In Irish mythology, the Badb (Old Irish, pronounced [baðβ]), or in modern Irish Badhbh[1] (Irish pronunciation: [bˠəu], Munster Irish: [bˠəiw])—also meaning "crow"—is a war goddess who takes the form of a crow, and is thus sometimes known as Badb Catha ("battle crow").[2] She is known to cause fear and confusion among soldiers to move the tide of battle to her favoured side. Badb may also appear prior to a battle to foreshadow the extent of the carnage to come, or to predict the death of a notable person. She would sometimes do this through wailing cries, leading to comparisons with the bean-sídhe (banshee).
With her sisters, Macha and the Morrigan or Anand, Badb is part of a trio of war goddesses known as the three Morrígna.[3][4][5]
- ^ Dinneen, Patrick S., ed. (1927). "Maċa". Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla: an Irish–English dictionary, being a thesaurus of the words, phrases and idioms of the modern Irish language (New edition, revised and greatly enlarged ed.). Dublin: Irish Texts Society. p. 692.
- ^ http://www.dil.ie/5114 badb, Author: Royal Irish Academy
- ^ Macalister, R.A.S. (trans.) (1941). Lebor Gabála Érenn: Book of the Taking of Ireland Part 1-5. Dublin: Irish Texts Society.
- ^ Cath Maige Tuired: The Second Battle of Mag Tuired, Text 166, Author: Unknown
- ^ Elizabeth A. Gray (ed. & trans.), Cath Maige Tuired: The Second Battle of Mag Tuired, section 167, 1982