The Guises of the Morrigan
The Irish Goddess of Sex &
Battle: Her Myths, Powers & Mysteries
By David Rankine and Sorita d'Este
The Morrígan is the pre-eminent
and most powerful of the Celtic Goddesses. She is the
Bestower of Sovereignty, and it is she who shapes the
land and rules the faery as Queen. She is a Goddess
of both sex and battle, and she uses her potent magic
and sorcery to shapeshift, assuming the forms of numerous
wild animals.
In this book the many parallels between
The Morrígan and other Goddesses and figures
from both British and Gallic folklore, including Morgan
Le Fay, the Banshee, Black Annis, Danu, Epona, Grian,
Modron, Nantosuelta and Rhiannon are explored.
Her manifold roles, titles and guises
weave a rich and colourful tapestry showing the continued
dominion of The Morrígan in mythology, folklore
and literature. She was the tutelary Goddess to the
ill-fated hero Cu Chulainn; she was the Faery Queen
and the Washer at the Ford. She was also the wise crone
the Cailleach, and the battle crow Badb, the frenzied
Nemain and the Warrior Queen Macha.
Her roles and guises which are brought
together for the first time in this carefully researched
volume, the work of many years of study, demonstrate
clearly the significant status that she held in the
ancient Celtic world and continues to enjoy today.”
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PB, £14.99, 210pp,
ISBN 978-1905297009
Publication date: May 2005
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