("Great Queen", "Specter Queen", "Supreme War Goddess" or "Queen of Phantoms or Demons") Irish/Celtic. The Dark aspect of the Celtic Triple Goddess. Crone aspect of the Goddess. Great Mother. Moon Goddess. Great White Goddess. Queen of the Fairies. Patroness of priestesses and Witches. Queen of the Witches and Goddess of Magick. Associated with revenge, night, magick, prophecy, wisdom, war and peace. Possibly a pre-Celtic Moon goddess.In her Dark Aspect, she is the Goddess of War, Fate and Death. As a War Goddess, she reigned over the battlefield, helping with her magick, but did not join in battles. The "Washer at the Ford" (seem washing bloody laundry prior to battle by those destined to die). With her, others like Fea (Hateful), Nemon (Venomous), Badb (Fury) and Macha (Battle) encouraged fighters to battle-madness. Marries the Dagdha at Samhain. Daughter of Ernmas, and sometimes a collective name for all three of her daughters; see Badhbh. Her symbol was the raven or crow. Like many Goddesses, She was a shapechanger. She often turned into a raven or hooded crow. The carrion crow is her favorite disguise. Could also appear as a beautiful Maiden or an ugly Hag.
Tradition says she has nine loosed tresses on her head, a sign of her connection with the Ninefold Goddess of the Cauldron. Goddess of rivers, lakes, and fresh water. Once she confronted the Celtic hero Cu Chulainn, attacking him in the forms of a crow, a gray wolf and a hornless red heifer. He was able to fight all of them off, but she had the last laugh, when he was dying in battle years later, she turned into a hooded crow and perched on his dying body as his enemies approached to finish him off. she did not actually fight, but urged on her chosen armies and intimidated the ones She wanted to lose with Her fearsome war cries. she survived into medieval times as Morgan Le Fay, the witch who haunted King Arthur and his knights. "Like Macha, the Crone aspect of the Morrigan, Morgan as Mother Death cast the destroying curse on every man." -- Barbara Walker, The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets.
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