Goddesses of War —by Míchealín Ní Dhochartaigh Although in many cultures today, women are excluded from armies,  most cultures have warrior goddesses as well as warrior gods in their history.  In Greece, Athena bears a spear and teaches war strategies to those she favours. In Egypt, the Goddess of War was Sekmet — it is she who battled ‘forces of evil.’ In the mid-East, there is Anat; in India, there is Durga.  Durga, a fierce warrior, was born during a lengthy battle between the Hindu gods and an army of demons. In desperation, the gods gathered together and breathed in unison. A ferocious fire blazed forth from their mouths, out of which Durga was born — a fully grown warrior, ready to fight. The gods quickly gave her a lion to mount and a weapon for each of her ten hands. Durga advanced toward the demons, her arms flashing, and within moments, she had slaughtered them all. To the Hindu people, Durga symbolises triumph over evil. They still celebrate her for nine days each autumn.  In Scandinavia, Freya, the Goddess of love and magic was also the Goddess of death and war. She was a beautiful and powerful sorceress, who hovered over every battlefield in her golden chariot drawn by two cats, waiting for the battle to end. As soon as the last soldier died, Freya swept down to Earth to select those lucky dead soldiers who would thereafter reside in her castle, feasting and celebrating for eternity. Freya blessed the harvests with abundance and took special care of women who were preparing to marry or give birth. She taught magic to all the northern gods, but she let no one wear her falcon cloak that gave her the power to soar swiftly form Heaven to Earth.  Among the early Celts, women as well as men, were warriors. Tacitus wrote that when the Romans attacked the Druids’ isle of Mona, black-clad priestesses cast terror upon the troopers, running among them, using curses and incantations to confuse the enemy.  The War Goddess in Celtic culture is Mórrígan. Her name means 'great queen.'  The Mórrígan’s name is sometimes written in the plural form, Mórrígna, because she is thought to be a triple goddess encompassing the daughters of Ernmas. Badb and Macha both mean ‘crow’ or ‘raven,’ and the Mórrígan is described as ‘an badb catha,’ which means ‘the battle crow.’ Her other self is Nemain, which means frenzy. Alternately, Badb, Macha and Mórrígan are sometimes listed a three distinct goddesses. In the Battle of Mag Tuired, the three names are used interchangeably. In the Glossary of Cormac, the heads of slaughtered men are called “Macha’s Mast.” The Celts revered the human head and took those of enemies as trophies. It is believed that heads were given to Mórrígan as offerings.  Other Celtic warrior goddesses include the trio of Éire, Banba, and Fótla, who use magic in warfare; Queen Medb, who goes into battle with her army in the Tain Bó Cuailnge; and Scathach, who like Greece’s Athena, was an instructor of war. Scathach is the Gaelic Goddess of the Dead, those slain in battle, and the passage of the dead to Tir Nan Og. Once mortal (more or less), she was touched by the Tuatha de Dannan in a way usually only seen in the Sidhe. Upon her death, she was granted sort of a mini-godhood. In that way, and in her duties, she is similar to the Valkyrie of the Norse. She searches the battlefields for the souls of the slain, and guides them along the Imrama na Anam, or Death Journey (lit. "Journey of the Soul"), to Tir Nan Og, the Land of Eternal Youth and Beauty. Scathach was also a potent magician. She had the gift of prophecy, and she foretold Cú Chulainn's fate during the course of Queen Madb's onslaught against Ulster. The Sun Goddess, Brighid, is also sometimes referred to as a triple goddess, and as a warrior goddess. As a warrior Goddess, Brighid favoured the use of the spear or the arrow. Various interpretations of her name include "Bright Arrow," "The Bright One," "the Powerful One" and "The High One," depending upon the region and the dialect. Sources: Mutén, B. Goddesses: A world of Myth and Magic, Barefoot Books, 2003. Paxson, DL. "The Morrigan: Lady of Ravens," SageWoman magazine, Summer 2003. Ross, A. Pagan Celtic Britain, Routledge, London, 1967. The Tain, translated by Thomas Kinsella, Oxford University Press, 1969. Page last updated 30 Dec 2005 Music by CelticGhost Website Design and Myths & Magic logo by Míchealín Ní Dhochartaigh Copyright © 2005 Ireland's OWN All Rights Reserved.