Welcome to the Ways of Macha.
It's quite a shock, I can tell you. Here I was, peaceful daughter of Brighid, humbly serving my goddess in the ways She requested; quietly writing my poetry, crafting my crafts, applying her knowledge of healing to my nursing career, when Brighid up and decides I need warrior training. So she loans me out to Macha.
I will never be the same again.
Who is Macha? Many have at least heard of Brighid, but very few have heard of Macha. The stories we have of Macha are not as numerous as those of Brighid. Macha also played an important role in Irish history. She plays an important role today.
Gather around, my sisters and brothers, and I will tell you a little about Macha.
One day, a young woman appeared at the house of a rich but lonely widower. She began tending the fire, cooking his dinner, sweeping his hearth. That night she went to his bed. She became his wife and the man prospered. When she was heavily pregnant with twins, her husband Crunnchu decided to leave for the annual assembly of Ulster men. Being "deep in his cups" so to speak, he began bragging that his wife could outrun any horse. The king was insulted, and demanded that she race against two of his horses. Macha was brought from her house before the king. She refused the request, declaring that she was pregnant and had already begun labor. She asked that he wait until after she delivered. The king insisted, stating that he would kill her husband if she did not race. So run Macha did - and beat the royal horses. At the finish line Macha delivered twins; a boy and a girl. She was outraged that she had been forced to race, and to deliver her children in front of the crowd. She cursed the men of the Red Branch, the king's warriors. Macha proclaimed that for nine generations, whenever the kingdom of Ulster would face grave danger, the men would experience childbirth pangs that would last for five days and four nights.
Yes, Macha does have a twisted sense of humor.
Some versions state that Macha died after delivering the twins, others say she died when she heard of the Cattle Raid of Cooley (which is a story for another time). The place where she delivered was immortalized as "Emain Macha," meaning "twins of Macha," It was the seat of the high kings of Ireland. It is now called Navan Fort.
Macha is one of the three war goddesses of Ireland - the other two are Badb and Morrigan. She is associated with being a sun goddess, horse goddess and crone goddess. Many scholars believe she was originally a mother goddess. She is associated with crows/ravens, childbirth, sexuality, and warcraft. She is honored during Lammas. Armagh (Ard Mhacha) is named after her, and at the Armagh Cathedral an image of Macha remains. If you read much about ancient Irish tales, you will hear references to "the masts of Macha." Mast originally meant acorns, or food, for the sacred pigs. Later it came to mean the severed heads of enemies. Perhaps the men of Ulster were attempting to appease Macha with their offering.
Why is she considered a war goddess? Good question! If you look at what war goddesses actually do, they are mostly there to unnerve and sabotage the male warriors - not participate in battle. There are many stories of warriors who were asked to sleep with a war goddess in the form of a hag; those that did were rewarded with success in battle, and the hag turns into a beautiful woman. This is a form of training. In Celtic tradition, male warriors can only be trained by female warriors, and vice versa. There were many women warriors. Celtic women had equal status with their male counterparts. They could own land, as long as they could do battle for that land if required - and many women did. Macha literally means "Battle." Even though Macha is considered a "dark" goddess, it is interesting to note that she must have loved her husband; she saved his life by putting her own at risk.
Some witches and pagans are uncomfortable dealing with war goddesses, or "dark deities" in general. They ask why I would want to work with a war goddess. I respond, who wouldn't? We all have to do "battle" every day in some form or other. Macha is an excellent guide, trainer and protector. I find Macha a superb goddess to call upon for help if you are in an abusive or dangerous situation, for example. Or for help with difficult in-laws. Be forewarned, however. She is NOT a goddess to be taken lightly. When She tells you what you need to do, you'd best listen, or you're likely to be hit by the proverbial divine two by four.
Once, She asked me to do something that I really wasn't keen on doing. Maybe I was being lazy, or stubborn, or both - I often am. She let her displeasure be known, however. The first night of my reluctance, Macha only let me get four hours sleep. I normally sleep at least eight hours a night, and I was not a happy warrioress. This happened again the next night. The third night, She STILL wouldn't let me sleep; I was as cranky as an accountant in April, and close to hallucinating from exhaustion. It was getting close to 2 a.m. when the dogs in the neighborhood starting barking. I realized that there was a potential intruder outside my house. Even though I had been stubborn, and hadn't been listening to Her, Macha didn't abandon me. She told me what to do. I crouched down, turned off all the inside lights, and peeped out the lower part of the windows to determine where the intruder was. Fortunately, suddenly blaring the outside lights on his face sent him scurrying away. It was almost a shame, I thought; I would have loved to see his face had he dared entered my house. He would have unexpectedly faced a naked Celt, calmly holding a shotgun in one hand and a four foot sword in the other. The next day, I said ALRIGHT, ALREADY, and did what Macha asked. That night I slept well.
Now, I serve two goddess - Brighid and Macha. Brighid keeps my hearth fire burning, Macha keeps my warrior spirit burning. Now, if only I could figure out a way to sneak my sword into those PTA meetings...... I'll bet no one would ever "volunteer" me to do anything again! by BattleRed
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