Transformations of the Morrigan: Dark Goddess to Great Queen
Any precursory search will reveal that The Morrigan can be a paradoxical figure and the truth about her may not be easily uncovered. She is a goddess steeped in myth, history, and contradictions and one must unravel these questions and fit the remaining pieces together in a cultural context to gain a true understanding of her nature and position. At various times she has been seen as a beautiful maiden, a faery queen, a phantom-like spirit, a wise crone, and even a mortal woman. Sometimes she is gracious and forgiving while other times her lessons come with a bit of tough love. Even the name The Morrigan is open to debate among many; sometimes seen as a title given to many goddesses, sometimes believed to be a …show more content…
She is associated strongly with both horses and crows, the fiery power of the sun, and the color red. Macha comes to us in three distinct incarnations, a goddess, a warrior queen, and a faery woman. (Woodfield 943) In her form of a crow she feasted on the severed heads of the battle field and ushered the souls to the underworld4, but more often she is associated with abundance and fertility, the aspects of renewal. Daimler claims “Macha represents the sovereignty and fertility of Ireland and can be vengeful when the land or she herself is wronged”, she is the protector of those she calls her own, in a fiercely loving but no nonsense maternal way. (333) Macha is a complex deity, she represents stateliness, the right to rule, and the abundance that comes with that but also justice to those who do not hold themselves to the highest standard. Her patronage does not come blindly, she both gives and takes, reminding all to always strive for the highest standards and the greatest good, for with them comes
Any precursory search will reveal that The Morrigan can be a paradoxical figure and the truth about her may not be easily uncovered. She is a goddess steeped in myth, history, and contradictions and one must unravel these questions and fit the remaining pieces together in a cultural context to gain a true understanding of her nature and position. At various times she has been seen as a beautiful maiden, a faery queen, a phantom-like spirit, a wise crone, and even a mortal woman. Sometimes she is gracious and forgiving while other times her lessons come with a bit of tough love. Even the name The Morrigan is open to debate among many; sometimes seen as a title given to many goddesses, sometimes believed to be a …show more content…
She is associated strongly with both horses and crows, the fiery power of the sun, and the color red. Macha comes to us in three distinct incarnations, a goddess, a warrior queen, and a faery woman. (Woodfield 943) In her form of a crow she feasted on the severed heads of the battle field and ushered the souls to the underworld4, but more often she is associated with abundance and fertility, the aspects of renewal. Daimler claims “Macha represents the sovereignty and fertility of Ireland and can be vengeful when the land or she herself is wronged”, she is the protector of those she calls her own, in a fiercely loving but no nonsense maternal way. (333) Macha is a complex deity, she represents stateliness, the right to rule, and the abundance that comes with that but also justice to those who do not hold themselves to the highest standard. Her patronage does not come blindly, she both gives and takes, reminding all to always strive for the highest standards and the greatest good, for with them comes