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.

 

Original image: Colin Whittaker

 

Original image: Chad K

 

Original images: Michael Kötter (coo) and Wikimedia Commons (background)

 

Original image: Knowth.com (used with permission)

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:

And... MORE videos

Annie and I have been busy. Thanks also to our Gaol Naofa community, who have shared their photos and music, posed for photos, made coffee, driven us to wifi spots while we stared at our laptops, given vital feedback and spotted typos. We're having fun doing these, and have more to come.

This batch includes Lúnasa /Taillte, The Prophecy of the Morrígan, and La Fheill Micheil. For more about the videos, see our blurb on the website, discussion in our various online communities, and our channel itself (notably the Festivals playlist).

Slàn!

Lúnasa  / Taillte




The Prophecy of the Morrígan




Là Fhèill Mìcheil (with customs for Autumn, Lugh, Manannán and Macha)



ETA: Annie goes into more background on the conditions of peace at Lúnasa, and the importance of this tradition in her post.

Sith co nemh, bid sír nae. Sith.

  Winter Solstice sunrise at Brú na Bóinne

Sith co nem.
Nem co doman.
Doman fo ním,

Nert hi cach, án forlann,
lan do mil, mid co saith.
Sam hi ngam, gai for sciath,
sciath for durnd.

Dunad lonngarg; longait-tromfoíd
fod di uí, ross forbiur
benna abu, airbe imetha.

Mess for crannaib, craob do scis
scis do áss, saith do mac
mac for muin, muinel tairb
tarb di arccoin, odhb do crann,
crann do ten.

Tene a nn-ail. Ail a n-uír
uích a mbuaib, boinn a mbru.
Brú lafefaid
ossglas iaer errach,
foghamar forasit etha.

Iall do tir,
tir co trachd lafeabrae.
Bidruad rossaib, síraib rithmár,
'Nach scel laut?'

Sith co nemh,
bidsirnae.
.s.


Peace to the sky.
Sky to the earth.
Earth under sky,

Strength in us all, a cup so full,
full of honey, mead in plenty.
Summer in winter, spear over shield,
shield strong in hand.

Fort of fierce spears; a battle-cry
land for sheep, bountiful forests
mountains forever, magic enclosure.

Nuts on branches, branches heavy
heavy with fruit, wealth for a son
a gifted son, strong back of bull
a bull for a poem, a knot on a tree,
wood for the fire.

Fire from the stone. Stone from the Earth
wealth from cows, from the womb of Boann.
From the mist comes the cry of the doe,
a stream of deer after springtime,
corn in autumn, upheld by peace.

A warrior band for the land,
prosperous land, reaching to the shore.
From wooded headlands, waters rushing,
"What news have you?"

Peace to the sky,
life and land everlasting.
Peace.

From the Prophecy of An Morrígan, in "Prayer in Gaelic Polytheism". The original Old Irish, as a solid block of text with few line breaks, is in the public domain; this arrangement and translation copyright ©2012 Kathryn Price NicDhàna for Gaol Naofa. See the article for extensive footnotes delineating how I arrived at this translation. Any errors in translation are my own.

And Check out Treasa's excellent writeup on some of the Gaelic sacred sites and spirits associated with this time of year: Celebrating Grianstad an Gheimhridh (The Winter Solstice)