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Aris Katsaris writes...

Hi, Greg. As you asked I'm posting here some stuff about the triple-goddess Morrigan. Almost all of what I quote comes from Encyclopedia Mythica: http://www.pantheon.org/mythica/

The Morrigan is a celtic war-goddess of revenge, night, magic, prophecy and fertility. Her name translates as either "Great Queen" or "Phantom Queen," and both epithets are entirely appropriate for her. The Morrigan appears as both a single goddess and a trio of goddesses. The other deities who form the trio are Badb ("Crow"), and either Macha (also connotes "Crow") or Nemain ("Frenzy"). The Morrigan frequently appears in the ornithological guise of a hooded crow. She is one of the Tuatha De Danann ("Tribe of the goddess Danu") and she helped defeat the Firbolg at the First Battle of Mag Tuireadh and the Fomorians at the Second Battle of Mag Tuireadh.

She also one of the main enemies of Cuchullain, with whom she had a love-hate relationship:

She appeared to the hero and offered her love to him. When he failed to recognize her and rejected her, she told him hat she would hinder him when he was in battle. When Cu Chulainn was eventually killed, she settled on his shoulder in the form of a crow.

She appeared to him on at least four occasions and each time he failed to recognize her.

1.When she appeared to him and declared her love for him.
2.After he had wounded her, she appeared to him as an old hag and he offered his blessings to her, which caused her to be healed.
3.On his way to his final battle, he saw the Washer at the Ford, who declared that she was washing the clothes and arms of Cu Chulainn, who would soon be dead.
4.When he was forced by three hags (the Morrigan in her triple aspect) to break a taboo of eating dogflesh.

Btw, I had said that I couldn't see any difference between the personalities of the Weird Sister - but I forgot to mention that I haven't heard their *original* voices, only translated ones... So if it was something subtle (as I have been convinced it was), it would have been most probably lost in translation...

Greg responds...

I'm sorry you haven't seen or heard the originals. My guess is a lot is lost in the translation... but even more in the acting nuances that Jamie Thomason got out of our cast. (Could you get a hold of tapes through the comment room? Certainly, your English is good enough to understand. At any rate, your ability to write in English as a second language is very VERY impressive to me.)

As to the Morrigan. Reread the above. Who does that sound like to you?

SPOILER WARNING

Why Molly/Banshee of course. Legends merge obviously, but it proved I was on the right track. I had further plans for Cu Chullain & Banshee and for Molly & Rory as a couple. (Think Moonlighting.) I even had a notion of a spin-off featuring them, but it didn't seem viable. I never mentioned it to anyone before this. (It helped that I think Sheena and Scott did such a great job in those roles.)

Response recorded on February 24, 2000