Saturday, October 24, 2015

Prophecy of the Morrígan - Memes for Samhain

Here in the mountains we've had our first snow shower, and our first hard freeze, so technically the festival of Samhain is here (despite it not yet being November).

Annie and I have been continuing to make memes, and here are some I've done for the Prophecy. Links below to my full translation.

Prophecy meme – Number 1 - by Kathryn NicDhàna for Gaol Naofa 
Original image: Colin Whittaker

Prophecy meme – Section 2 - by Kathryn NicDhàna for Gaol Naofa 
Original image: Chad K

Prophecy meme – Section 3 - by Kathryn NicDhàna for Gaol Naofa 
Original images: Michael Kötter (coo) and Wikimedia Commons (background)

Prophecy meme – Section 4 - by Kathryn NicDhàna for Gaol Naofa 
Original image: Knowth.com (used with permission)

Prophecy meme – Section 5 - by Kathryn NicDhàna for Gaol Naofa
Original image: Moyan Brenn


The original Irish prayer here is from Cath Maige Tuired. 
For the full prayer in one piece, see my post from 2012, or the Gaol Naofa Memes page. For the fully-footnoted version exploring my translation of this traditional piece, see our Prayer in Gaelic Polytheism article.

In ancient Ireland, a great war is said to have taken place between the Tuatha Dé Danann and the Fomorians as they fought for the right to rule Ireland. The tale of this conflict is told in the Cath Maige Tuired (The Second Battle of Mag Tured), and the final battle took place Samhain, with the Tuatha Dé Danann being victorious.
Conflict, death and chaos are common themes associated with Samhain in Irish myth and folklore, but out of this conflict comes a resolution of peace. At the end of the Cath Maige Tuired, the Morrígan (or Badb) relates a rosc (a particular type of Irish poem, which is often written in obscure or archaic language), proclaiming victory in battle, and giving a prophecy of things to come. As Samhain approaches, it seems only appropriate to reflect on these themes, and the message of the Morrígan's words. As a prayer for peace, you might also wish to incorporate the words into your celebrations. The images collated here (five in all) each contain a section of the prayer. You can also view our video of it, which we released on our youtube channel last year:

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