Resources – Meeting the Morrígan Workshop Morpheus Ravenna & Coru Cathubodua Priesthood

Source texts Below are only a few highlights of the Irish literature – there are many texts in which the Morrígan makes appearances, or in which Her avatars feature (e.g. Scathach, Uathach and Aoife in the training of Cu Chulainn; stories of Macha, etc.) These are the core texts that you may want to be familiar with: the Book of Invasions, First and Second Battles of Magh Tuiredh, and the Táin (and the rest of the Red Branch cycle generally). After that, we recommend expanding to reading the rest of the Mythological cycle, as well as the Fenian cycle.

Lebor Gabála Éren – Book of Invasions The coming of the Tuatha Dé Danann (the Gods of Ireland) including the bringing of the Four Treasures. http://www.maryjones.us/ctexts/leborgabala.html

Cath Maige Tuiredh – First Battle of Magh Tuiredh In which the Tuatha battle the Fir Bolg for the sovereignty of Ireland; Nuada the High King loses his hand and becomes Nuada Silver-Hand. http://www.maryjones.us/ctexts/1maghtured.html

Cath Maige Tuiredh – Second Battle of Magh Tuiredh In which the Tuatha defend Ireland from the invading Fomoire; the coming of Lugh Samildánach (Many-Skilled); the Morrígan’s prophecy. http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T300011.html

Táin Bó Cúalnge – Cattle Raid of Cúalnge The central tale of the Ulster Heroic Cycle; the warrior Cu Chulainn and the Ulstermen defend against the army of Connaught invading to take the Brown Bull of Cúalnge. The death of Cu Chulainn under the Morrígan’s power. http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T301035/index.html

Celtic Literature Collective Exhaustive archive of Celtic literature organized by source culture (Irish, Welsh, Scottish, Breton, etc.) http://www.maryjones.us/ctexts/index.html

CELT - Corpus of Electronic Texts Digital library of Irish texts. This one is also a great resource for source texts, but a little harder to navigate than the MaryJones site. http://www.ucc.ie/celt/

Analysis

Hennessey, W.M. The Ancient Irish Goddess of War (1870) The earliest scholarly work focusing on the Morrígan specifically; a good overview with some interesting details. Nineteenth century scholarship may contain some errors in interpretation and etymology but remains worthwhile reading. http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/aigw/aigw01.htm

Epstein, Angelique Gulermovich. War Goddess: The Morrígan and her Germano-Celtic Counterparts (1998) A doctoral dissertation on the Morrígan as She is depicted in Irish medieval literature. The most thorough scholarly work I am aware of focusing specifically on Her; Her image and attributes, myths, functions and powers, relationship to heroes and other Gods, and links to related mythic beings outside the Irish context. http://books.google.com/books/about/War_Goddess.html?id=WRLONwAACAAJ

Beck, Noémie. Goddesses in Celtic Religion – Cult and Mythology: A Comparative Study of Ancient Ireland, Britain and Gaul (2009) This is an exhaustive study of archaeological, literary, and etymological evidence pertaining to the identities, histories and ritual cults of Celtic Goddesses. Of interest to us is primarily Chapter 3, Territorial and War Goddessess. Introduction is also strongly recommended, as it gives background on the types of evidence and sources examined. http://theses.univ-lyon2.fr/documents/lyon2/2009/beck_n#p=0&a=top

Gerneral Celtic Studies Books

Ross, Anne, Ph. D. Everyday life of the pagan Celts (1970) http://archive.org/details/everydaylifeofpa00ross

Dáithí Ó hÓgáin. The Celts: A History (2006) http://www.amazon.com/The-Celts-History-D%C3%A1ith%C3%AD-hg %C3%A1in/dp/0851159230

Robins, Don, and Anne Ross, Ph.D. Life and Death of a Druid Prince (1991) http://books.google.com/books/about/Life_and_Death_of_a_Druid_Prince.html?id=SIN- AAAAMAAJ

For questions & follow up correspondence – contact us at the Coru Priesthood page, https://www.facebook.com/CoruCathubodua.