Badb

In medieval Irish narrative material Badb appears within the Tuatha Dé Danann-associated mythic world and is frequently treated as one of a triad of war-goddesses (the Morrígna) alongside Macha and the Morrigan/Anand. In some genealogies she is counted among the daughters of Ernmas; in other accounts she is given kinship ties such as being named a wife of the war-god Neit. Sources display variability in parentage and identification, and Badb is sometimes conflated or closely associated with other war-spirits such as Nemain.

Badb commonly takes the form of a crow or raven — described specifically as a screaming raven or crow on the field of battle. In other narratives she appears in human guise: as an 'ugly hag' who prophesies a king's downfall (Togail Bruidne Dá Derga), or as a 'washer at the ford' washing chariot harness (Togail Bruidne Dá Choca), a classical omen of imminent death. She is also attested as a disembodied voice heard among corpses on battlefields.

Badb is credited with causing fear and confusion among combatants to influence the outcome of battles, appearing before or during conflicts to foreshadow carnage and to predict the deaths of notable persons. With her sisters she is said in saga accounts to conjure compact clouds of mist and a furious rain of fire, and to deny rest to enemies for periods during engagements. She utters wailing cries as omens and, in later narrative roles, sings prophetic lays celebrating victory and foretelling long-term evils.