WhileA Court of Thorns and Roseshas spawned many discussions, including thetheory that Morrigan is a banshee, she almost certainly isn’t – and her real power has been clear all along. Mor has been one of the main characters sinceA Court of Mist and Fury, the second book in theACOTARseries. Even so, she’s far less developed thanthe trio of Rhysand, Cassian, and even Azriel. While pieces of Mor’s tragic backstory have been shared,who she truly is remains largely a mystery,hidden behind a sunny disposition and a friendly smile.
That murkiness extends to her powers. While, again, the formidable powers and abilities of the men of the Inner Circle have been well-documented, thus far,Morrigan has not come close to matching them. She can winnow, and she has some healing abilities. She’s mentioned her power is Truth, but no explanation was given. She has plenty of prowess in battle, but she’s never been particularly associated with her fighting skills in the books. Still, it’s clear that Mor is hiding some deep and awesome powers in theCourt of Thorns and Rosesbooks, and the clues make it obvious that she’s so much more than a banshee.
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Sarah J. Maas is deliberate with her naming conventions; they all have meaning. Tamlin’s name is taken from the medieval Scottish ballad “Tam Lin,” which tells the story of the rescue of the fae Tam Lin from the Queen of the Fairies by his true love; in some versions, she traps him underground. The parallels between the old ballad andTamlin’s Under the Mountain story inACOTARare overt to anyone who knows the old tale. Other names may not have as many ties, but they’re still quite on the nose.
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In Islam, for example, Azrael, or Azriel, is the Angel of Death. Rhysand is a Welsh name meaning ardor, fitting for Rhys' passionate, revolutionary nature. The same goes for Helion, whose name has always been associated with the sun. Other names are taken from ancient Welsh and Breton,with meanings that match certain qualities the characters possess. All three of the Archeron sisters' names have their origins in Old French, Welsh, or other older languages: Feyre means “fair” or “beautiful”, Nesta means “pure”, and Elain means “bright” or “shining.” In other words, it’s not subtle. Like the others, Morrigan’s name is deliberate.
Mor’s Power Is Right In Her Name (The Morrigan Explained)
The Morrigan Is The Celtic Phantom Queen
While the characters in the Inner Circle shorten it to Mor,her full name is Morrigan, andthose familiar with Celtic mythology are quite familiar with that name. The Morrígan, also known as Morrígu or Mór-ríoghan, is the Phantom Queen of Celtic mythology. The Morrigan’s exact origins are murky, as, like with all ancient deities, her story has shifted and changed over the years as different cultures adopted her as a deity, and time added new interpretations and divergences to her mythology. Still, one thing that has never changed is that the goddess has always been associated with battle and death, fate and prophecy.
One thing that has never changed is that the goddess has always been associated with battle and death, fate and prophecy.
It also almost certainly points to the powers that have been hinted at Morrigan having all throughout theCourt of Thorns and Rosesbooks. Just like the Morrigan herself, there are depths and hidden layers to Mor that have yet to be peeled back. If she’s anything like her namesake from Celtic mythology – and she almost certainly is –then she’s not a banshee, but something much, much more powerful.In fact, Mor could be the most powerful character in the entireACOTARseries, even more than Rhysand himself.
Mor’s True Power In ACOTAR Is Becoming Badb, The Goddess Of War & Fate
The Morrigan Is Associated With Battle, Prophecy, & Death
That’s why the strongest theory about Morrigan isn’t that she’s a banshee:she’stheMorrigan, the Goddess of War, and of fate and prophecy. To make sense of this, you have to understand the nature of the Morrigan. In Celtic mythology, the Morrigan is a triple goddess – that is, she has three separate aspects that function as a whole, though some versions claim it’s three sisters who form one entity together. Those aspects are Badb, who is associated with war and fate, Macha, who is associated with fertility and sovereignty, and Nemain, who is associated with chaos and confusion. All three aspects are associated with war, death, and fate in some way, however, whether it’s Macha the warrior, Badb the carrion crow, or Nemain the battle frenzy.
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The Morrigan is said to appear on the battlefield in the form of a crow or a raven, inspiring courage in some and terror in others, with her appearance in battle foretelling a prophecy of doom and fate – though it’s not always clear which side. Whether she’s offering guidance or warnings to those who seek out her advice, the Morrigan’s words are not to be heeded lightly. She’s also not one to observe battle from a distance, being a terrifyingly formidable fighter on the battlefield, befitting the Goddess of War. One thing is certain, however:where the Morrigan goes, death follows, and when she tips her hand, fate realigns.It makes her one of the most revered and respected deities in the entire Celtic pantheon – arguably the most revered.
The ACOTAR Books Have Hinted At Morrigan’s True Nature
Mor Becomes The Morrigan In The Direst Of Situations
A few clues have given away thatthere is more to Morrigan than the cheerful, fun-loving personality she usually presents.From the start, Feyre found it odd that Mor was Rhysand’s third-in-command of the Inner Circle, second only to Amren, an ancient creature trapped in a Fae body. It would make more sense for it to be Cassian, Rhys’s commander of his legions, or even Azriel, his spymaster and intelligence officer. Yet it’s Morrigan. It would be easy to assume she has that position as she’s Rhys' cousin, but that notion is quickly dispelled when Rhys tells Feyre, “Mor is who I’ll call in when the armies fail and Cassian and Azriel are both dead.”
“Mor is who I’ll call in when the armies fail and Cassian and Azriel are both dead.”
That line alone shows that Morrigan – the Morrigan, as she’s called herself – hides a deadly power she doesn’t often use,one that is so awe-inspiring and terrible that it’s only to be unleashed as a last resort in the final hour. It’s even more interesting considering the characters have found themselves in brutal battle against Hybern’s army, and even then, the Morrigan was not unleashed. There is some final form, a higher aspect of Mor that she has not yet shown, because it’s not meant to be called upon lightly – just as the Morrigan was only called upon in Celtic mythology when no other option was left.
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It’s also made clear thatMor has awesome powers of truth-seeing and telling– after all, the Morrigan is as much associated with prophecy as she is with war. As she tells the human queens inA Court of Mist and Fury, “Mor looked each and every one of those queens in the eye as she said, ‘I am the Morrigan. You know me. What I am. You know that my gift is truth. So you will hear my words now and know them as truth–as your ancestors once did.”
The same scene also hints that whatever Morrigan did in the last great war, it was so legendary that her reputation is known even to the current queens, who view her with fear and awe.
Whatever Mor’s true powers are, they are vast. She even says as much to Feyre, describing the awakening of her powers as a literal earth-shaking event: “[T]he moment my first blood came, my powers awakened in full force, and even that gods-damned mountain trembled around us.” The only thing that’s unclear nowis exactly how deep those abilities run, and whether she can wield them on command or only in moments of extreme crisis. Considering the upcoming battle with the dark wizard Koschei and the human queens, the characters ofA Court of Thorns and Rosesbetter hope that the Morrigan, Goddess of War, the Phantom Queen, finally unleashes the full extent of her powers and shows why she’s the one Rhys will call upon when all else has failed.
