Glossary - exWitch Australia (formerly 'Born Again Pagan')

BADB CATHA ('Raven of Battle')

As on of the three aspects of the Morrigana (Morrigan) in Irish celtic Mythology, Badb represents a terrifying Goddess of war who appears to warriors as a raven or Crow, the harbringer of disaster or death, inducing panic or weakness among enemies and revelling in the blood of battle.

Badb, disguised as a Crow, perches on the shoulder of the ferocious Brown Bull of Cooley in the great saga 'The Cattle Raid of Cooley' and when she confronts the Ulster hero, Cu Chulainn, Badb is first depicted with red eyebrows, wearing a red cloak and driving a chariot until she unnerves him by transforming into a Crow.

Badb is now of relevance many forms of Wicca and some aspects of modern Druidry.

PLEASE NOTE:
One of the major problems with 'defining' Paganism and/or its beliefs and practices is that it is an 'organic' movement, in that it is undergoing constant change and re-evaluation from within, and as such any 'one-size-fits-all' approach to understanding Paganism will be found wanting.

Due to the very 'organic' nature of Paganism, and the many differing Paths and Traditions within it, in many cases no one definition may be universally accepted by all Pagans. Therefore, where such cases of possible conflicting and/or contradictory meanings of certain terms occur I have endevoured to give not only the generally accepted meaning, but also any major 'variations' in belief and/or practice.

Christians who believe this difference in meaning of certain key terms, beliefs and practices to be unique to Paganism need to remember that such conflicts also arise within the Body of Christ - the Church. Take for instance the differing practices amongst Christians concerning Baptism and the different attitudes towards women in the clergy.

- Jean-Luc