The Phantom Queen as a whole

Morrigan is one of the great Goddesses of Ireland and is a multifaceted Goddess. She is one as Morrigan and many, a trinity as The Morrigan or the Morrigu. She is a shape shifter known for being a Goddess of war and battle, the cycle of life and death, and is also associated with wisdom and prophecy, magick and the land, among other aspects.

To truly gain a more insightful understanding of who Morrigan is, it is important to understand Celtic culture of that era. The Celts idolized warfare, and women were warriors up until 697 CE, often fighting in battle or helping the wounded. Protecting their families and their land (viewed as female) was a dominant aspect of the Celts pride and was reflected in the Morrigan.

Morrigan first appears in The Lebor Gabala Erenn (The Book of Invasions), dating back to 1150 CE, and is a pseudo-narrative of the history of Ireland that includes the arrival of the Celtic gods, the Tuatha De Danann, in Ireland and their later battle with the indigenous gods, the Fir Blogs. Interestingly, these stories were not recorded by the Irish Pagans. Celtic culture prized oral tradition and memorization, as it was an art form of storytelling. It was the Irish Christian monks, who were their descendants that preserved what they believed to be historical account.

Morrigan’s origins can be traced back to the Copper age megalithic Cult of the Mothers (Matrones, Idises, Disit, etc.) whom appeared as triple Goddesses from narrative texts written by Irish monks sometime between the eighth and twelfth centuries, after Christianity had replaced Paganism as the dominant religion in Ireland.

Morrigan’s connection to battle and why Morrigan was important to the Celts and their culture becomes evident in these texts, although that is not all she represents. Morrigan’s name in history has varying spellings and translations, but in Irish her name was originally Mor-Rioghain, meaning great queen or phantom queen. The word Rigan, translates to queen and although Mor has several translations, grea” is the most accredited and accurate meaning to Morrigan. This meaning connects her to sovereignty as she was very much revered.

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