| Celtic Mythology in the Mórrígna Trilogy |
By Irina
 The Mórrígna trilogy is heavily based in Celtic mythology. The Mórrígna is the name of a trio of war goddesses, Macha, Badb, and Mórrígan. These goddesses are fearsome, powerful warrior sisters who take no prisoners and are the catalysts for all the action in the trilogy.
Macha is a horse goddess. She has a forceful personality and, as a queen of Ulster, dominated her husband and his kingdom. As a deity, she brings fruitfulness and increase. She is a constructive force, kinder than her sister Mórrígan, although not softer. When all is said and done, she is a war goddess through and through and will not hesitate to do what is necessary to win.
Badb (pronounced Bave), the second member of the Mórrígna triad, delights in slaughter. She, like the rest of the Mórrígna goddesses, can take two forms, a woman and a crow. Badb is a destructive force who fills warriors with battle fury and is heavily associated with demons and banshees.
The third and most important member of the triad is the Mórrígan, a goddess whose nature has both constructive and destructive facets. In this, she is the pivot around which Badb and Macha balance. Mórrígan is a tri-faceted goddess. Her maiden face is that of a young, sexual girl. Her mother face is a fearsome warrior, seven feet tall. Her crone face is the washer at the ford, a terrifying old woman who washes the garments of those fated to die in upcoming battles. All three of her faces are imperious, impatient, and deadly.
In the Mórrígna trilogy the Wizarding community, by and large, respects and observes what they call the Old Ways. They honor the Otherworld and its deities with festivals on calendar feasts and are very conscious of the fact that what goes on in the Otherworld has a direct effect on what happens in this one. Ginny, as the Pendragon, is the bridge between this world and the Otherworld, the Old Ways and the New. Although this is a convention I made up for the story and has nothing to do with the original legend of the Pendragon, in the trilogy it means that Ginny in particular has a very important role to play. She, like Mórrígan is the pivot that keeps everything in balance.
It
is recommended that you take a look at Irina's short
essay, " Celtic Mythology in
The Morrigna Trilogy", before visiting any of
the sites below.
 The
Encyclopedia Mythica
If this isn't the best mythology resource online, then
I'm Aunt Marge! :o) It's organized by locality, and
provides an alphabetized glossary, as well as in-depth
information on specific myths.
Táin
Bó Cúalnge - Complete Online Resource
"The Tain" is Ginny Weasley's favourite book
in The Mórrígna Trilogy. It is a re-telling of a
major epic in Celtic mythology, The Cattle Raid of
Cooley. This site provides the Irish transcription of
Ernst Windisch (1905) side by side with the English
translation of Joseph Dunn (1914).
The
Sacred Fire
A concise Celtic Mythology resource which discusses
the different deities and cycles, and major epics.
Timeless
Myths, There are two major sections of interest in
this site:
-
Celtic
Mythology
- Arthurian
Legends
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