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Ananke-spoiler "Once again, we return."

This article contains spoilers for Issue 32 of The Wicked + The Divine. Read at your own risk.

"Let's fall."
—The Morrigan[src]

The Morrigan is an Irish death goddess and one of the gods of the Recurrence. Symbolised by a skull decorated with a black crow mask, she is known to have appeared in the 1830s, 1920s and 2010s Recurrences.

History

Before godhood

Before her incarnation, the Morrigan's name was Marian. She became very ill when she was thirteen, to the point where she nearly died, but she recovered. At university, she became friends (and lovers) with a pre-incarnation Baphomet, known then as Cameron. They were both involved in role-playing games, such as Vampire: The Masquerade. However, Cameron became increasingly unstable following his parents' deaths and cheated on her. Marian stormed off in anger when she found out, and ran into Ananke, triggering her incarnation.

Joining the Pantheon

The Morrigan joined the Pantheon in 2013. She began performing in closed Underground stations in the middle of the night. Cameron showed up to one of these performances, and told her she was always special. The Morrigan, realising she loved him, requested that he become part of the Pantheon, and Ananke accepted.

In the early hours of 10 January 2014, Baphomet interrupted one of the Morrigan's performances, resulting in an argument between him and Badb. Laura talked the two out of fighting, and instead the Morrigan returned to her usual form and she and Baphomet performed together. When the performance was broken up by the police and Baphomet attacked a policeman, the Morrigan became Gentle Annie and healed him before leaving. Laura followed her, and she revealed that she and Baphomet were making love at the time of the Judge Holmes murder, giving him an alibi. She then offered to help Laura in future if she needed it.

The next day, after Lucifer's escape from prison, Laura jumped into an Underground tunnel to call the Morrigan, who narrowly saved her from being hit by an oncoming train. She summoned a flock of crows to create a distraction so that Laura could get Lucifer away from the other gods, and offered Lucifer sanctuary underground. However, Lucifer died before reaching this safety. Laura asked the Morrigan to resurrect her, but Gentle Annie said she could not bring back those who are truly dead.

After Fantheon, Badb was seen performing "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)" at a karaoke party also attended by Laura and Baphomet. When the trio left the party, the Morrigan handed Laura a flyer for Dionysus.

Turning against Ananke

When Baphomet attacked Urdr at Ragnarock 2014, the Morrigan prevented him from harming her, and the two briefly argued before they were forced to flee from Ananke. However, Baphomet refused to accept the Morrigan's help. She was later captured by Baal and Woden for her involvement in Baphomet's escape and his subsequent murder of Inanna. She was imprisoned at Valhalla in a cage Woden had fashioned for her, and Baphomet managed to send her a message in the ketchup on her burger. Later, while being guarded by Sakhmet, she claimed to know how to shatter the bars on her prison.

A couple of weeks later, Morrigan was visited by Minerva, who she had lured there with the promise of a present. Instead, she told her the truth about Ananke's murderous ways, which she had presumably heard from Baphomet. Minerva then freed her from her prison and they were greeted by Baphomet, who had come to break her out himself. Morrigan persuaded him to take Minerva with them, but Minerva insisted they bring her parents too, slowing them down. The other gods then arrived, and they got into a fight with the Valkyries and Baal. Morrigan was particularly eager to fight Baal after his attack on her. However, Persephone appeared and helped them escape, taking them down to the Underground where they could disappear into the shadows. They were joined by Dionysus, but soon attacked by Baal, Sakhmet and Amaterasu, who took Minerva away. They then discovered from footage recorded by Minerva's owl that Ananke planned to kill Minerva.

They immediately left for Valhalla, continuing their battle when they were met with resistance. During the battle, Morrigan was injured by Sakhmet. However, they were persuaded to calm down by Urdr, and agreed to unite with the others in order to check on Minerva. They discovered Ananke was about to murder her, provoking everyone to turn against her, and she was captured by Persephone. Persephone violently killed Ananke and they agreed they would call it self-defence, leaving them free from her tyranny.

In November 2014, she gave her first-ever interview to Pantheon Monthly, in which she discussed her relationship with Baphomet, her imprisonment by the Pantheon, and her approaching death.

Meanwhile, the Pantheon became conscious that they were under threat from the Great Darkness. They held a meeting to discuss how to tackle this problem, putting it to a vote. Morrigan voted to do nothing, and forced Baphomet to do the same. This ended up being the winning choice. Baphomet confessed to Morrigan that he had an affair with Persephone, and she became increasingly controlling and abusive towards him. She threatened Persephone to stay away from them and refused to help the other gods capture a murderous Sakhmet when she realised Persephone was involved. She also restricted Baphomet's access to the other gods, only letting him see Dionysus when in her Gentle Annie form.

Appearance, personality and aspects

The Morrigan has three different aspects, and can transform between them at will. These are known as Macha (referred to in the series simply as 'The Morrigan'), Badb, and Gentle Annie, who is ostensibly, Anand. [2]

In all of her forms, the Morrigan is a pale white woman with wavy hair and pale green eyes. She has cheek piercings in which she wears silver studs, and tattoos of crows cover her right arm, which is always kept bare. She always talks about herself in the third person.

The Morrigan

The Morrigan has long, wavy black hair and a black stripe of face paint across her eyes. She typically wears a black dress decorated with crow feathers and a silver earring shaped like a feather in her right ear. Although she is associated with darkness and death, she seemed friendly when Laura contacted her. This is the Morrigan's primary form.

Badb

Badb has long, wavy red hair and two triangles of black face paint over her eyes, like spread crow wings. She dresses in a black dress decorated with crow feathers, and has silver rings in her nose and lip. She is violent and easily angered, and appears when the Morrigan is challenged. Baphomet suggested that the Morrigan does not like being Badb in front of humans.

Gentle Annie

Gentle Annie is bald except for a tuft of white hair on her brow, and wears a rectangle of black face paint over her right eye. She wears a green skirt and black top and a crow-shaped necklace, and has a number of silver piercings in her left ear. She is kind and gentle, and appears when discussing death.

Relationships

Baphomet

Baphomet is a rival god of the underground with whom the Morrigan has a tumultuous relationship. They knew each other before godhood, having met at university and participated in role-playing games together. They became lovers during this period, but their relationship suffered when Baphomet slept with another girl. Morrigan eventually forgive him after her incarnation and enabled his entry into the Pantheon. She attempted to shield him from the other gods following his attempted murder of Urdr and was captured after he killed Inanna. Baphomet broke her out of prison and they are now reunited. However, she discovered he had an affair with Laura while she was imprisoned and their relationship turned abusive.

Laura Wilson

Laura met the Morrigan at one of her performances and prevented her from battling Baphomet and endangering the crowd. The Morrigan offered to help her in future if she needed it, and later fulfilled this promise by helping Lucifer during her escape. They sang karaoke together after Fantheon. After her transformation into Persephone, Laura helped Baphomet break the Morrigan out of Valhalla. They then united together against Ananke. Since discovering her affair with Baphomet, Morrigan considers Laura an enemy.

Dionysus

Before his incarnation, Dionysus was a fan of the Morrigan and attended the same performance as Laura. They became friends after his incarnation and the Morrigan went to his party. Dionysus was very vocal about his opposition to the Morrigan's imprisonment, boycotting Pantheon meetings in protest.

Ananke

Ananke and the Morrigan seemed to get on well initially, and Ananke agreed to the Morrigan's request to turn Baphomet into a god. However, the Morrigan defied Ananke by protecting Baphomet after his attack on Urdr, and was later imprisoned by her. The Morrigan eventually discovered the crimes Ananke had committed and considered her an enemy.

Powers

  • Shapeshifting: Beside being able to switch personas, the Morrigan is able to physically transform into a flock of crows, using the vast numbers for combat and surrounding her foes as a means of distraction, as well as for general transportation usage. In some instances her physical appearance also becomes a mutated combination of her body and a crow, as Badb has been known to possess a crow-like facial appearance.
    • Flight: The Morrigan is able to sprout large black feathered wings, sometimes with her arms becoming the wings and sometimes with the wings coming from her back.
  • Underground teleportation: As with other underworld gods, the Morrigan is able to travel to the Underground.
  • Summoning the Morrigan: Calling out for the Morrigan in a dark area, specifically an Underground rail it appears, will likely summon her as has been shown with her past encounters with Laura and Beth.
  • Prophetic awareness: She may also have powers related to prophecy, as there is a rumour that if you photograph her you will see a picture of the person you are going to fall in love with at the moment of their death. This happened to Dionysus before his incarnation, seemingly proving the rumours. The extent of this ability is still unknown.
  • Near-death resurrection: It appears Gentle Annie possesses her own unique trait that separates her from the other personas, as she possesses the ability to seemingly awake those near death (although she deems them "sleepy"). This ability can be used not just on humans, but on inanimate objects (for example, Minerva's owl).
  • Performance: Not much is known about her performances, but she was noted by Laura to be very unique and "not like the others," especially as her events typically take place in the Underground. It is likely that given her past with Cameron/Baphomet, her performances are somewhat theatrical. During her performance/battle with Baphomet, the entirety of the Underground was shrouded in darkness, with Laura's most consistent thought being "We're all going to die."

Past Recurrences

1920's Recurrence

Morrigan appears in the 1920s Recurrence. He wears a black trenchcoat and talks of himself in the third person. He arrives on Lucifer's island in a submarine along with Minerva and Woden. He and Minerva seem to have a bond as he accompanies her during their time on the island. Morrigan receives a vision that reveals the Darkness Plan to him. Ananke kills him before he can inform the other Gods.

1830s Recurrence

Morrigan appeared in the 1830s Recurrence in the form of Percy Bysshe Shelley. He was married to his fellow god, Woden, with whom he had three children who died in their infancy. This caused some friction in their relationship, as Woden mourned the loss of their children deeply and was unable to exhibit the same warmth as before, leading Morrigan to brand her cold. They ascended to godhood after they had eloped together, accompanied by Woden's sister. Little did they know, Woden's sister was the culprit behind their children's deaths, exchanging their lives for the opportunity to become Inanna.

Morrigan was one of the final four gods of the Recurrence to die, alongside his wife, Inanna and his good friend Lucifer. Their final days were spent at Lake Geneva in 1831, where Morrigan and Lucifer concocted a scheme to resurrect the recently departed Hades. They attempted to do so using Hades's severed hand, brought to them by Ananke, ignoring Woden's protestations. However, instead of bringing back Hades they created an entirely new Creature, which was violent, unstable and hungry for life. This hunger drove the Creature to kill its creators. It was then subdued by Woden (at the cost of her life) and went on to outlive the gods of that Recurrence. Upon his death, Morrigan's body was burned and his ashes were sent to Rome. His heart went to an unknown location.

A portrait of the 1830s Morrigan resides in the National Portrait Gallery, alongside paintings of Woden and Lucifer.

Mythology

The Morrigan is based on the Irish goddess of battle, strife. and sovereignty, the Morrígan. Her appearance can foreshadow bloodshed or death, and she sometimes appears as a crow flying over the battlefield.

The Morrígan is often depicted as a group of three sisters, sometimes called Badb, Macha, and Anand. Badb is a goddess of battle whose appearance strikes fear into the heart of soldiers. Gentle Annie is a name used to refer to Anand without giving offense, similar to referring to fairies as "The Good People".[3]

Quotes

By Morrigan

"You will cum blood before the night is over. When you're dead, I'll see if there's any part that takes Badb's fancy... shinbone is of more use to Badb than candle-skinned needledick. Every inch is not enough for chasm-cunted Badb. No god is enough. Swallows little boys like you a-screaming."
—Badb to Baphomet[src]
"This is beneath us. The underworld's a stage and we are playing badly."
—Morrigan, about fighting with Baphomet[src]
"You're a good girl. If you come to the dark and call, the Morrigan will be there for you. Or Badb, if things are that bad. Hope they never are."
—Morrigan to Laura[src]
"Our underground boy is going overground. Darkness' child got the lucky unlucky ticket."
—Morrigan[src]
"I know you better than anyone else. But know this... You wanted this hell, lily white Dante. We're not taking anyone else."
—Morrigan[src]
"When you face Badb, you'll choke on your own cock-skin. It was Empress Morrigan who took her just beating."
—Morrigan[src]
"Baphomet. O, sweet Baphomet. That monster is mine."
—Morrigan[src]
"We're all walking dead. We're all at the edge of that pit. But we get to choose what we do while we're here... I'm dancing. We're not going to fall in. Not yet."
—Morrigan[src]
"The days when we heeded your lies are over, Ananke. As are you."
—Morrigan to Ananke[src]
"Baphomet and I have a story none will ever truly understand, and only we have read it all."
—Morrigan[src]
"I am not akin to most women. I could kill cities in a night, if I wished."
—Morrigan[src]

Dialogue

Policeman: "Oh god. He's dead."
Annie: "Heheheh. Don't be stupid. He's just sleeping. Let Gentle Annie have a better look."
―Gentle Annie resurrects a policeman[src]
Baal: "Poser."
Morrigan: "Aye. Posing atop your corpse before long."
―Baal and Morrigan[src]
Morrigan: "What lies ahead for Mistress Morrigan?"
Ananke: "I don't know. I never know with you, Morrigan. You remain a most wilful child of death and war."
―Morrigan and Ananke[src]
Morrigan: "Does it burn? You were so close to being with someone special."
Baphomet: "Marian... no, I didn't mean that. You were always special. That was amazing, but it wasn't a surprise. You were always best at the game."
―Morrigan and Baphomet, before his incarnation[src]
Ananke: "The Great Darkness must be abated. I can explain--"
Badb: "The Great Darkness can go fuck itself."
―Ananke and Badb[src]

Trivia

Appearances

References

  1. Kieron Gillen has described Morrigan as being in her 1st-2nd year at university pre-godhood. She first met Baphomet at university in 2012 so it is unlikely she was born any later than 1994.
  2. [1]
  3. The Wicked, The Divine and The Mythology — Part 2: The Morrigan and Baphomet - Women Write About Comics
  4. 4.0 4.1 Writer Notes: The Wicked + The Divine #3
  5. 5.0 5.1 Kieron Gillen on Tumblr
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