439 



follows the warrior merely for the sake of enjoying its gory feast. Just 

 as the German myths describe Odin and Zio as accompanied by ravens 

 and wolves, which attend them to the battle-field, and prey upon the 

 slain, so the Irish poets, in their laudations of particular heroes, boasted 

 of the numbers of ravens and wolves fed by their spears. Odin, espe- 

 cially, had two ravens, wise and cunning, which sat upon his shoulders, 

 and whispered into his ears, like Mahomet's pigeon, all that they had 

 heard and seen.* In this latter respect the raven of German mythology 

 stands in the same relation to Odin that the raven of Greek mythology 

 does to Apollo. 



The Scandinavians, like their German relatives, considered the 

 raven in a sacred light. 



The Anglo-Saxon chronicle at the year 878 records the capture from 

 the Norse of a banner called the Raven, of which a more particular 

 account is given in Asser's Life of Alfred, at the same year. After describ- 

 ing the defeat of the Pagan Norse before Kynwith castle, in Devonshire, 

 the writer adds, " and there they (the West Saxons) gained very large 

 booty, and amongst other things the banner called the Raven ; for they 

 say that the three sisters of Hingwar and Hubba, daughters of Lodbrok, 

 wove that flag and got it ready in one day. They say, moreover, that 

 in every battle, wherever that flag went before them, if they were to 

 gain the victory, a live crow would appear flying on the middle of the 

 flag ; but if they were doomed to be defeated it would hang down 

 motionless ; and this was often proved to be so." Earl Sigurd also is 

 said to have had a raven banner at the battle of Clontarf, which his 

 mother had woven for him with magical skill (Todd's " Danish Wars," 

 Introd., p. clxxxiii, note 1 ). This idea of the raven banner is probably 

 connected with the tradition given in the Volsunga Saga, which repre- 

 sents Odin as sending the Yalkyria, in the form of a crow, on a mission 

 to Friga, to entreat that the wife of King Reris might become fruitful ;f 

 and the prayer being heard, a son (Sigmund) was born, whose son Si- 

 gurd married Brunhilt, a Valkyria, and had a daughter Auslauk, also a 

 Valkyria, who was called Kraka, or the crow, and who was the wife of 

 Ragnar Lodbrok, and mother of Ivar Beinlaus. 



The name of the Morrigan is found connected with many of 

 the fulachts, or kitchen middens, particularly the larger ones, which 

 are called " Fulacht-na-Morrigna," the " Morrigan's hearth," whilst 

 the smaller ones are named " Fulacht-Fian." One of these great fu- 

 lachts at Tara would cook three kinds of food at the same time. Some 

 account of it will be found inPetrie's " Antiquities of Tara," pp. 213- 

 14 (where, however, Petrie should have considered it rather a cauldron 

 than a spit). In the tract called the Agallamh Beg, or " Little Dialogue," 

 contained in the "Book of Lismore," mention is made of another 

 Fulacht-na-Morrigna which existed near the fairy mound of Sidh- 

 Airfemhin, in the present county of Tipperary, and is thus referred to 



* Grimm. " Deutsche Mythologie," p. 134. 

 f Vid. u Fornaldar SSgur," Copenhagen, 1829, pp. 117-18. 

 R. I. jL. PROC VOL. X. 3 If 



