The Morrígan is an ancient Irish goddess of war, battle, prophecy, sovereignty, and otherworld power. While She was worshipped primarily in Iron Age Ireland, the earliest recorded mention of her dates back to 750 BC - however, this is widely believed to be a retelling of much older (oral) stories, and is simply the first time it was ever written down. The Morrígan’s name can be translated from Irish into both “Great Queen” (from Old Irish ‘mor’ meaning ‘great’ and ‘rigan’ meaning ‘queen’) and “Phantom Queen” as an alternate etymology. She is a shapeshifting goddess, often turning into one of her many forms in the ancient Irish literature; She has been known to shift into a crow or raven, a she-wolf, an eel, a cow, a horse, and both old and young women. She is a goddess that is deeply tied to both warfare and the land itself, offering a protective, tutelary role. The Morrígan was first and foremost a goddess of war and death. She was also the goddess of prophecy and fate, and as such saw the future of all things, including the end of the world. She was all-knowing, and would occasionally share her knowledge with others (for a price). Her prophecies were never wrong and her wordings were exact, if somewhat poetic. Her appearance to royalty and warriors also represented the side she favored in a battle. The Morrígan’s association with the raven stemmed from the bird’s constant presence on the battlefield. Her husband is the Dagda (or the Great God), who came to her for prophecy before major battles. She is associated with several sacred and natural sites across Ireland.