Celtic Mythology

Macha

Celtic gods & goddesses

Macha

Macha was an Irish war goddesss, strongly linked to the land. Macha was the wife of Crunniuc. She, was thought to be one aspect of the triple death-goddess, the Morrigán (the “Great Queen” or “Phantom Queen”), consisting of Macha “Raven”, Badb “Scald Crow” or “Coiling”, and Nemain “Battle Furey” Macha is associated with both horses and crows. They often appeared at the scene of a battle disguised as a raven or other bird, and took a decisive role in the battle. There were three elements in Macha: the first was the maternal reproductive part, the second the agrarian element and the third was the element of sexual fertility. All three parts combined to form a mother goddess figure based on war and fertility.

As Goddess of the land, they are said to be cognate with Ana or Danu, and Macha is said to the one of the Tuatha de Danann.

Tales of Macha

The most famous part of the Macha legend was the race in which she ran while pregnant. It was said that she went to the house of Cruind, a farmer, and circled on the flagstones outside his house three times before entering the dwelling and embarking on an affair with him. Macha became pregnant and later in a conversation with the king of Ulster, Cruind boasted that Macha could outrun any horse. The king demanded to see this put to the test despite the protestations of Macha. She appealed for a delay until she had given birth but the king refused and she was forced to compete. One version of the tale states that she died after the race, giving birth to twins. In her drying pain and anger, she curses the men of Ulster to nine times nine generations, that in their time of worst peril they should suffer the paid of child birth.

The tale of Macha racing the horses and cursing the men of Ulster is not the only tie between Her and the Pagan capital of Ulster, Emain Macha. There is also the tale of Macha the Red. In this tale, Macha was the daughter of Aed, one of three kings who took turns ruling. When Aed died Macha rose to take his place on the throne. Dithorba and Cimbieth objected to this so Macha challenged them to battle. Macha defeated the other two kings and thus came to rule by not only inheritance, but by conquest. It came that Dithorba died and his sons rose to challenge Macha. On the night of the tale the five sons of Dithorba were sitting around the fire.

The tale continues that in this guise She used Her sexual wiles to lure the men, in order from the youngest to oldest, away from the others and into the forest where She bound them by Her magick. It is thus said that She bound them by Her magick and then taught them by Her magick. Afterwards the sons of Dithorba built the fort temple at Emain Macha where they remained in the service of “the Mighty Goddess” for the rest of their lives.

Emain Macha is not the only location in Ireland bearing the name and a tale of Macha. There is also the “Plain of Macha” and the “Hill of Macha”. Perhaps it is from this that the idea of Macha as a group of Goddesses arises. In “Gods and Heros of the Celts”, Marie-Louise Sjoestedt lists Macha as a group of seasonal Goddesses that were matronesses of the great feasts and the sacred sites they were held upon.4

There is also a tale of Macha working with the land when the people first arrived to Ireland. It is said that the land was so densely forested that the people could not grow food and their animals could not graze. Macha came with Her Great Axe and cleared the land for the people. This further ties Macha to the forests as it was also in the forests that She bound the sons of Dithorba.

This tale and all of these land areas bearing the name of Macha and the seasonal indications bring us to Macha as land Goddess and Goddess of Sovereignty. These aspects can also been seen in the outlay of Emain Macha being based upon Macha’s cloak pin. Nicholas R. Mann furthers this association in Druid Magic where he describes a dream that leads him to the knowledge that if the sacred center of Pagan Ulster, Emain Macha, is based upon Macha’s brooch pin then the trees and landscape of Ireland would serve as Her cloak. To me, this further reinforces Emain Macha as spiritual and political center of Pagan Ulster. The sacred land would be Her mantle of sovereignty from which the chosen ruler would lead the peoples. Being that leaders previously held their role in strong connection to the land and its sovereignty, this would seem to make Macha an integral part of the landscape, the rulers and the people as well as making connections to the fertility of the land. These ideas also lead us back to her association as a Horse Goddess as the horse carries a strong tie to sovereignty for the Celtic peoples.

Perhaps the most well known attribute of Macha is as a part of the Morrighan. It is within this group that Macha is known as one of the Battle Goddesses of the Tuatha De Danann. It is interesting to note that in this group the magickal abilities of Macha come to the forefront again. It is said that as part of the Morrighan Macha used no weapon, only her magick. Many times Macha is seen as the Mother aspect of the Morrighan though She was also seen as a crone by Her actions. One such is guarding the mesred machae, which Celtic Women’s Spirituality, Accessing the Cauldron of Life by Edain McCoy explains as the pillared gate upon “which the severed heads of conquered warriors were displayed” at the Ulster fortress of the Red Branch warriors, Emain Macha. This imagery is further carried on in the Masts of Macha, which is one of the terms used to refer to the heads upon the battlefield that belonged to Macha. This terminology also puts Her in the realm of the crone as one who guides the slain onto the Otherworld.

There is also speculation that like the Morrighan, Macha is a triplicate and is actually, the Macha. Perhaps as we saw the Mother and the Crone aspects of Macha, there is a maiden as well making Her a triple Goddess.