Ok, so I've been debating on this one and how to approach it. On the one hand, I've considered addressing the Morrigan as part of my upcoming post on the Celts, but on the other, I've been leaning toward doing a post solely on her role for me. Given how much I feel the need to bring out about her, I think giving her a solo-post is going to be the most productive option. One wouldn't really be out of line in questioning whether she or Fenrir are the dominant patron figure for me, and it's something I ponder from time to time as well, simply because of how consistent the Morrigan has been over the years. Ultimately, I look at it as the Morrigan having taken on the role of guiding my spiritual growth and fostering much of what I've learned over the years, while Fenrir has a much more direct involvement as a source of guidance and kinship. The Morrigan remains distant and observant, while Fenrir can be so close at times that the meditations feel as though his pulse is my own. That difference is why I consider Fenrir my primary patron, but the Morrigan is no less important to me.
The biggest conflict in defining the Morrigan for me has always been how mutable her nature as a composite figure is in terms of who composes the trinity. I've seen dozens of variations, and even the suggestion that "the Morrigan" is more of a titular name than a personal one, which would suggest that it is more of a rank than an identity. I've never been overly fond of that notion. There are so many other variations, from the maiden/mother/crone triumvirate, to three sisters, to a woman and two blackbirds, and everything in between, that it becomes difficult to pin down an overall canon beyond her role. My take on it? The Morrigan is a composite deity that forms when any combination of the three will it so, and these combinations change and shift depending on the worshipers.
The Phantom Queen is a goddess of war, death, fertility, prophecy, and mysticism. This is universal. For me, she has always appeared as a tall, red-haired woman in her physical prime, neither young nor middle-aged, who wears armor of bronze and leather, paints one side of her face in spiraling patterns with woad, and is framed by large wings of black feathers. Sometimes, a leather mask like a raven's head is worn as well, and she typically carries both a sword and a spear. She's always been there when I've needed to perform spirit-work over the years, and was the first that I connected with. I can't pin down a function, because she provides so much for me.
The tricky part kicks in when trying to define the trinity for me. She has never appeared as anything but her aggregate form, and if her aspects have shown themselves to me, they have not announced themselves as such. The only hints that I've been given thus far are their voices. During Samhain this year, the Morrigan appeared in full battle dress before me and though her mouth did not move, I heard three voices, clear as day, coming from all around me with no visible sources. It's difficult to really identify them, as I couldn't single out any voice as one that I recognized immediately from other spirit-work.
That said, I do have some guesses based on how the Morrigan tends to interact with other figures in my meditations. Given my hybrid pantheon, the Morrigan that relates to me certainly has a stronger connection with the valkyries than the role that ravens in Irish myth share with the Norse figures. This may be a controversial idea, but I strongly believe that one aspect of the Morrigan in my workings could prove to be Angrboda herself, through the identity of Gullveig (who is described as a witch/shamaness, shows a connection to death and rebirth as a central theme, and is sometimes considered a parallel to Freya, who shares Odin's role as hosting a hall for the honored dead). It is highly unconventional, I'll admit, but sensible to me, as the Morrigan is the sole figure that has interacted with both Celtic and Jotnar figures in my spirit-work with equal ease and comfort. Further, Angrboda fits with the role of the Morrigan related to fertility and family, particularly as she relates to the rest of my personal pantheon. Further support comes in the varied forms the Morrigan has taken on in various myths and legends, including those of a wolf and an eel; Jotnar are known for their ability to change shape, and Angrboda's metaphysical bloodline certainly shows an affinity for unpredictable forms for her children.
The second most likely candidate is Babd-Nemain. This is another case of what I consider to be a composite entity, due to extremely similar roles and confusion in the traditional myths. Representing the chaos of battle and the frenzy that is said to have spurred on so many great warriors of the tribal age, these goddesses both provide the aspect of influencing the outcome of warfare. As both goddesses also appear as ravens or crows, they would both fall well with the usual signs and portents in meditative states where the black birds appear. Their connection to the war god, Neit, would also help to reconcile the ease with which the Morrigan works with both Celt and Norse entities, as Neit was ancestor to both the Tuatha and Fomori of Irish myth. As when the Morrigan speaks as an aggregate, I typically hear two sets of crow-calls with each word, the inclusion of Babd-Nemain seems quite likely. Another possibility is that the two trade off as aspects of the trinity, or even hedge out Angrboda from time to time, as a means of keeping me uncertain on the specific details; as a figure of mysticism, the Morrigan would be unlikely to make it easy to sort out all of the information before the right time. (This would make the trinity, then, three-out-of-four entities, unless Babd-Nemain is a merged entity when forming the trinity -- nothing quite as much fun to sort out as composite divinities!)
Third (or is it fourth?), I would look toward Anann. Her role as a death goddess, including the prediction of death in battle, fits in quite well with the aspect of prophecy and mysticism. As a given name for the Morrigan, Anann's inclusion seems a foregone conclusion, and just makes sense. More importantly in this case, however, is her role as it relates to cattle, and by extension, to wealth, sovereignty, and agriculture. Every time that the Morrigan has manifested during my spirit-work, the setting has been in some remote clearing, surrounded by forests on all sides. These are the meditations where I feel the strongest connection to the land and the natural world as a whole, as opposed to a connection to a single part. There is a sense in my spirit-work that the Morrigan is simply stronger than the others that I work with, and while it would be easy to write this off as her nature as a composite entity, inclusion of an aspect tied intrinsically to what used to represent wealth and temporal power adds considerably to that claim.
As I said, this is all speculation based solely on my personal spirit-work, and certainly not intended as an interpretation that is viable for everyone. Whether these theories will change or not with further meditation remains to be seen.
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