Gods and Fighting Men
The Morrigu
As to the Morrigu, the Great Queen, the Crow of Battle, where she lived after
the coming of the Gael is not known, but before that time it was in Teamhair she
lived. And she had a great cooking-spit there, that held three sorts of food on
it at the one time: a piece of raw meat, and a piece of dressed meat, and a
piece of butter. And the raw was dressed, and the dressed was not burned, and
the butter did not melt, and the three together on the spit.
Nine men that were outlaws went to her one time and asked for a spit to be
made for themselves. And they brought it away with them, and it had nine ribs in
it, and every one of the outlaws would carry a rib in his hand wherever he would
go, till they would all meet together at the close of day. And if they wanted
the spit to be high, it could be raised to a man's height, and at another time
it would not be more than the height of a fist over the fire, without breaking
and without lessening.
And Mechi, the son the Morrigu had, was killed by Mac Cecht on Magh Mechi,
that till that time had been called Magh Fertaige. Three hearts he had, and it
is the way they were, they had the shapes of three serpents through them. And if
Mechi had not met with his death, those serpents in him would have grown,
and what they left alive in Ireland would have wasted away. And Mac Cecht burned
the three hearts on Magh Luathad, the Plain of Ashes, and he threw the ashes
into the stream; and the rushing water of the stream stopped and boiled up, and
every creature in it died.
And the Morrigu used often to be meddling in Ireland in Cuchulain's time,
stirring up wars and quarrels. It was she came and roused up Cuchulain one time
when he was but a lad, and was near giving into some enchantment that was used
against him. "There is not the making of a hero in you," she said to him, "and
you lying there under the feet of shadows." And with that Cuchulain rose up and
struck off the head of a shadow that was standing over him, with his hurling
stick. And the time Conchubar was sending out Finched to rouse up the men of
Ulster at the time of the war for the Bull of Cuafigne, he bade him to go to
that terrible fury, the Morrigu, to get help for Cuchulain. And she had a
dispute with Cuchulain one time he met her, and she bringing away a cow from the
Hill of Cruachan; and another time she helped Taichinem, a Druid of the
household of Conaire Mor, to bring away a bull his wife had set her mind on. And
indeed she was much given to meddling with cattle, and one time she brought away
a cow from Odras, that was of the household of the cow-chief of Connac Hua
Cuined, and that was going after her husband with cattle. And the Morrigu
brought the cow away with her to the Cave of Cruachan, and the Hill of the Sidhe.
And Odras followed her there till sleep fell on her in the oak-wood of Falga;
and the Morrigu awoke her and sang spells over her, and made of her a pool of
water that went to the river that flows to the west of Slieve Buane.
And in the battle of Magh Rath, she fluttered over Congal Claen in the shape
of a bird, till he did not know friend from foe. And after that again at the
battle of Cluantarbh, she was flying over the bead of Murchadh, son of Brian;
for she had many shapes, and it was in the shape of a crow she would sometimes
fight her battles.
And if it was not the Morrigu, it was Badb that showed herself in the battle
of Dunbolg, where the men of Ireland were fighting under Aedh, son of Niall; and
Brigit was seen in the same battle on the side of the men of Leinster.
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