Irish mythology Irish mythology is the body of myths native to the island of Ireland. It was originally passed down orally in the prehistoric era, being part of ancient Celtic religion. Many myths were later written down in the early medieval era by Ch ...

, the Badb (

Old Irish Old Irish, also called Old Gaelic ( sga, Goídelc, Ogham script: ᚌᚑᚔᚇᚓᚂᚉ; ga, Sean-Ghaeilge; gd, Seann-Ghàidhlig; gv, Shenn Yernish or ), is the oldest form of the Goidelic/Gaelic language for which there are extensive writt ...

, ), or in

Modern Irish Irish ( Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was t ...

Badhbh (, )—also meaning "

crow A crow is a bird of the genus '' Corvus'', or more broadly a synonym for all of ''Corvus''. Crows are generally black in colour. The word "crow" is used as part of the common name of many species. The related term "raven" is not pinned scientifica ...

"—is a

war goddess A war god in mythology associated with war, combat, or bloodshed. They occur commonly in both monotheistic and polytheistic religions. Unlike most gods and goddesses in polytheistic religions, monotheistic deities have traditionally been por ...

who takes the form of a crow, and is thus sometimes known as Badb Catha ("battle crow").http://www.dil.ie/5114 ''badb'', Author: Royal Irish Academy She is known to cause fear and confusion among soldiers to move the tide of battle to her favoured side. Badb may also appear prior to a battle to foreshadow the extent of the carnage to come, or to predict the death of a notable person. She would sometimes do this through wailing cries, leading to comparisons with the bean-sídhe (banshee). With her sisters,

Macha Macha () was a sovereignty goddess of ancient Ireland associated with the province of Ulster, particularly the sites of Navan Fort (''Eamhain Mhacha'') and Armagh (''Ard Mhacha''), which are named after her.Koch, John T. ''Celtic Culture: A H ...

and the Morrigan or Anand, Badb is part of a trio of war goddesses known as '' the three Morrígna''.''Cath Maige Tuired'': The Second Battle of Mag Tuired
Text 166, Author: UnknownElizabeth A. Gray (ed. & trans.),

', section 167, 1982

Representations in legends

In Irish legends, Badb is associated with war and death, appearing either to foreshadow imminent bloodshed or to participate in battles, where she creates confusion among the soldiers. As a harbinger of doom, she appears in a number of different guises. In ''

Togail Bruidne Dá Derga ''Togail Bruidne Dá Derga'' (''The Destruction of Da Derga's Hostel'') is an Irish tale belonging to the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. It survives in three Old and Middle Irish recensions, it is part of the Book of Dun Cow. It recounts th ...

'', she takes the form of an ugly hag who prophesies

Conaire Mór Conaire Mór (the great), son of Eterscél, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ireland. His mother was Mess Búachalla, who was either the daughter of Eochu Feidlech and Étaín, or of Eochu Airem and ...

's downfall. She appears in a similar guise in ''Togail Bruidne Dá Choca'' to foretell the slaying of Cormac Condloinges, as well as taking the form of a " washer at the ford"—a woman washing Cormac's chariot and harness in a ford in what was considered an omen of death. The cries of Badb may also be an ill omen: Cormac's impending death is foreshadowed with the words "The red-mouthed badbs will cry around the house, / For bodies they will be solicitous" and "Pale badbs shall shriek".Hennessy, W. M., "The Ancient Irish Goddess of War", ''Revue Celtique'' 1, 1870–72, pp. 32–37 In this role she has much in common with the bean-sídhe. She was also regularly depicted as an active participant in warfare; indeed, the battlefield was sometimes referred to as "the garden of the Badb". (reissue of ''Gods and Heroes of the Celts''. London: Methuen, 1949) During the First Battle of Mag Tuired, Badb—along with her sisters, Macha and Morrígan—fights on the side of the

Tuatha Dé Danann The Tuath(a) Dé Danann (, meaning "the folk of the goddess Danu"), also known by the earlier name Tuath Dé ("tribe of the gods"), are a supernatural race in Irish mythology. Many of them are thought to represent deities of pre-Christian Gae ...

. Using their magic, the three sisters incite fear and confusion among the

Fir Bolg In medieval Irish myth, the Fir Bolg (also spelt Firbolg and Fir Bholg) are the fourth group of people to settle in Ireland. They are descended from the Muintir Nemid, an earlier group who abandoned Ireland and went to different parts of Europe. ...

army, conjuring "compact clouds of mist and a furious rain of fire" and allowing their enemies "neither rest nor stay for three days and nights".Fraser, J. (ed. & trans.)
"The First Battle of Moytura"
, ''

Ériu In Irish mythology, Ériu (; modern ga, Éire ), daughter of Delbáeth and Ernmas of the Tuatha Dé Danann, was the eponymous matron goddess of Ireland. The English name for Ireland comes from the name Ériu and the Germanic (Old Norse or Ol ...

'' 8, pp. 1–63, 1915 Badb plays a similar role in the

Táin Bó Cúailnge (Modern ; "the driving-off of the cows of Cooley"), commonly known as ''The Táin'' or less commonly as ''The Cattle Raid of Cooley'', is an epic from Irish mythology. It is often called "The Irish Iliad", although like most other early Iri ...

, terrorising and disorienting the forces of Queen Medb and causing many to fall on their own weapons. She would often take the form of a screaming raven or crow, striking fear into those who heard her, and could also be heard as a voice among the corpses on a battlefield. Following the defeat of the

Formorians The Fomorians or Fomori ( sga, Fomóire, Modern ga, Fomhóraigh / Fomóraigh) are a supernatural race in Irish mythology, who are often portrayed as hostile and monstrous beings. Originally they were said to come from under the sea or the eart ...

by the

in the

Second Battle of Mag Tuired ''Cath Maige Tuired'' (modern spelling: ''Cath Maighe Tuireadh''; ) is the name of two saga texts of the Mythological Cycle of Irish mythology. It refers to two separate battles in Connacht: the first in the territory of Conmhaícne Cúile Tuir ...

, Badb (or the Morrígan daughter of Ernmas) instead of predicting doom, now sings a prophecy celebrating the victory and a time of peace,

Then she delivers a prophecy of the eventual end of the world, "foretelling every evil that would be therein, and every disease and every vengeance. Wherefore then she sang this lay below.":

Kinship

Badb is often identified as one of the Morrígna, a trio of Irish war goddesses, although there exist a number of conflicting accounts on this subject. In ''

Lebor Gabála Érenn ''Lebor Gabála Érenn'' (literally "The Book of the Taking of Ireland"), known in English as ''The Book of Invasions'', is a collection of poems and prose narratives in the Irish language intended to be a history of Ireland and the Irish fro ...

'', Badb, Macha and Morrígan make up the Morrígna trinity and are named as daughters of the farming goddess

Ernmas Ernmas is an Irish mother goddess, mentioned in ''Lebor Gabála Érenn'' and "Cath Maige Tuired" as one of the Tuatha Dé Danann. Her daughters include the trinity of eponymous Irish goddesses Ériu, Banba and Fódla, the trinity of war goddesses ...

. According to this version, she is also the sister of

Banba In Irish mythology, Banba (modern spelling: Banbha ), daughter of Delbáeth and Ernmas of the Tuatha Dé Danann, is a matron goddess of Ireland. She was married to Mac Cuill, a grandson of the Dagda. She was part of an important triumvirate of ...

and

Fódla In Irish mythology, Fódla or Fótla (modern spelling: Fódhla, Fodhla or Fóla), daughter of Delbáeth and Ernmas of the Tuatha Dé Danann, was one of the tutelary giantesses of Ireland. Her husband was Mac Cecht. With her sisters, Banba and ...

, the three matron goddesses of Ireland, who give their names to the land. Other accounts identify the trio as daughters of the druid Cailitin and his wife. ''Lebor Gabála Érenn'' also states that Badb is one of the two wives of the war god

Neit In Irish mythology Neit (Néit, Nét, Neith) was a god of war. He was the husband of Nemain and/or Fea, and sometimes of Badb. Also grandfather of Balor, he was killed at the legendary Second Battle of Moytura. Etymology The name probably d ...

. Less commonly, she has been described as the wife of the Fomorian king

Tethra In Irish mythology, Tethra of the Fomorians ruled Mag Mell after dying in the Second Battle of Mag Tuiredh. After the battle, his sword, Orna, was taken by Ogma and it then recounted everything it had done. Etymology Tethra may be derived from ...

Similar deities

In her role as a terrifying battlefield goddess and harbinger of doom, Badb closely resembles

Nemain In Irish mythology, Neman or Nemain (modern spelling: Neamhan, Neamhain) is the spirit-woman or goddess who personifies the frenzied havoc of war. In the ancient texts where The Morrígan appears as a trio of goddesses — the three sisters wh ...

. Like Badb, Nemain is identified as a wife of Neit. Writers have sometimes used their names interchangeably, suggesting that they may in fact be a single goddess. On the other hand,

W. M. Hennessy William Maunsell Hennessy (1829–1889) was an Irish official and scholar. Life Hennessy was born at Castle Gregory, County Kerry. After school education he emigrated to the United States, where he lived for some years. He returned to Ireland a ...

notes that Badb and Nemain were said to have different sets of parents, suggesting that they may not be entirely identical figures. Badb also appears to be closely related to the

Gaulish Gaulish was an ancient Celtic language spoken in parts of Continental Europe before and during the period of the Roman Empire. In the narrow sense, Gaulish was the language of the Celts of Gaul (now France, Luxembourg, Belgium, most of Switze ...

goddess Catubodua, or Bodua.

Etymology

Pointing to variants such as Irish ''badhbh'' 'hoodie crow, a fairy, a scold,' Early Irish ''badb'', 'crow, demon,' ''Badba'', Welsh ''bod'', 'kite,' the Gaulish name ''Bodv''-, in ''Bodvo-gnatus'' and the Welsh name ''Bodnod'', Macbain (1982) suggests *''bodwā''- as the

Proto-Celtic Proto-Celtic, or Common Celtic, is the ancestral proto-language of all known Celtic languages, and a descendant of Proto-Indo-European. It is not attested in writing but has been partly reconstructed through the comparative method. Proto-Celti ...

ancestral form. However, Julius Pokorny (1959:203) suggests *''badwā''- on the basis of similar data. Both MacBain (1982) and Julius Pokorny (1959:203) correlate the element with Norse ''böð'', genitive ''boðvar'', 'war,' and Anglo-Saxon ''beadu'', genitive ''beadwe'', 'battle,' suggesting that the word originally denoted '

battle A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

' or ' strife.' Julius Pokorny (1959:203) presents the element as an extended form of the

Proto-Indo-European Proto-Indo-European (PIE) is the reconstructed common ancestor of the Indo-European language family. Its proposed features have been derived by linguistic reconstruction from documented Indo-European languages. No direct record of Proto-Indo- ...

root *''bhedh''- 'pierce, dig.' To this root Pokorny also links the Sanskrit ''bádhate'', 'oppress,' and the Lithuanian ''bádas'', 'famine'. W. M. Hennessy argues that the word ''bodb'' or ''badb'' originally meant ''rage'', ''fury'', or ''violence'', and came to mean a witch, fairy, or goddess, represented in folklore by the scald-crow, or royston-crow.Hennessy, W. M., "The Ancient Irish Goddess of War", ''Revue Celtique'' 1, 1870–72, pp. 32–37 Peter O'Connell's 1819 ''Irish Dictionary'' defines the Badb as a "'' bean-sidhe'', a female fairy, phantom, or spectre, supposed to be attached to certain families, and to appear sometimes in the form of squall-crows, or royston-crows" and ''badb-catha'' as "''Fionog'', a royston-crow, a squall crow". Other entries relate to her triple nature: "''Macha'', i. e. a royston-crow; ''Morrighain'', i. e. the great fairy; ''Neamhan'', i. e. ''Badb catha nó feannóg''; a ''badb catha'', or royston-crow."Walter Yeeling Evans-Wentz, ''The Fairy-faith in Celtic Countries'', 1911, pp. 304–305

Footnotes

References

* Ó Cuív, Brian (1968). ''Irish Sagas''; ed. Myles Dillon. Cork: Mercier. *MacBain, Alexander. (1982) ''An Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language''. Gairm Publications. * Pokorny, Julius (1959). ''

Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch The ''Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch'' (''IEW''; "Indo-European Etymological Dictionary") was published in 1959 by the Austrian-German comparative linguist and Celtic languages expert Julius Pokorny. It is an updated and slimmed-down ...