In
Irish mythologyThe mythology of pre-Christian Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity, but much of it was preserved, shorn of its religious meanings, in medieval Irish literature, which represents the most extensive and best preserved of all the branches of Celtic mythology...
, the
Badb ( "
crowThe true crows are large passerine birds that form the genus Corvus in the family Corvidae. Ranging in size from the relatively small pigeon-sized jackdaws to the Common Raven of the Holarctic region and Thick-billed Raven of the highlands of Ethiopia, the 40 or so members of this genus occur on...
" in Old Irish;
modern IrishIrish is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now only spoken natively by a small minority of the Irish population but also plays an important symbolic role in the life of the Irish state, and is used...
badhbh, , meaning "
vultureVultures are scavenging birds, feeding mostly on the carcasses of dead animals. Vultures are found on every continent except Antarctica and Oceania....
") was a
goddessA goddess is a female deity. Often deities are part of a polytheistic system that includes several deities in a pantheon. In some cultures goddesses are commonly associated with the Earth, motherhood, love, and the household, often reflecting the historical gender roles of that culture...
of war who took the form of a crow, and was thus sometimes known as
Badb Catha (
battle crow). She often caused confusion among soldiers to move the tide of battle to her favored side.
Boa IslandBoa Island is an island located near the north shore of Lower Lough Erne, in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is 25 kilometres from Enniskillen town....
is named for this goddess.
Battlefields were called
the land of the Badb, and were often said to include the Badb taking part as a crow or as a wolf. The Badb is associated with the
beansidheThe Banshee , from the Irish bean sídhe is a female spirit in Irish mythology, usually seen as an omen of death and a messenger from the Otherworld...
, and is said to have been crucial in the battle against the
FomoriansIn Irish mythology, the Fomorians, Fomors, or Fomori were a semi-divine race who inhabited Ireland in ancient times. They may have once been believed to be the beings who preceded the gods, similar to the Greek Titans...
.
Badbs were also sacrificial victims. In
The Destruction of Da Derga's HostelTogail Bruidne Dá Derga is an Irish epic tale belonging to the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. It survives in three Old and Middle Irish recensions. It recounts the birth, life, and death of Conaire Mór son of Eterscél, a legendary High King of Ireland, who is killed at Da Derga's hostel by his...
, among the hostel's rooms and their inhabitants spied out by Lomna Druth son of Donn Desa, who reports to Fer rogain, after the rooms of
Conaire MorConaire Mór , 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 his daughter by Étaín...
's equerries and judges and conjurors and lampoon-singers, came the Room of the Badbs:
"'I beheld a trio, naked, on the roof-tree of the house: their jets of blood coming through them, and the ropes of their slaughter on their necks.'
'Those I know,' saith he, 'three . . . of awful boding. Those are the three that are slaughtered at every time.' "
In the mythological account of the second battle of Mag Tuired, wherein the Tuatha De Danann defeated the Fomorians in battle, Badb is said to have recited the following prophecy of the end of the world:
Summer without flowers,
kine without milk,
women without modesty,
men without valour;
captives without a king,
woods without mast,
sea without produce
— (Ó Cuív 37)
With her sisters,
MachaMacha is a presumed goddess of ancient Ireland, associated with war, horses, sovereignty, and the sites of Armagh and Emain Macha in County Armagh, which are named after her...
and the
MorríganThe Morrígan or Mórrígan is a figure from Irish mythology who appears to have once been a goddess, although she is not explicitly referred to as such in the texts.She is associated with sovereignty, prophecy, war, and...
, she was part of a
trioFor the musical chord structure, see Triad .Triad is a term that describes many branches of Chinese underground society and/or organizations based in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Macau, Malaysia and Mainland China, and also in Western countries and cities with significant Chinese populations such...
of war goddesses who were the daughters of the
mother goddessA mother goddess is a term used to refer to any goddess associated with motherhood, fertility, creation or the bountiful embodiment of the Earth...
,
ErnmasErnmas 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 the Badb, Macha and the Mórrígan , and also a trinity of...
. According to Seathrún Céitinn Badb was worshipped by
ÉriuIn Irish mythology, Ériu , daughter of Ernmas of the Tuatha Dé Danann, was the eponymous matron goddess of Ireland. Her husband was Mac Gréine...
, with whom she may be seen as equivalent. She is sometimes the wife of
NeitFor the Egyptian goddes, see Neith.In Irish mythology Neit was a god of war. He was the husband of Nemain, and sometimes of Badb. Also grandfather of Balor, he was killed at the legendary Second Battle of Moytura. The name probably derives from the proto-Celtic *nei-t- meaning fighting or passion...
, and may be equivalent with
NemainIn Irish mythology, Nemain is the fairy spirit of the frenzied havoc of war, and possibly an aspect of the Morrígan.-Representation in literature:...
, Neit's more usual wife. However,
NemainIn Irish mythology, Nemain is the fairy spirit of the frenzied havoc of war, and possibly an aspect of the Morrígan.-Representation in literature:...
and Badb are said to have had different fathers which is an argument for their separateness as personages: Badb is described as one of the three daughters of
DelbaethIn Irish mythology Delbáeth was the son of either Aengus or Ogma of the Tuatha Dé Danann, and Ethniu of the Fomorians. He succeeded his grandfather Eochaid Ollathair, aka the Dagda, as High King of Ireland. He was the father, by Ernmas, of the three eponymous Irish goddesses Ériu, Banba and Fodla...
son of
NeidFor the Egyptian goddes, see Neith.In Irish mythology Neit was a god of war. He was the husband of Nemain, and sometimes of Badb. Also grandfather of Balor, he was killed at the legendary Second Battle of Moytura. The name probably derives from the proto-Celtic *nei-t- meaning fighting or passion...
whereas
NemainIn Irish mythology, Nemain is the fairy spirit of the frenzied havoc of war, and possibly an aspect of the Morrígan.-Representation in literature:...
is said to have been the daughter of
ElcmarIn Irish mythology, Elcmar was the husband of Boann. He may be Nuada under another name....
of the Brugh (
NewgrangeNewgrange is a passage tomb of the Brú na Bóinne complex in County Louth. It is one of the most famous prehistoric sites in the world, and indeed the most famous of all Irish prehistoric sites...
, near the Boyne), who was the son of
DelbaethIn Irish mythology Delbáeth was the son of either Aengus or Ogma of the Tuatha Dé Danann, and Ethniu of the Fomorians. He succeeded his grandfather Eochaid Ollathair, aka the Dagda, as High King of Ireland. He was the father, by Ernmas, of the three eponymous Irish goddesses Ériu, Banba and Fodla...
, son of
OgmaOgma or Oghma is a character from Irish mythology. A member of the Tuatha Dé Danann, he is often considered a deity and may be related to the Gaulish god Ogmios....
, son of
ElatanIn Irish mythology, Elatha was a prince of the Fomorians and the father of Bres by Ériu of the Tuatha Dé Danann. The imagery surrounding him suggests he may once have been a moon god....
.
Likely, she is related to the Gaulish
deityA deity is a postulated preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by believers....
CatuboduaCatubodua is a Gaulish goddess known from a single inscription in Haute Savoie, eastern France. She appears to be identical to the Irish goddess Badb Catha...
, known from an inscription in Haute Savoie in eastern
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
.
The Badb is not to be confused with Bodb, a male
deityA deity is a postulated preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by believers....
.
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 ancestral form. However,
Julius PokornyJulius Pokorny was a scholar of the Celtic languages, particularly Irish, and a supporter of Irish nationalism....
(1959:203) suggests *
badwā- on the basis of similar data. Both MacBain (1982) and
Julius PokornyJulius Pokorny was a scholar of the Celtic languages, particularly Irish, and a supporter of Irish nationalism....
(1959:203) correlate the element with
NorseOld Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
böð, genitive
boðvar, ‘war,’ and Anglo-Saxon
beadu, genitive
beadwe, ‘battle,’ suggesting that the word originally denoted ‘
battleEnyo in Greek mythology, was an ancient goddess of war, acting as a counterpart and companion to the war god Ares. She is also identified as his sister, and daughter of Zeus and Hera, in a role closely resembling that of Eris; with Homer representing the two as the same goddess...
’ or ‘
strifeEris is the Greek goddess of strife, her name being translated into Latin as Discordia. Her Greek opposite is Harmonia, whose Latin counterpart is Concordia. Homer equated her with the war-goddess Enyo, whose Roman counterpart is Bellona...
.’
Julius PokornyJulius Pokorny was a scholar of the Celtic languages, particularly Irish, and a supporter of Irish nationalism....
(1959:203) presents the element as an extended form of the
Proto-Indo-EuropeanThe Proto-Indo-European language is the unattested, reconstructed common ancestor of the Indo-European languages, spoken by the Proto-Indo-Europeans. The existence of such a language has been accepted by linguists for over a century, and there have been many attempts at reconstruction...
root *
bhedh- ‘pierce, dig.’ To this root Pokorny also links the Sanskrit
bádhate, ‘oppress,’ and the Lithuanian
bádas, ‘famine,’
What the Badb embodies
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. Peter O'Connell's 1819
Irish Dictionary defines the Badb as a "
bean-sidheThe Banshee , from the Irish bean sídhe is a female spirit in Irish mythology, usually seen as an omen of death and a messenger from the Otherworld...
, 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."