427 



In the description of the battle of M agh-Tuiredh, it is stated that 

 just as the great conflict was about to begin, the " badbs, and bled- 

 lochtana, and idiots shouted so that they were heard in clefts, and in 

 cascades, and in the cavities of the earth;" "ro gairsed badba ocus bled- 

 lochtana ocus amaite, go clos anallaib, ocus a nesaib, ocus a fothollaib in 

 talman" 



MS. Trin. Coll Dublin, S. 2, 17, fol. 97, a. 



In the battle of Magh-Rath it is the " grey-haired Morrigu" 

 (scald-crow) that shouts victory over the head of Domhnall, son of Ain- 

 mire, as Dubhdiadh sings (O'Donovan's ed., p. 198) : — 



" Fuil os a chind ag eigmigh 

 Caillech lorn, luath ag leimnig ; 

 Os cennaib a narm sa sciath, 

 Is i in Morrigu mongliath." 



11 Over his head is shrieking 

 A lean hag, quickly hopping 

 Over the points of their weapons and shields — 

 She is the grey-haired Morrigu." 



But in the enumeration of the birds and demons that assembled to 

 gloat over the slaughter about to ensue from the clash of the combatants 

 at the battle of Clontarf, the badb is assigned the first place. The de- 

 scription is truly terrible, and affords a painful picture of the popular su- 

 perstition of the time. u Ro erig, em, badb discir, dian, denmnetach, dasacht- 

 ach, diir, duabsech, detcengtach, cruaid, croda, cosaitech, co bai ic screchad 

 ar luamain os a cennaib. Ro eirgetar am bananaig ocus boccanaig ocus 

 geliti glinni ocus amati adgaill, ocus siabra, ocus seneoin, ocus demna 

 admilti aeoir ocus jirmaminti, ocus siabarsluag debil demnach, co mbatar 

 a comgresacht ocus i commorad aig ocus irgaili leo" 



" There arose a wild, impetuous, precipitate, mad, inexorable, 

 furious, dark, lacerating, merciless, combative, contentious badb, which 

 was shrieking and fluttering over their heads. And there arose also 

 the satyrs, and sprites, and the maniacs of the valley, and the witches, 

 and goblins, and owls, and destroying demons of the air and firmament, 

 and the demoniac phantom host : and they were inciting and sustaining 

 valour and battle with them." — " Cogadh Gaidhel re Gallaibh," Todd's 

 ed., p. 174. 



So also in the account of the battle fought between the men of 

 Leinster and Ossory, in the year 870, contained in the Brussels 

 "Fragments of Irish Annals," the appearance of the badb is followed 

 by a great massacre: — " As mor tra an toirm ocus an fothrom baoieturra 

 an uair sin, ocus ra togaibk badbh cenn eturra, ocus baoi marbhadh m6r 

 eturra san can;" i. e. " great indeed was the din and tumult that pre- 

 vailed between them at this time, and badbh appeared among them, and 

 there was a great massacre between them to and fro." 



