Difference between revisions of "Morrigan"
m |
m |
||
| Line 224: | Line 224: | ||
[[Category:Female]] | [[Category:Female]] | ||
[[Category:Deity]] | [[Category:Deity]] | ||
| − | [[Category: | + | [[Category:Anti-Hero]] |
[[Category:Tank]] | [[Category:Tank]] | ||
Revision as of 05:59, 13 September 2013
The Morrígan ("phantom queen") or Mórrígan ("great queen"), also written as Morrígu or in the plural as Morrígna, and spelt Morríghan or Mór-ríoghain in Modern Irish, is a figure from Irish mythology. She is sometimes depicted as a trio of goddesses, although membership of the triad varies; the most common combinations are Badb, Macha and Nemain, or Badb, Macha and Anand. She is also thought to be one individual comprised of various aspects.
She most notably appears in the form of a battle crow, flying above the warriors, but has been known to take the shapes of other animals and, in some tales, the forms of various women. She is a goddess of battle, strife, death, fertility and sovereignty.
Unlike Manannán mac Lir, who shepards the souls of the dead to Tir na nOg's afterlife, the Morrígan is a chooser of the slain. Those who are worthy and fall in battle are personally collected by the death goddess of the Tuatha de Danann. In some occasions, she appears to the warrior prophesied to die as an old woman washing the warrior's bloody armor in a river.
The origins of the Morrígan go back centuries, predating the Christian God and even the Tuatha de Danann to which she belongs. Her true roots are concealed, leaving enough stories, texts and pictoral evidence to leave the historians debating for years to come.
As far as UNTIL and PRIMUS are concerned, the Morrígan's origins begin with her association with the druid Anne Marie Fitzgerald (born June 7, 1990). Some time after Fitzgerald's 22nd birthday, she received the tattoos binding her to Gaia. Unbeknownst to anyone involved, the Morrígan influenced Gaia's guidance so that the young druid's tattoos included the druidic equivalent of fine print binding Fitzgerald to the Morrígan in perpetuity.
The Morrígan is not a benevolent goddess of death. Unlike many of her Tuatha de Danann kin, she is uninterested in political or power games, and is not given to complicated subtleties or conspiracies. While less manipulative than her kin, she is nevertheless virtually immortal and centuries old, which ensures that she naturally looks at the long game of near-immortality, rather than the short game of a mortal life. She is a plainspoken goddess who says exactly what she intends to say and offers exactly what she means to offer; a gesture of respect from the Morrígan is worth much, for it is always hard-earned.
Like all gods, the Morrígan's pride is immense. Failing to afford her the respect she is due as a goddess of sovereignty or refusing an offering—whether it's her aid, sex, her goodwill, a treasure or other such offering—is considered a grave insult. To refuse a gift for reasons of humility or because the recipient thinks they have to make a token protest is tantamount to declaring that the Morrígan doesn't know what she's doing or has misunderstood the situation. As Cúchulainn learned, such insults don't end well.
She is not unreasonable, but her aspects do guide her overt actions. The battle crow is not given to conversation, and the fertility aspect is not a gentle earth mother when it comes to sexual appetites. The sovereign goddess is the most "reasonable" of the aspects, as long as her status as goddess is treated with respect, although all of her aspects can be treated with—just with care. The Morrígan can be bound by bargains and pledges, and will not willingly break her word.
The Morrígan's abilities are many and varied, and include but are not limited to:
- Shapeshifting: Although commonly associated with a crow, the Morrígan can take the form of other animals and the form of various women at will—although she prefers to be recognizable as herself when she does the latter.
- Regeneration: The Morrígan's regenerative powers are remarkable, vritually guaranteeing that she can recover from almost any wound. It is difficult, but not impossible, to kill the Tuatha de Danann.
- Prophecy: Although limited in scope, the Morrígan has powers of prophecy that warn her when one worthy of her choosing will be slain in battle. She can see the how, what, where and a 'who' as far as the warrior, but she does not always see all the players.
- Physical Capability: The Morrígan wields a strength far beyond most mortals, intense capacity and capability for violence, centuries of aggressive battle training and experience, and absolutely no morality concerns with using them.
- Inspire Courage/Fear: As a goddess of war, the Morrígan is known to fly over armies prior to a battle and either inspire them to courage or sow discord and fear. This effect can take a more intimate approach when the Morrígan joins a battle, as she is sometimes wont to do when she wants to personally influence the outcome.
- Command Animals: Unlike the druids' typically kinder approach, the Morrígan can command animals to obey her.
- Interplanar Travel: As a member of the Tuatha de Danann, the Morrígan's natural habitat is in Tir na nOg. However, she can travel between the planes at will, as long as she does so through pathways inherent in the ancient groves—which are rarer these days than they used to be. She gets around this by utilizing her bond with Fitzgerald.
- Flight: In terms of alternative travel in a single plane, the Morrígan can fly. Though her battle form showcases large black wings, she seems able to fly at a brisk clip without them.
- Druidic Magic: The druids learned druidry, they say, from the Tuatha de Danann, and whether or not this is true, the gods and goddesses of the Celts certainly display a level of mastery beyond most mortal druids who practice. The Morrígan is a skilled practitioner, utilizing rituals, binding and unbinding spells, protective charms, occult focuses, and earth magic. Her most destructive power involves the wrath of the earth itself, which spews out flame and rocks the surface her target stands upon.
Vulnerabilities & Weaknesses
As a goddess centuries old, the Morrígan's weaknesses are few. Generally, having a deity, especially one of battle, one one's bad side is a difficult and often fatal concern. However, there are few things in this world truly immortal, and the Tuatha de Danann aren't embodiments of perfection.
- Bound by Flesh: Though she is a goddess, the Morrígan is utilizing a loophole in the pact keeping deities from directly crossing over into this plane by binding Fitzgerald to her. Because of this, if Fitzgerald is incarcerated utilizing anti-deity means or incapacitated in a manner that isn't merely "unconscious", the Morrígan would be incapable of taking over the druid's body, nipping her intervention in the bud.
- Bound by Belief: As a goddess, the Morrígan is limited in scope to the belief of her worshippers, which include those that still tell stories of the Morrígan in all her forms. That superstitions still heralded as common knowledge by many limits her ability to evolve and change. Because of this, she is often considered cruel, as her portfolio doesn't stray into the realms of love, family, or the softer aspects of life.
- Earthbound: While it may be (exceptionally) difficult to kill a Tuatha de Danann, it is not impossible. If her magic reserves are tapped, she must draw strength from the earth. By ensuring that she doesn't have access to the earth once she has tapped her own not inconsequential strength, she will eventually lose her edge.
- Prideful: It is impossible to lay down her pride, as the mantle of goddess—the mantle of the Morrígan, specifically—won't let her. This makes her difficult to deal with by people who don't know how to speak respectfully, and can back her into a corner if events force her to choose between an oath and her pride. Either may be chosen, but the consequences would be severe for her.
- Personally Disinterested: While she will occasionally grant prayers or boons to her worshippers, she is generally disinterested in the goings-on of the mortal community. When she chooses to take over Fitzgerald's body, she does so for reasons of her own. While this seems unfair, she is not entirely without a sense of justice: when Fitzgerald summons the Morrígan, if those present are respectful in the asking, she will often try to accomplish whatever the druid needs of her. There are, however, always caveats and bargains involved, which is all tied into her lack of moral interest.
Recorded Scale
| Physical Attributes | |||||||||
| Strength |
|
Weapon |
|
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Durability |
|
Armor |
|
||||||
| Speed |
|
Reflexes |
|
||||||
| Resistance |
|
Stamina |
|
||||||
| Dexterity |
|
Agility |
|
||||||
| Combat |
|
Regen |
|
||||||
| Non-Physical Attributes | |||||||||
| Energy |
|
Psionics |
|
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Telepathy |
|
Willpower |
|
||||||
| Sorcery |
|
Tech. |
|
||||||
| Intel. |
|
Knowledge |
|
||||||
| Charisma |
|
Bravery |
|
||||||
