Morrigan
Morrigan is a triple aspect goddess. While this implies a virgin, a mother and a crone figure (in this case, Nemain as the virgin, Macha as the mother and Badb as the crone), Morrigan is sometimes portrayed as three crones. As Debi has also said, she is an immensely strong figure, and as a protectress she "empowers an individual to confront challenges with great personal strength, even against seemingly overwhelming odds."
Samhain is a hugely powerful time of year for Wiccans. It is the end of the old year and the beginning of the new. It celebrates the fact that through death comes new life - whether or not they believe in reincarnation, Wiccans share the belief that at this time of the year the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest.
Indeed it is these "between" times that are so powerful in this religion. Dawn and dusk are between night and day and are important for that.
That is why the Morrigan - a Goddess associated with battles and war and death - is the appropriate Goddess for Samhain. An ending means a new beginning. Some Wiccans do not choose to associate themselves with the Morrigan because of her links with death, but a large number (myself included) choose her as the face of their Goddess for this very reason. She celebrates the circle of life.
It is at this point I want to remind you of the way Wicca works. We do not believe in countless different religions or Gods and Goddesses - we merely believe that each deity is a different representation of the same. One God, one Goddess. When I say people choose the Morrigan as the face of their Goddess, I mean that they choose her to represent The Goddess as a whole.
Traditions such as trick or treating have their roots in ancient customs. Some Wiccans believe that when you open your door on All Soul's / All Hallow's eve you must share what you have with whoever is there because they are the souls of the dead returning (disguised as the living) to ask that you remember and honor them. Pumpkins were carved and set out as lanterns to light their way back to their homes. By sharing food and honoring the dead - setting a place at the table for those who had died, for example - one would garner support from beyond the grave.
There are countless myths associated with the Morrigan. One of them is the one I wrote about on Debi's page - recounted in the Mabinogion (Welsh legends).
As a child, Setanta killed the great watch dog of his king, Cu. Enraged, Cu demanded to know who would guard his castle and flocks now. Setanta offered himself, and was "reborn" - or renamed at least - Cuchulainn - literally, "Hound of Cullen".
The legends of the Morrigan are closely entwined with those of Cuchulainn. In one story, she attempted to seduce him. When he rejected her, she changed into an eel, then a wolf, then a red cow in her attempts to wreak revenge on him.
Morrigan is also associated with Cuchulainn's downfall and death. When he became Cuchulainn, he was bound by two "geasa" - or oaths. The first forbade him from eating the flesh of a dog, since his name (literally "Hound of Cullen") was given when he replaced the great hound of Cu.
The second stated that Cuchulainn could not refuse food when offered it from someone's hearth fire. In this way, he could not refuse when offered dog's meat by the Morrigan at her hearth fire. Even as he ate, his limbs were slowly paralyzed, and - unable to defend himself - he was killed shortly afterwards by Lugaid of Erin.
The Morrigan is sometimes seen as The Washerwoman. She sits by the river, wringing out the garments on the rocks. Any soldier whose garments are amongst those she washes is doomed to die the following day.
Badb, however - the crone aspect of the Morrigan - is associated with the Cauldron of Regeneration, where souls are kept until they can be reborn. Death doesn't just have to be about endings - it is about new beginnings as well.
