| The Guises of Morrigan Level II Final Project By Morrigan |
Peace to the sky
Sky to the earth
Earth beneath sky
Strength in each
Sky to the earth
Earth beneath sky
Strength in each
There are numerous manifestations of the Morrigan in the world and I cannot mention
them all, so I picked a few who might be less well known but I want to focus on the
German/Austrian Perchtha.
Black Annis - English
Also known as Black Agnes or Cat Anna. She was a blue-faced hag who lived in a cave in
Dane Hills, in Leicestershire. She seems to be a survival of a guise of the Morrigan as the
hag of winter.
Remains:
Black Annis was seen as a very real threat and affected the Leicestershire area greatly.
The common people did not have window-glass in those days, so anti-witch-herbs were
tied above the apertures to stop Black Annis reaching inside with her very long arms and
grapping their babies.
Every year on Easter Monday (known as Black Monday in this instance in honor of Black
Annis) it was a local custom to hold a mock-hare hunt from her cave to the Mayor of
Leicester’s house.
Cathobodua – Roman-Gallic
In Haut Savoie in Gaul, a Romano-Celtic inscription to a goddess called Cathobodua has
been found. This name may be another name for Badbh in her form as Catha Badbh – the
battle crow.
Gallic coins, depicting a horse with a crow or raven perched on the back, have also been
found. Since both (mare and crow) are totemic animals of the Morrigan, this is clearly
suggesting her worship was also conducted in Gaul (France).
Lamia
In the book ‘the Guises of Morrigan’ the writers see a connection of the Morrigan with the
Lamia as interesting.
There is a carving of three Lamiae at the Roman fort of Benwell in Northern Britain. The
Lamiae were beautiful phantom women who seduced men, and killed them for their flesh
and blood. That the Lamiae are in triple form and at a military fort suggests a connection to
the Morrigan.
Mania - Etruscan
When I studied the Etruscan Gods and Goddesses I came to the conviction that Mania
could be an Etruscan appearance of Morrigan. The Mania was worshipped as a goddess of
the lower realms. She was a truly Etruscan divinity. The Mania was the mother of the
Lares, who where generally understood as family or domestic spirits, ‘ghosts’ of the
Ancestors.
Remains
The Mania still lives in Tuscany and is called Mania della Notte (Mania of the Night) but
regarded simply as the Nightmare, and Succuba, and as a mysterious nocturnal spirit
inspiring wanton dreams.
Mania was a most fearful spirit to the old Italians. Her frightful image used to be hung over
the doors, like a scarecrow, to frighten away evil.
Though Mania was once remembered by many she has passed away and is now “Of the
gods who had their turn and whose fires no longer burn.”
Perchtha or Frau Percht - German/Austrian
A profound tracing back and evidence for a correlation to the ancient mother goddess was
not possible for me – all lost in the "Verwerfungslinien" between the pre-Christian and
Christian time.
But - Looking at the remains it seems nearly obvious to me that the Percht is a survival of
the great goddess Morrigan.
Appearances:
The Percht has very different, even opposite appearances. Either a fair, beautiful or dark
and nasty being, either blessing and procreative or destructive and harming. Numerous
tales describe her as a dark, ugly old woman with a big nose and shaggy hair – simply as a
bugbear. Furthermore there are different descriptions of the Percht as a beautiful high,
white lady, radiating, shining from within.
In other places she appears in both figures, depending of the date or if the children did
behave themselves or not… or just depending on the fact if the coming year will be a good
or a bad one. Some say that the Percht comprises both – the light and the dark, the day
and the night side of life. (Therefore, when depicted in masks, she has a beautiful face
showing to the front and a “schiach” a nasty face showing to the back.)
Sometimes the Percht is not only shown as single figure, but also as a pair – a black and a
white - , or as ‘Dreiheit’ – black, white and red, here comparable with the three Norns, the
three Matrones (or like Morrigan: Nemain, Badbh, Macha).
She is also often depicted with animal attributes, either completely as a mare or at least
with a horse tail and horse foot. Also a common depiction is a feathered creature with a
hard long beak and claws – just like a huge raven.
The Percht often appears with ‘attendance’.
She is surrounded by the “Heimchen” wearing nothing but an airy shirt, protected by the
Perchtha’s beautiful blue cloak. Only Perchthas Heimchen are children, who died before
they had been baptized. These children belonged to the Percht and had to accompany her
as her attendance. Further companion were a black cat or dog. (It is striking, that there is
always a certain number of children that are with her; often 7 or 12, where the checksum
is the sacred 3 )
Remains:
A certain time of the year belongs to the Percht – the time she reins, she rules:
The 12 (Rauhnaechte) – these are the twelve days between the 24th of December
(Bachltag) and Epiphany.
On “Bachltag” – the 24th of December, people are anxious that the wool is all spun; house
and yard is minutious cleaned up, and that the cattle is cared for very early. The stables
are cleaned up and straw is put at the sills, because otherwise there might be round spots
of shaved hair in the skin of the goats and sheep and this hair will return as hail in
summer and ruin the harvest. Some days in advance people collect yew-branches to place
them in the house near mirrors, at corners – for protection or to worship the Percht…They
have a special Name – the Berchtelboschen.
There is also a certain food that is sacred to Percht. Even nowadays in parts of Austria at
Bachltag evening it is custom, that every farmer with his family and his menials eat
together the “Bachlkoch”. This is a flour pastry with honey on top. Every occupant cares
eagerly not to miss this meal, anxious the Percht might be annoyed…
Some of the Bachlkoch is left for the Perchtha. The farmers wife takes the rest of the
Bachlkoch to the garden, places it under the fruit trees and says “Bam eßt’s!” and it is
assumed that the harvest of the coming year will be rich. Meanwhile the farmer,
accompanied by his oldest menial smokes out the whole house and the stable and the
youth with their guns and pistols fire in the air to keep all evil away.
In other parts of Austria and in Bavaria, on Perchtentag, which is the 5th of January,
people leave ‘Kuachln’ (little cakes) on the table for the Percht to eat at night. It is
considered as a sign/omen for a prosperous year when the Kuachln are eaten up in the
morning.
But the Percht does not like to be watched. It is said that once a young boy did not believe
in her and stayed up all night to watch her. He was hiding behind the oven and when the
Percht finally came, she did not eat the cake, but took instead the faithless boy with her…
There is another saying that the Percht takes away maiden that try to watch her and stay
up all night hiding outside the house to see her coming. Once she detects them, the
Perchtha takes them away for 3 years to serve her.
At the end it depends on how the maiden behaved…The Percht punishes any laziness, so
only the helpful and fleißige Maiden will be rewarded after this time… Frau Holle (Brothers
Grimm) tells such a story. Frau Holle is the equivalent of the Bavarian Perchtha in
Northern Germany.
Here in Bavaria and even more common in Austria we a have special dance, the
Perchtentanz or Perchtenlauf.
A group of (mostly men!) goes to the villages and dances, making a lot of noise with their
bells and chains and drums.
With their wooden, handcrafted masks and furs they are looking very scary.
They come to bring luck and blessings and new growth to the people.
They come to conjure and renew the fertile cohabiting of humankind and nature.
But first, they come to jolt us and shake us up with their noise and fierce air as if they are
calling:
Remind the elemental forces!
Don't shut your eyes before what scares you!
Don't shut your spirit before what awaits you, threatens you.
Watch the dance of these guises ...
Don't hide from the darkness - because the light will be reborn...
Interesting to know that there are numerous clubs, associations that keep this tradition
alive.
All ‘dancers’ are volunteers, their masks and costumes are all handcrafted by theyr own
members.
These clubs are booked every year around the twelve Rauhnächte by schools, other
official institutions, and private persons.
them all, so I picked a few who might be less well known but I want to focus on the
German/Austrian Perchtha.
Black Annis - English
Also known as Black Agnes or Cat Anna. She was a blue-faced hag who lived in a cave in
Dane Hills, in Leicestershire. She seems to be a survival of a guise of the Morrigan as the
hag of winter.
Remains:
Black Annis was seen as a very real threat and affected the Leicestershire area greatly.
The common people did not have window-glass in those days, so anti-witch-herbs were
tied above the apertures to stop Black Annis reaching inside with her very long arms and
grapping their babies.
Every year on Easter Monday (known as Black Monday in this instance in honor of Black
Annis) it was a local custom to hold a mock-hare hunt from her cave to the Mayor of
Leicester’s house.
Cathobodua – Roman-Gallic
In Haut Savoie in Gaul, a Romano-Celtic inscription to a goddess called Cathobodua has
been found. This name may be another name for Badbh in her form as Catha Badbh – the
battle crow.
Gallic coins, depicting a horse with a crow or raven perched on the back, have also been
found. Since both (mare and crow) are totemic animals of the Morrigan, this is clearly
suggesting her worship was also conducted in Gaul (France).
Lamia
In the book ‘the Guises of Morrigan’ the writers see a connection of the Morrigan with the
Lamia as interesting.
There is a carving of three Lamiae at the Roman fort of Benwell in Northern Britain. The
Lamiae were beautiful phantom women who seduced men, and killed them for their flesh
and blood. That the Lamiae are in triple form and at a military fort suggests a connection to
the Morrigan.
Mania - Etruscan
When I studied the Etruscan Gods and Goddesses I came to the conviction that Mania
could be an Etruscan appearance of Morrigan. The Mania was worshipped as a goddess of
the lower realms. She was a truly Etruscan divinity. The Mania was the mother of the
Lares, who where generally understood as family or domestic spirits, ‘ghosts’ of the
Ancestors.
Remains
The Mania still lives in Tuscany and is called Mania della Notte (Mania of the Night) but
regarded simply as the Nightmare, and Succuba, and as a mysterious nocturnal spirit
inspiring wanton dreams.
Mania was a most fearful spirit to the old Italians. Her frightful image used to be hung over
the doors, like a scarecrow, to frighten away evil.
Though Mania was once remembered by many she has passed away and is now “Of the
gods who had their turn and whose fires no longer burn.”
Perchtha or Frau Percht - German/Austrian
A profound tracing back and evidence for a correlation to the ancient mother goddess was
not possible for me – all lost in the "Verwerfungslinien" between the pre-Christian and
Christian time.
But - Looking at the remains it seems nearly obvious to me that the Percht is a survival of
the great goddess Morrigan.
Appearances:
The Percht has very different, even opposite appearances. Either a fair, beautiful or dark
and nasty being, either blessing and procreative or destructive and harming. Numerous
tales describe her as a dark, ugly old woman with a big nose and shaggy hair – simply as a
bugbear. Furthermore there are different descriptions of the Percht as a beautiful high,
white lady, radiating, shining from within.
In other places she appears in both figures, depending of the date or if the children did
behave themselves or not… or just depending on the fact if the coming year will be a good
or a bad one. Some say that the Percht comprises both – the light and the dark, the day
and the night side of life. (Therefore, when depicted in masks, she has a beautiful face
showing to the front and a “schiach” a nasty face showing to the back.)
Sometimes the Percht is not only shown as single figure, but also as a pair – a black and a
white - , or as ‘Dreiheit’ – black, white and red, here comparable with the three Norns, the
three Matrones (or like Morrigan: Nemain, Badbh, Macha).
She is also often depicted with animal attributes, either completely as a mare or at least
with a horse tail and horse foot. Also a common depiction is a feathered creature with a
hard long beak and claws – just like a huge raven.
The Percht often appears with ‘attendance’.
She is surrounded by the “Heimchen” wearing nothing but an airy shirt, protected by the
Perchtha’s beautiful blue cloak. Only Perchthas Heimchen are children, who died before
they had been baptized. These children belonged to the Percht and had to accompany her
as her attendance. Further companion were a black cat or dog. (It is striking, that there is
always a certain number of children that are with her; often 7 or 12, where the checksum
is the sacred 3 )
Remains:
A certain time of the year belongs to the Percht – the time she reins, she rules:
The 12 (Rauhnaechte) – these are the twelve days between the 24th of December
(Bachltag) and Epiphany.
On “Bachltag” – the 24th of December, people are anxious that the wool is all spun; house
and yard is minutious cleaned up, and that the cattle is cared for very early. The stables
are cleaned up and straw is put at the sills, because otherwise there might be round spots
of shaved hair in the skin of the goats and sheep and this hair will return as hail in
summer and ruin the harvest. Some days in advance people collect yew-branches to place
them in the house near mirrors, at corners – for protection or to worship the Percht…They
have a special Name – the Berchtelboschen.
There is also a certain food that is sacred to Percht. Even nowadays in parts of Austria at
Bachltag evening it is custom, that every farmer with his family and his menials eat
together the “Bachlkoch”. This is a flour pastry with honey on top. Every occupant cares
eagerly not to miss this meal, anxious the Percht might be annoyed…
Some of the Bachlkoch is left for the Perchtha. The farmers wife takes the rest of the
Bachlkoch to the garden, places it under the fruit trees and says “Bam eßt’s!” and it is
assumed that the harvest of the coming year will be rich. Meanwhile the farmer,
accompanied by his oldest menial smokes out the whole house and the stable and the
youth with their guns and pistols fire in the air to keep all evil away.
In other parts of Austria and in Bavaria, on Perchtentag, which is the 5th of January,
people leave ‘Kuachln’ (little cakes) on the table for the Percht to eat at night. It is
considered as a sign/omen for a prosperous year when the Kuachln are eaten up in the
morning.
But the Percht does not like to be watched. It is said that once a young boy did not believe
in her and stayed up all night to watch her. He was hiding behind the oven and when the
Percht finally came, she did not eat the cake, but took instead the faithless boy with her…
There is another saying that the Percht takes away maiden that try to watch her and stay
up all night hiding outside the house to see her coming. Once she detects them, the
Perchtha takes them away for 3 years to serve her.
At the end it depends on how the maiden behaved…The Percht punishes any laziness, so
only the helpful and fleißige Maiden will be rewarded after this time… Frau Holle (Brothers
Grimm) tells such a story. Frau Holle is the equivalent of the Bavarian Perchtha in
Northern Germany.
Here in Bavaria and even more common in Austria we a have special dance, the
Perchtentanz or Perchtenlauf.
A group of (mostly men!) goes to the villages and dances, making a lot of noise with their
bells and chains and drums.
With their wooden, handcrafted masks and furs they are looking very scary.
They come to bring luck and blessings and new growth to the people.
They come to conjure and renew the fertile cohabiting of humankind and nature.
But first, they come to jolt us and shake us up with their noise and fierce air as if they are
calling:
Remind the elemental forces!
Don't shut your eyes before what scares you!
Don't shut your spirit before what awaits you, threatens you.
Watch the dance of these guises ...
Don't hide from the darkness - because the light will be reborn...
Interesting to know that there are numerous clubs, associations that keep this tradition
alive.
All ‘dancers’ are volunteers, their masks and costumes are all handcrafted by theyr own
members.
These clubs are booked every year around the twelve Rauhnächte by schools, other
official institutions, and private persons.
| Poems Celtic Raven Lore One for bad news, Two for mirth. Three is a wedding, Four is a birth. Five is for riches, Six is a thief. Seven, a journey, Eight is for grief. Nine is a secret, Ten is for sorrow. Eleven is for love, Twelve – joy for tomorrow. The Prophecy “Peace to the sky, sky to the earth, earth to the sky, strength in each; a cup very full, full of honey, honour enough, summer in winter; spear supported by shield, shields supported by forts, forts fierce eager for battle, fleece from sheep, woods full of stags, forever destructions have departed, mast of trees, a branch drooping down, drooping from growth wealth for a son, a son very learned neck of bull in yoke, a bull from a song knots in woods, wood for a fire fire as wanted palisades new and bright salmon their victory, the Boyne their hostel hostel with an excellence of size new growth after spring in autumn horses increase the land held secure land recounted with excellence of word Be might to the eternal much excellent woods peace to sky be this nine times eternal.” “I shall not see a world that will be dear to me. Summer without flowers, cows without milk, Women without modesty, men not brave, Conquests without a king. Woods without mast, fishless seas, Bad judgments by old men, False precedents of the lawgivers. Every man a betrayer, each son a robber, The son will enter his father’s bed The father also in the bed of the son, A brother becomes his own brother-in-law! None will look for a woman outside his own house. O evil time, deception, deception. ~~Cath Maige Tuired. Crow “Who is stronger than hope? Death. Who is stronger than the will? Death. Stronger than love? Death. Stronger than life? Death. But who is stronger than death? Me, evidently. Pass, Crow.” ~~Ted Hughes |
Site locations of The Morrigan
Eire
Armagh
Named after the Macha as recorded in the Dindshenchas :( studies in Gaelic prose and
verse of the etymology and history of place-names in Ireland)
And after this she died and her tomb was raised on Ard Macha …Whence Ard Machae,
Macha’s Height.”
Bed of the Dagdha
The ford where the Dagda and the Morrigan were said to have united, also became known
as the “Bed of the couple”, and is located at the Dindgai in Broga.
Dá chich na Morrigna
or “Paps of the Morrigan” is located near Newgrange in Co. Meath
Dorsey Ramparts
The Morrigan was supposed to have thrown a white stone from Slieve Gullion to the
Dorsey Ramparts several kilometers away. The tradition of keeping the stone whitewashed
is still observed annually.
Gort na Morrigna
Gort na Morrigna (the Morrigan’s Field) in Co. Louth is another of her sites, and recalls the
meanings of the name Macha.
Eire
Armagh
Named after the Macha as recorded in the Dindshenchas :( studies in Gaelic prose and
verse of the etymology and history of place-names in Ireland)
And after this she died and her tomb was raised on Ard Macha …Whence Ard Machae,
Macha’s Height.”
Bed of the Dagdha
The ford where the Dagda and the Morrigan were said to have united, also became known
as the “Bed of the couple”, and is located at the Dindgai in Broga.
Dá chich na Morrigna
or “Paps of the Morrigan” is located near Newgrange in Co. Meath
Dorsey Ramparts
The Morrigan was supposed to have thrown a white stone from Slieve Gullion to the
Dorsey Ramparts several kilometers away. The tradition of keeping the stone whitewashed
is still observed annually.
Gort na Morrigna
Gort na Morrigna (the Morrigan’s Field) in Co. Louth is another of her sites, and recalls the
meanings of the name Macha.
Etruscan Lamia
German/Austrian Percht
| MY ORIGINAL WORK FOR THIS LEVEL II PROJECT |
“Darkness” By Morrigan
I created this painting over the duration of more than one and a half years.
The first idea of this project came to me in the middle of the night…
I just started mixing my colors and had some kind of a “Art Epiphany”.
I ‘woke up’ in underwear, spots of oil color on my legs and face and hands, my couch, - and of
course, on the canvas LOL.
The colors I had mixed myself with poppy seed oil and various “pigments “
I covered the canvas completely with red ochre, then ‘carved’ the rune ALGIZ all over the canvas
You can see its structure still under the color…
The idea came to me in winter – when I saw the ‘footprints’ of the crows in the park.
Actually; what I saw was the rune ALGIZ in the snow – then I realized the crows…
I always knew that the goddess protects me – and the crows were the medium I gave my
offerings to her, but…
This visual experience made this ‘knowledge’ screaming at me (Morrigan is protecting you)
I felt so strongly connected to the goddess Morrigan during the time of working on this painting.
It is not possible for me.. to put that in words– but in colors…
If you wish to have a broader explanation on the work free feel to contact me
Resources:
Frau Holle – Das Feenvolk der Dolomiten / Heide Goettner-Abendroth
The Guises of The Morrigan / David Rankine and Sorita D’Este
Frau Percht – Göttin im Exil/Ernst Weeber Hrsg: Perschten-Stiftung
The Sacred Isle / Daithi O’Hogain
Etruscan Roman Romains / Charles G. Leland
Deutsche Mythology /Jakob Grimm
I created this painting over the duration of more than one and a half years.
The first idea of this project came to me in the middle of the night…
I just started mixing my colors and had some kind of a “Art Epiphany”.
I ‘woke up’ in underwear, spots of oil color on my legs and face and hands, my couch, - and of
course, on the canvas LOL.
The colors I had mixed myself with poppy seed oil and various “pigments “
I covered the canvas completely with red ochre, then ‘carved’ the rune ALGIZ all over the canvas
You can see its structure still under the color…
The idea came to me in winter – when I saw the ‘footprints’ of the crows in the park.
Actually; what I saw was the rune ALGIZ in the snow – then I realized the crows…
I always knew that the goddess protects me – and the crows were the medium I gave my
offerings to her, but…
This visual experience made this ‘knowledge’ screaming at me (Morrigan is protecting you)
I felt so strongly connected to the goddess Morrigan during the time of working on this painting.
It is not possible for me.. to put that in words– but in colors…
If you wish to have a broader explanation on the work free feel to contact me
Resources:
Frau Holle – Das Feenvolk der Dolomiten / Heide Goettner-Abendroth
The Guises of The Morrigan / David Rankine and Sorita D’Este
Frau Percht – Göttin im Exil/Ernst Weeber Hrsg: Perschten-Stiftung
The Sacred Isle / Daithi O’Hogain
Etruscan Roman Romains / Charles G. Leland
Deutsche Mythology /Jakob Grimm
| Copyright©Morrigan,2007 |