Overview: Many people know the goddess Macha as one of the three Morrigans, but they may not be aware of her complex mythology apart from her sisters.

This brand new book entitled Pagan Portals - Macha: Meeting the Great Queen of Ulster explores the myths of Macha, one of these three Morrigans.

Verdict: For those unaware, Macha is the premier goddess of Ulster, a powerful being who appears across stories in different forms, from a primordial deity to a human queen, each story offering a piece of who she was and is.

But as my sister (herself a lover of all things such as this) forewarned me going into this book, lest we confuse her with several other Machas’ that appear in Irish mythology - such as Macha Mong Ruad (daughter of Aed Ruad) or Macha, wife of Cruinniuc. So please be assured that the one discussed here is most definitely Macha, Daughter of Ernmas; a triple goddess and a most powerful deity.

Macha is one of the 3 Morrigiu along with her sister The Morrigan (Anu) and Badb (or sometimes Nemian or Fea). Other daughters of Ernmas include the 3 sovereignty goddesses Eriu, Banba & Folta. Along with her Morrigiu sisters she’s a war-goddess, striking fear into the enemies of the Tuatha De Danann and generally wreaking havoc on the battlefield. Indeed, she dies at the hands of Balor in the Second Battle of Mag Turied.

And so what we discover within these most wondrously articulate, and wholly engaging pages is that both Macha and The Morrigan are excellent examples of why scholars of Irish Mythology hate the notion of assigning a single aspect to the deities of Irish Myth. Yes, they’re War-Goddesses but they’re also likely Fertility figures (due to their connection with animals and the health of the land, as well as the obvious birthing of children).

They are also most definitely Sovereignty figures (granting victory in battle to those who have the right to rule, weeding out week rulers and punishing those who don’t uphold the correct behaviors of rulers). They are wise and righteous, upholding tradition, uttering prophecy or warnings and when necessary get directly involved in endure the right outcome.

In many ways a differently styled book from author Morgan Daimler’s other Pagan Portal works, due to the fact it was actually written across nine months as part of a Work In Progress blog project through Moon Books’ own website, its overall structure may well be different, but what you still get is a definitive sense of a highly accessible scholarship that has gone into its creation.

In closing, what this book - one that self-professes is not a definitive nor exhaustive guide to this goddess, moreover a solid introduction - does so dutifully is explore all Macha’s various appearances in the original texts, as well as the ways she shows up in modern fiction and neopaganism, while sharing methods that can be used to better understand and honor her.

About the Author - Morgan Daimler teaches classes on Irish myth and magical practices, fairies, and related subjects in the United States and internationally. She has been published in multiple anthologies as well as articles in various magazines, and she is one of the world’s foremost experts on all things Fairy.

Besides the titles available through Moon Books Morgan has a high fantasy novel Into Shadow through Cosmic Egg and has an urban fantasy/paranormal romance series called Between the Worlds. Morgan has also presented papers on fairies and on fairies and witches at several university conferences.

Official Book Purchase Link