Gods & Goddesses
The Sovereign Queen

The Sovereign Queen

Lecture notes from presentations given at a number of private and public events
by David Rankine in 2003, 2004 and 2005.

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One of the most important roles of the Earth Goddess is as the bestower of sovereignty. Whilst researching material with my partner Sorita D'Este for our book, The Guises of the Morrigan, this theme was one which recurred frequently. In the ancient Celtic world, the king had to prove himself a worthy ruler, and the best way to do this was to demonstrate that he had the favour of the goddess.

Nowhere is the earth goddess who bestows sovereignty on the worthy candidate for kingship seen more clearly than in Ireland. The motif of the ugly hag who can transform to a beautiful maiden is one that continued into medieval literature as a popular theme, seen in a large number of tales, such as The Wedding of Sir Gawain , The Ballad of King Henry, The Ballad of Kemp Owyne, The Ballad of the Knight and the Shepherd's Daughter, Chaucer's The Wife of Bath's Tale, and The Tale of Florent.

This theme is well illustrated in the 5th century story of Niall of the Nine Hostages. Niall and his brothers are lost in a wood and are desperately thirsty. They come upon a crone guarding a well. The crone demands a kiss from anyone who wishes to drink from the well.

Niall's four brothers all refuse the crone's offer (we can see here the magical connotations of water and the well as symbolising the magic of the Otherworld). Niall however accepts the "hideous shape, thin-shanked, grey-headed, bushy-browed" figure, and "around her he closed his arms … he strained her to his breast and bosom, as though she were for ever his own spouse."

At this the crone transforms into the most beautiful maiden, described as "the fairest in human form". On asking her name, Niall is told, "I am Sovereignty". Here the goddess is giving the future king her divine blessing, through sexual union and the granting of water from the otherworldly well.

In this instance the goddess also makes a prophecy, for she compares his reign allegorically to their embrace. She tells him his reign will be rough at the beginning, smooth in the middle and have a peaceful end.

The Adventure of Daire's Sons tells of the five Lughaids and also demonstrates the motif of the Cailleach who is sovereignty in disguise. The five men are caught in a snowstorm whilst hunting and seek shelter. They find a hut, but the hag inside demands that they sleep with her in exchange for shelter. Each brother refuses except for the last of the five, Lughaid Láigde.

"The hag entered the bed, and Lughaid followed her. It seemed to him that the radiance of her face was the sun rising in the month of May. A purple bordered gown she wore, and she had beautifully coloured hair. Her fragrance was likened to a fragrant herb-garden. Then he mingled in love with her. "Auspicious is thy journey," said she, "I am Sovereignty, and the kingship of Erin will be obtained by thee.""

Another clear example of the bestowing of sovereignty is from the 11th century. Following the death of king Brian Bóru, the fairy queen Aoibheall (who has foretold his death in the manner of the banshee) then decides which of his sons should gain the sovereignty and become king.

In contrast to Niall, King Connaire does not see past the hideous crone-like appearance of the Badb, and initially adheres to his geis not to spend the night with any adult women under the same roof as him, refusing entry to the hostel he is in. She then curses him and he lets her in, breaking the last of his taboos, and is subsequently killed in the night by raiders, he having shown himself an unworthy king.

This tale of The Destruction of Da Derga's Hostel describes the actions of the Morrígan when she withdraws sovereignty. King Connaire was staying at a hostel, which was on the threshold of this world and the Otherworld. On his way to the hostel events have forced Connaire to break all his gessa except one.

The Badb arrives as a hideous, black, crow-like hag in triple form, bleeding and with a noose around her neck, as if in sacrifice. In other versions of the text she is described as a faery witch figure called Cailb.

Standing at the entrance she perched on one leg and used only one hand (the left side of the body - a symbolism indicating the Otherworld, and showing the meeting was taking place at the threshold to the Otherworld). Connaire was under a geis, or taboo, which prevented him spending the evening or night after sunset with a single woman, no matter her age.

Connaire asks the Badb to reveal her identity, and she replies with a series of thirty-two words (including Samhain, Ugliness, Oblivion, Crime, Conflict, Fray, Crash, Noise, Amazement, Nemain and Badb) and gestures with her left hand, whilst standing on her left leg and with only her left eye open, cursing him (the corrguinecht cursing posture used in the Celtic world).

Having been shamed by the Badb, he permits her to enter the hostel, breaking his geis. He then subsequently dies, killed by raiders in the night, having now broken the last of his unbroken geis.

In the tale of The Destruction of Da Choca's Hostel the goddess refuses to bestow sovereignty, and appears again as Badb in this role. She appears both as the Washer at the Ford and also on the door of the hostel to repeat her prophecy. The description of the Badb herself is ominous and implies the forthcoming doom:

"She was lame and blind in the left eye. She wore a threadbare nondescript cloak. Each of her joints from crown to the ground was as dark as the back of a beetle. Her filleted grey-haired mane fell over her shoulders."

When discussing sovereignty we also have to consider Ériu, Fotla and Banba who are described in the Banshenchus ("The Lore of Women") as: "a famous throng. Clear voice of achievement. Three fair daughters of Fiachra, bright women of spirited speech."

Although this is a different mother to other references, nonetheless these goddesses bestowed sovereignty through marriage. By marrying one of them a hero became a king, as between them the three sisters represented the land of Ireland.

When the Milesians invaded, all three sisters approached them to ask for Ireland to be named after them. Ériu was the successful sister, as the land became known as Erin, subsequently Eire or Ireland.

Many of the Celtic tribes had tutelary goddesses who were worshipped locally. These goddesses sometimes became worshipped on a wider scale, and the best example of this is the goddess Britannia, identified by the Romans as the tutelary goddess of Britain, and equated with the Roman goddess Minerva.

With the success of Christianity in becoming the dominant religion of the British Isles, the sovereign goddess was diminished by the Church. However she was too important to completely ignore, and Britannia, who gave her name to Britain, has survived in art, architecture and currency through to the present day, her presence still all around us. The sovereign queen has never gone away, and people are now turning their faces back to her in greater numbers.