In case any of you were wondering about my username, this is a prime time not only to explain that, but also talk about something that inspires me a lot.
The Morrigan is a goddess from Celtic mythology. She is the goddess of war and sovereignty. Often found on battlefields, and can shapeshift into a wolf or an eel.
I get a lot of my mythology knowledge from Wikipedia, so if any of that is wrong, I apologize.
Anyway, I do know for sure she's a goddess of war and she is NOT nice. It began when I was making a Halloween costume two Halloweens ago. My senior year roomie--let's call her "Eponine"--helped me sew this cavalcade.
My goal was to go for a generic villainess, kind of inspired by Maleficent and Grimhilde. Anyway, we had a Halloween party, and one of my other friends, let's temporarily call him "The Punk," showed up as a Red Cap (if you've read Harry Potter, you already know those are demons that dwell at the edge of battlefields and drink blood). He insisted that I was the Morrigan and therefore his master. We made a fun little game out of this.
So I went and did some research on the Morrigan, and I have to say that because of what she stands for (I do love a good villain!), she hits my list of top pagan gods/goddesses.
Which brings me to my main point: I really love mythology. Primarily Greek, but any mythology will do. I've loved it ever since I was young. Probably because of a combo of this--
+U3lF4BP7r8Ofgt!~~_35.JPG)
(BTW, if you ever find that book, and if you happen to like fantasy, read it. Don't ask questions. Just read it.)
And this--
As told by this guy:
(Oh, don't worry, when I got old enough, I read The Odyssey in the real text, and it was fabulous, probably one of my favorite classics.)
So I just adored collecting up all the stories about gods and magic and human pride and downfalls. I even took a class on Greek myth in high school. Recently, I applied to be a folklorist in a grad program, but as I aimed for the top grad program in the country for folklore, I was shot down. Oh well.
I do know that I want to do something with mythology in my career as an artist. (Something more than just painting scenes from it on a wooden box in acrylics, which I've already done. I'm not gonna post pics in this post, but if you want, I might put them in another post someday.) I know I love retelling mythology stories in amusing ways. And I have my favorite characters, particularly gods.
Like Athena
Goddess of war, wisdom, and weaving. Invented Olive trees. Kicked Ares' butt in battle and Poseidon's in wits. Not very nice to Medusa, though.
Persephone
Probably the original Goth; got tricked into an arranged marriage with Hades and went from being a spring goddess to an Underworld empress. We have winter because that's when she's underground with Hades and Demeter is depressed.
Hecate
Goddess of night, magic, and three-way crossroads. May or may not have been evil. And yes, I do like the Shakespeare and Disney portrayals of her. (If you didn't know there was a Disney portrayal of her...she shows up in the Hercules animated series and dethrones Hades. Hardcore.)
Mara [no picture available because of obscurity]
The original Nightmare of British myth.
Loki
God of mischief, but might as well have been god of crossdressing, since most of his plans began with the words "First I turn into a woman and seduce" or "We sneak in dressed as women". Once got so ticked off at Balder, whose only weakness was mistletoe, he forged an actual spear out of mistletoe to kill him, and the scheme to make sure he stayed dead involved Loki turning into a woman. Again. (Before you ask, yes, I am in LOVE with the Avengers cinematic universe version, though that one is LESS morally complex, believe it or not.)
And of course the Morrigan, whose only images are modern fanart that I'm not stealing 'cause I wouldn't know how to credit it.
And this is to say nothing of mythological people like Medea or Ariadne.
So that's why I'm the Morrigan. I hope to learn way more about mythology/folklore, as I'm still young (and have barely touched on African, Japanese, or Hindu mythology). And I hope to keep my appreciation for villains, 'cause villainous gods are fun.
The Morrigan is a goddess from Celtic mythology. She is the goddess of war and sovereignty. Often found on battlefields, and can shapeshift into a wolf or an eel.
I get a lot of my mythology knowledge from Wikipedia, so if any of that is wrong, I apologize.
Anyway, I do know for sure she's a goddess of war and she is NOT nice. It began when I was making a Halloween costume two Halloweens ago. My senior year roomie--let's call her "Eponine"--helped me sew this cavalcade.
My goal was to go for a generic villainess, kind of inspired by Maleficent and Grimhilde. Anyway, we had a Halloween party, and one of my other friends, let's temporarily call him "The Punk," showed up as a Red Cap (if you've read Harry Potter, you already know those are demons that dwell at the edge of battlefields and drink blood). He insisted that I was the Morrigan and therefore his master. We made a fun little game out of this.
So I went and did some research on the Morrigan, and I have to say that because of what she stands for (I do love a good villain!), she hits my list of top pagan gods/goddesses.
Which brings me to my main point: I really love mythology. Primarily Greek, but any mythology will do. I've loved it ever since I was young. Probably because of a combo of this--
(BTW, if you ever find that book, and if you happen to like fantasy, read it. Don't ask questions. Just read it.)
And this--
As told by this guy:
(Oh, don't worry, when I got old enough, I read The Odyssey in the real text, and it was fabulous, probably one of my favorite classics.)
So I just adored collecting up all the stories about gods and magic and human pride and downfalls. I even took a class on Greek myth in high school. Recently, I applied to be a folklorist in a grad program, but as I aimed for the top grad program in the country for folklore, I was shot down. Oh well.
I do know that I want to do something with mythology in my career as an artist. (Something more than just painting scenes from it on a wooden box in acrylics, which I've already done. I'm not gonna post pics in this post, but if you want, I might put them in another post someday.) I know I love retelling mythology stories in amusing ways. And I have my favorite characters, particularly gods.
Like Athena
Goddess of war, wisdom, and weaving. Invented Olive trees. Kicked Ares' butt in battle and Poseidon's in wits. Not very nice to Medusa, though.
Persephone
Probably the original Goth; got tricked into an arranged marriage with Hades and went from being a spring goddess to an Underworld empress. We have winter because that's when she's underground with Hades and Demeter is depressed.
Hecate
Goddess of night, magic, and three-way crossroads. May or may not have been evil. And yes, I do like the Shakespeare and Disney portrayals of her. (If you didn't know there was a Disney portrayal of her...she shows up in the Hercules animated series and dethrones Hades. Hardcore.)
Mara [no picture available because of obscurity]
The original Nightmare of British myth.
Loki
God of mischief, but might as well have been god of crossdressing, since most of his plans began with the words "First I turn into a woman and seduce" or "We sneak in dressed as women". Once got so ticked off at Balder, whose only weakness was mistletoe, he forged an actual spear out of mistletoe to kill him, and the scheme to make sure he stayed dead involved Loki turning into a woman. Again. (Before you ask, yes, I am in LOVE with the Avengers cinematic universe version, though that one is LESS morally complex, believe it or not.)
And of course the Morrigan, whose only images are modern fanart that I'm not stealing 'cause I wouldn't know how to credit it.
And this is to say nothing of mythological people like Medea or Ariadne.
So that's why I'm the Morrigan. I hope to learn way more about mythology/folklore, as I'm still young (and have barely touched on African, Japanese, or Hindu mythology). And I hope to keep my appreciation for villains, 'cause villainous gods are fun.
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