Badb

Badb

In Irish mythology, the Badb (Old Irish, pronounced [ˈbaðβ]), or in Modern Irish Badhbh (Irish pronunciation: [ˈbˠəu], Munster Irish: [ˈbˠəiw])—also meaning "crow"—is a war goddess who takes the form of a crow, and is thus sometimes known as Badb Catha ("battle crow"). 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.

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