Crow on barbed wire at sunset. Photograph by Patrick Hendry (2018), via Wikimedia Commons. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped from the original to 16:9.

Who Was Badb?

Badb holds a distinctive place in Irish mythology, especially in stories about warfare and supernatural intervention. Her name is closely associated with the crow, a bird familiar throughout the Irish landscape and traditionally connected with battlefields and death. Medieval literature presents her as a figure whose cries could terrify warriors and whose presence could influence the course of a conflict. She appears most prominently in traditions concerning the Mórrígan and the Tuatha Dé Danann. Although Badb is frequently described in modern writing as a war goddess, the surviving stories provide a more detailed picture of her involvement in battle, prophecy and the fortunes of those caught up in conflict.

Her relationship with the Mórrígan is particularly important. Some medieval genealogies associate Badb, Macha and the Mórrígan as daughters of Ernmas, while other passages use their names in ways that suggest overlapping identities or closely related powers. This has encouraged the modern interpretation of Badb as one aspect of a threefold Mórrígan, although the surviving literature does not consistently present such a fixed arrangement. Her distinctive qualities emerge most clearly through the actions attributed to her, particularly her ability to unsettle armies, announce the fate of combatants and foretell what will follow a great battle.

Badb and the Second Battle of Mag Tuired

One of Badb’s most important surviving appearances occurs in Cath Maige Tuired (The Second Battle of Mag Tuired), which recounts the struggle between the Tuatha Dé Danann and the Fomorians. The Tuatha Dé Danann have suffered under the oppressive rule of Bres, whose Fomorian connections have placed Ireland under increasing pressure. When Lugh arrives and helps organise resistance, the two peoples prepare for a confrontation that will determine control of the land. The narrative describes preparations involving warriors, craftspeople, healers, and supernatural figures, each bringing specific abilities to the coming conflict. Among them is the Mórrígan, who promises to bring destructive power against the enemy and takes part in the struggle that follows.

Following the defeat of the Fomorians, Badb appears in one of the narrative’s most memorable passages. She announces the victory from the mountains of Ireland, proclaiming it to the land’s supernatural beings and powers. Her announcement is followed by a poetic declaration of peace, describing a world in which prosperity and the ordinary rhythms of life return after the violence of battle. This hopeful vision is followed by another prophecy, in which Badb foresees a troubled future marked by social disorder, failed relationships and the breakdown of established obligations. The two declarations place her at a moment of profound change. She announces the immediate triumph, while her prophetic knowledge extends to the instability that may follow (Gray, 1982).

The Cry of the Battle Crow

Badb’s connection with the crow is central to her identity, though medieval sources do not offer a single, consistent description of her appearance. Her name can refer to a supernatural female figure associated with warfare, as well as a battle crow, linking the bird to the terror of combat. In Táin Bó Cúailnge (The Cattle Raid of Cooley), the great conflict between Ulster and Connacht, supernatural intervention, and the cries of battle shape the atmosphere of the fighting. The language of these traditions sometimes makes it hard to distinguish a named supernatural being from descriptions of the frightening sounds of war.

Crows are a familiar bird in the Irish landscape, and their presence at places of death, of course, contributed to the image of battle. Badb’s cry is one of panic and confusion and is therefore associated with a power that can undermine the warrior’s courage and judgement before the battle is over. Her power lies not just in the physical act of battle, but in the fear and confusion it can cause. The medieval accounts don’t suggest that every crow you see in a story is Badb, but the link between her name, the bird, and the experience of battle is clearly present in the Irish tradition.

Badb, Prophecy and the Fate of Ireland

The closing section of Cath Maige Tuired shows the close bond between Badb and the Mórrígan. After the Tuatha Dé Danann’s victory, the Mórrígan is said to have announced the defeat of the Fomorians to the hills, the waters, and the other supernatural beings of Ireland. Badb is also mentioned in this announcement. A poem of peace and plenty follows this, before a more sinister prophecy is given which speaks of a time of chaos, of failing relationships and of a general decline in prosperity. It’s a clear demonstration of the close association between the two figures in the medieval Irish tradition (Gray 1982).

The second prophecy presents a very different future. Badb describes a time when moral and social relationships deteriorate, with deception, hostility and disorder replacing the harmony previously celebrated. Modern readers sometimes interpret these verses as a prediction of the end of the world, though their concerns are also recognisably social. They describe the failure of the relationships and obligations a community depends on. Badb appears here as a prophetic speaker whose vision encompasses both the restoration of order and its eventual decline. Her words extend the significance of the battle beyond military victory, raising questions about the future of the society that emerges from it (Gray, 1982).

Badb and the Mórrígan in the Ulster Cycle

Badb’s connection to the Mórrígan is clearest in Táin Bó Regamna (The Cattle Raid of Regamain), a short story about Cú Chulainn. He is woken by a terrifying cry from the north, so loud that he falls out of bed. With his charioteer, Láeg, he follows the noise and meets a strange woman travelling with a cow. Their talk quickly turns hostile, and Cú Chulainn tries to assert his authority, only to realise he faces a supernatural being. The woman tells him she plans to oppose him in the upcoming cattle raid and will appear in different animal forms during his battles. Her threats hint at later events in the Ulster Cycle, where Cú Chulainn faces the Mórrígan while also fighting human enemies.

The woman’s name varies between the manuscript versions. Leahy’s translation notes that the Yellow Book of Lecan version names her Badb, whereas the Egerton version names her the Mórrígan (Leahy 1905). This further illustrates the close association between the two figures in the literary tradition. It’s also a more personal encounter than the great battle stories, clearly showing how a supernatural woman could challenge even a hero of Cú Chulainn’s calibre.

Badb in Contemporary Pagan Practice

Among contemporary Pagans, Badb is often associated with courage, the challenges of conflict and the changes that follow it. Her links to the crow and her prophetic role in Irish mythology have also shaped how she is honoured today. Some practitioners regard her as a distinct goddess, while others approach her through their devotion to the Mórrígan. Although these practices draw on medieval Irish stories, little evidence survives of how Badb may have been worshipped in pre-Christian Ireland.

In the surviving material, war and prophecy are difficult to disentangle in the case of Badb. Labelling her simply a war goddess misses the point somewhat. She appears amid the fear and confusion of battle, but she also cares about what comes after. Her pronouncements can be of victory, peace, and plenty, but they can also look ahead to future disorder.

This is very clear at the end of Cath Maige Tuired. One vision is of peace and a land which has reaped the benefits of victory. The other is far less auspicious, looking ahead to a time when relationships and the whole social order begin to unravel. Badb is thus not just associated with the fighting. Her prophecies take the story beyond the battlefield into the uncertain world that follows.

The Enduring Significance of Badb

Badb is known for her link to the battle crow and the frightening sounds of war, which has secured her place in Irish mythology. But her role as a prophet adds more depth to her character. At the end of Cath Maige Tuired, when she appears alongside the Mórrígan, the story shifts from celebrating victory and peace to a troubling vision of Ireland’s future. Although the fighting is over, the peace that comes after does not promise lasting prosperity.

Badb’s story focuses on what happens after the fighting. The battles may result in a new king being installed, but the aftermath is what matters. The prophecies at the end of Cath Maige Tuired speak of a world in which bonds are broken, trust is gone, and the community itself slowly dissolves. Through her, Badb becomes a symbol of a much wider and more sinister uncertainty.

References and Further Reading

Gray, E. A. (ed. and trans.) (1982) Cath Maige Tuired: The Second Battle of Mag Tuired. Irish Texts Society. English translation available through University College Cork, CELT: https://celt.ucc.ie/published/T300010.html

Leahy, A. H. (1905) Heroic Romances of Ireland, Volume II, ‘The Apparition of the Great Queen to Cuchulain’. London: David Nutt. Available at: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/5680

Macalister, R. A. S. (ed. and trans.) (1941) Lebor Gabála Érenn: The Book of the Taking of Ireland, Part IV. Dublin: Irish Texts Society. English translation available at: https://ancienttexts.org/library/celtic/ctexts/lebor4.html