígan proper name, since both were named as the daughter of Delbáeth and Ernmas. And both were the mothers of Brian, Iuchar and Iurbarba, through incest with own father.

Morrígan was one of the strangest deities in Irish myths. She was tripartite goddess of war: goddess with three separate personalities or aspects. The three morrigans were Morrígan, Macha and Badb. Some say that there are three separate goddesses (morrígans) with the same name, or that her three aspects were combined into a single goddess.

In the Second Battle of Mag Tuired (Moytura), Morrígan helped the Tuatha Dé Danann, causing fear and confusion in the Fomorian ranks. With the single combat between Ogma and Indech (one of the Fomorian kings), Morrígan drained the strength from Indech.

At the end of the book, she proclaimed that the Tuatha Dé Danann won a great victory over the Fomorians.

In the tale of the Destruction of Da Derga, Morrígan caused Conaire Mor to break his last geis. Morrígan was also in love with Cú Chulainn, and appeared as a young beautiful maiden to the hero. However, Cú Chulainn rejected Morrígan's love. In the Cattle Raid of Cooley, Morrígan was one of the opponents who attacked Cú Chulainn at the ford, but each time, Cú Chulainn subdued or defeated her.

Though, she had become Cú Chulainn's enemy, in the end, she tried to save the hero. She sent a warning to Cú Chulainn, of the hero been lured away to a death trap set by his enemies, by breaking the pole of his chariot. When Cú Chulainn tied himself to a rock, dying from his wound, Morrígan in the form of raven, sat perch on his shoulder, which kept the enemies at bay. Only when his life slipped away that Morrígan flew away.

Comment by Ghillie Dhu on December 30, 2018 at 9:38am

Mother goddess. Danu or Ana was the mother of the race of Tuatha Dé Danann. Danu was goddess of fertility and the earth. Some believed that Danu and Ana were separate entities, even both are mother goddesses.

Danu was widely worshipped mother goddess throughout Europe. She was known under various names, such as Danu, Dana and Anu in Continental Europe and Ireland. In Wales, she was called Don.

Danu married her consort Bilé (Bile), and was the mother of Dagda, who was the chief leader of the Tuatha Dé Danann. Her other offspring probably were Dian Cécht and Nuada.

With Dagda, Danu was also the mother of Ogma. Her other possible sons were Cian (Kian), Sawan and Goibhniu by Dian Cécht.

Danu was also known by another name – Brigit. Here, as Ana or Brigit, she was known as the daughter of the Dagda. She was mother of three sons; all of them were named Ecne.

In some of the sources, Danu or Ana was the proper name of the war-goddess Morrigan.

In Munster, Danu was associated with two round-topped hills, which was called Da Chich Anann or the Paps of Ana, because they resembled two breasts. Da Chich Anann literally means the "two breasts of Ana".

Comment by Ghillie Dhu on December 30, 2018 at 9:37am

In Irish myths, she was a mother goddess. Ernmas was the daughter of Etarlam, who was son of Nuada.

Ernmas was the mother of a son, named Fiachna, and three daughters who were the three sovereignity goddesses of Ireland – Banba, Fodla and Eriu. According to one version, her son impregnated her with these three daughters. Sometimes, Eirnin was said to be the mother of the three goddesses.

Ernmas was possibly the mother of the three war goddesses: Morrigan, Badb and Macha; she was also the mother of Dana (Ana). Their father was Delbáeth, son of Angus Og and Eithne.

Ernmas was killed in the First Battle of Magh Tuiredh.

Comment by Ghillie Dhu on December 30, 2018 at 9:36am

The Tuatha Dé Danann ("People of the Goddess Danu") were one of the mythical races who settled in Ireland before the arrival of the Milesians, the ancestors of modern Gaels. The Dananns were descendants of the goddess Danu. Her son Dagda was their most powerful leader of the Dananns.

The Tuatha Dé Dananns were a race of deities as well as race of heroes. They were skilled in art and science, poetry and magic.

They were said to come from four mythical cities: Falias, Gorias, Finias and Murias. When they came to live in Ireland, the Dananns received four magic treasures or talismans, one from each city. Before the Tuatha Dé Danann migrated to Ireland, they had learned all their skills from for four wizards/bards (druids) from these four cities. Morfesa from Falias, Esras from Gorias, Semias from Murias and Uiscias from Findias. (See the Druids of Danu)

After the Milesians defeated the Dananns, the Dananns either retreated to Tir na n-Og ("Land of Youth") or they continued to lived on the land with the Milesians, but their homes (subterranean palaces) were hidden by magic from the eyes of mortals. Their homes were commonly called Sidhe (síd or sídh) or the Otherworld. Another name for the Tuatha Dé Danann was the áes sídhe or the "People of the Sídhe".

In the Otherworld, the Danann remained young and seemingly immortal. Immortal in the sense, they can live a very long life and remain young, but they can be kill and destroy, just like any mortal.

There were frequent visits of the Dananns with the mortals. Sometimes they aided mortals, while other times they seek their destruction. Sometimes they sought marriage with mortals. Most of the times, the Dananns would come to the surface and meet their lovers, other times the mortals were allowed to live with them.

In the Ulster Cycle, the Tuatha Dé Danann was still seen as Celtic deities. However, in the Fenian Cycle, the Dananns had degenerated into nothing more then fey people; in another words, the Dananns became the "Fairy People". The Tuatha Dé Danann became frequently associated with fairies. Because of the Christian influences in the myths, some of them died in old age when they leave the Otherworld; that they were baptised before their death.

(It should be noted that the fairies in Celtic myths (especially Irish, Welsh and Arthurian myths) had nothing to do with tiny pixie with wings that are found in folklore and children fairy tales, like Tinklebell in Peter Pan or the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella. The fairies found here were human with supernatural power. Modern interpretations of fairies tend to prettify them, particularly during the Victorian period (19th century) in Britain.

Comment by Ghillie Dhu on December 18, 2018 at 2:03pm

Comment by Ghillie Dhu on December 18, 2018 at 1:51pm

Comment by Ghillie Dhu on December 18, 2018 at 1:49pm

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