Dark Goddess Craft

by Stephanie Woodfield

  Uathach, Scáthach’s daughter, taken with the hero’s looks, advises him on how to persuade her mother to train him. The instructions from Uathach also show that Scáthach’s skills were not limited to warfare but included seeing the future. She tells Cúchulain to “set his sword between [Scáthach’s] two breasts, until she gave him his three wishes,” including “to teach him without neglect” and “to tell him what that would befall him; for she was also a prophetess.” 44

  Scáthach has a rivalry with Aife, a warrior woman of another tribe; however, in some stories they are sisters. When Scáthach’s warriors are about to go into battle with Aife’s, Scáthach devises a plan to keep the young warrior out of the fighting. She binds Cúchulain and gives him a sleeping potion. Unfortunately, while another man would have slept for an entire day, Cúchulain regains consciousness within an hour due to his semidivine nature, being the son of the god Lugh and a mortal woman. He breaks free of his bonds and joins the rest of the men on the battlefield. Each day he fights bravely, until it is his turn to meet Aife on the battlefield. Before meeting Aife, Cúchulain asks Scáthach what Aife treasures most in the world. She answeres that Aife loves her charioteer and horses most of all. The next day as Aife and the hero battle, he looks behind her and cries out that her charioteer and horses have fallen down the jagged cliff. Aife of course turns to look, and Cúchulain takes his chance to grapple her to ground and forces her to make a truce with Scáthach as well as to bear him a son. She agrees to both, and the feud is concluded.

  It is from Scáthach that Cúchulain is given the gae bolga, a legendary weapon, and he is the only student she taught the secrets of its use. Translator Thomas Kinsella notes that, as described in the Book of Leinster, “The gae bolga had to be made ready for use on a stream and cast from the fork of the toes. It entered a man’s body with a single wound, like a javelin, and then opened into thirty barbs. Only by cutting away the flesh could it be taken from that man’s body.” 45

  Lady Gregory tells a story of a faery woman named Scáthach in Gods and Fighting Men who may or may not be the same warrior woman. Scáthach of the Sídhe encounters the hero Finn and his companions while she is in the shape of a wild pig. The warriors chase the pig to a faery mound where one of the shining ones tells them he will welcome them into the mound to feast if they let the pig go. The faery man uses a rod to tap the pig, who transforms into a beautiful woman, his daughter Scáthach. Finn asks for Scáthach’s hand during the feast, and her father agrees. Before the end of the night, Scáthach plays a harp: “One string it had of iron, and one of bronze, and one of silver. And when the iron string would be played, it would set all the hosts of the world crying and ever crying; and when the bright bronze string would be played, it would set them all laughing from the one day to the same hour on the morrow; and when the silver string would be played, all the men of the whole world would fall into a long sleep.” 46 Finn, under the influence of the harp, falls asleep, and when he wakes in the morning, he is outside the faery mound, his hosts nowhere to be found. The harp and its abilities sound very similar to the Dagda’s harp. This Scáthach is certainly cunning and has magical abilities, not unlike the warrior woman Scáthach. Whether or not the two are the same person is unclear, and I leave it to the reader to decide.

  Discipline and the Lady of Skye

  Discipline isn’t something we talk much about in Paganism. We make jokes about “Pagan Standard Time” and accept that when you put so many Pagans in one place a ritual that was supposed to start at 7 p.m. will probably start at 9 p.m. But magick, devotional practice, and the connection we build with the gods require a hell of a lot of discipline. Taking a few minutes at the end or beginning of the day to leave an offering or do a devotional act at an altar, while we need to get to work, feed the cat, get the kids on the bus, work all day, and so on, actually does end up being a difficult task. Mundane life often interferes with our spiritual lives, and there just doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day.

  Scáthach teaches us that we cannot reach our goals without discipline. She is a skilled fighter, but she also uses strategy to reach her goals. Does she bind Cúchulain to keep him from harm? Or does she know it will only make him fight more fiercely to prove himself? Sometimes having discipline and holding true to our goals can be the most difficult part of any battle. When I work with Scáthach, I am reminded to slow down. That I have to start at the beginning. That I can’t always launch headlong at my goal but must build up to it slowly. Persistence in the end is what helps us to persevere. Taking the time to meditate or do a daily devotion in front of your altar for five minutes every day may seem like a small gesture. But in the end it will strengthen your connection to the gods, and your ability to get into a magickal headspace for the bigger magickal workings. This can be applied to any aspect of magickal or devotional practice. When we are enacting change in our lives this same principle is necessary to keep us moving forward and not get stuck in old habits or ways of thinking. Ultimately, if we can’t discipline ourselves with the small things, then we will fail at the bigger, more important things we attempt. If we can’t bring all our abilities into focus on something simple, then there is little hope of keeping it together for a more intricate task, even though we’d just rather skip the small thing and take on the big achievements before we are truly ready. There will be roadblocks along the way, but like Cúchulain we can’t let them stop us from achieving our goals.

  Perhaps the hardest kind of discipline that Scáthach teaches us is when to walk away. When we spend all our energy and time fighting the unimportant battles, we don’t have the mental energy or stamina to fight the hard ones. At one of her workshops at the annual Morrigan’s Call Retreat, Morgan Daimler described a similar lesson she learned through working with Macha, another goddess of warfare and strategy, although it rings true for our work with Scáthach as well. She explained, “Choosing our battles doesn’t mean that the battles we walk away from don’t matter, just that we’ve realized that a blade only has so many edges, and a person only so much energy to spend.” Knowing when to fight can be just as hard as the actual battle. Discernment and knowing where our energies are best put is vital.

  Devotional Work and Offerings for Scáthach

  It is debatable whether or not Scáthach is a goddess or just a powerful female figure in Irish mythology. Other characters in the Irish Ulster Cycle like Cúchulain and Queen Maeve can be seen either as having divine status that was later demoted to that of a mortal or being allies we can work with as ancestral spirits from that pantheon. Again, the choice is up to the reader. There are good arguments for either viewpoint. My own perspective on Scáthach is that she is something in between and that one can approach her either way.

  In my own practices I began honoring Scáthach, along with Maeve and Boudicca, as ancestral spirits. While I have a separate altar for those who have passed into spirit in my family and the ancestors of blood, my altar for Scáthach and Boudicca was one specifically for the heroic ancestral spirits of the Irish pantheon. Whether they actually lived or not or exist only as mortal beings within the mythology, they can be powerful teachers regardless. All three, including Scáthach, have a very real presence and can be called on in magick or to work through difficult times. Scáthach is very much about strategy, learning from mistakes, and not just thinking that we are good enough but knowing in our bones that we are. She is unyielding in her discipline and reminds us that everything is earned.

  There are no traditional offerings that I am aware of for Scáthach, so you can use things that you feel called to offer her. I often offer Scotch for liquid offerings. Another type of offering I give her is a modern take on the Curadmír, also called the hero or champion’s portion. The champion’s portion referenced in Irish literature would have been the best cut of meat or the finest part of a meal, offered to a warrior of great renown during a feast. There are many stories that revolve around heroes fighting one another or engaging in cont
est to prove who is truly worthy of the Curadmír. Classical writers recorded similar customs in their observations on the continental Celtic tribes. In a modern context the Curadmír can be a small portion of an evening meal or what you perceive to be the best portion of it.

  Scáthach Invocation

  Shadowy One

  Scáthach

  Skilled at war

  And prophecy

  Teacher of warriors

  Lady of discipline

  You test our strength

  May I be steadfast in my goals

  May I hold fast in my resolve

  Grant me the wisdom of discernment

  To know when to go to war

  And when to yield

  Mighty Scáthach

  Aid me in my task!

  Creating an Ancestral Altar to the Heroic Dead

  Like an ancestral altar, one dedicated to the heroic dead will differ depending on the person creating it. It is a place that represents your personal connection to the beings it is dedicated to. I see the heroic dead as being the heroes of myths who are not quite mortal and not quite gods, as well as historical figures who have inspired us. Boudicca was an actual woman who lived and breathed and fought the Romans. But the legends that surround her, the myths and stories that have been shared and inspired people from the time of her death to now, have made her something more than just human, like a Christian saint who was mortal but upon death takes on a kind of mystical quality that is beyond mortal. Are we connecting to the spirit of the actual woman? Or are we connecting to the being created by her legend and the group energy of so many people telling, and retelling, her story? There is no easy answer to that, and we all have to decide for ourselves the nature of the energy we are connecting to. Regardless, honoring these spirits and asking for their aid and wisdom is rewarding.

  I like to keep this altar separate from the altar I keep for those who have passed. As on an altar for a deity, I have an offerings bowl and framed pictures of the beings I wish to honor. To bless your altar burn some sage or an incense of your choice over the area. Place your items on the altar. Hold your hands up in welcoming, seeing the beings you wish to connect to taking up residence on your altar or standing beside it. Say these or similar words:

  I welcome to this place the heroic dead

  You who inspire great deeds

  You who have overcome impossible obstacles

  I honor you

  May I stir the ancestral fires

  May I learn from your stories

  May you share your wisdom with me

  Hail and be welcome

  Scáthach Spell to Attain a Goal

  If you are the kind of person who starts and stops things easily, Scáthach is a good ally to call on to help you stick with a plan. She does not tolerate doing things halfway, so only call on her if you really want to achieve your goal and want help in doing so.

  You Will Need:

  Candle (color of your choice)

  Offering

  On the candle write what your goal is. Before you place it on the altar, hold it in your hands. See yourself achieving the goal clearly in your mind. Ask Scáthach to aid you in these or similar words:

  Scáthach, mighty teacher

  Warrioress who had no equal

  Help ignite in me your determination

  Lead me to victory

  That I may see my task through till its end

  Light the candle and let it burn down. Leave Scáthach an offering.

  [contents]

  * * *

  43. Kuno Meyer, trans., “Wooing of Emer,” Archaeological Review 1 (1888), p. 233.

  44. Ibid., p. 300.

  45. Thomas Kinsella, trans., The Táin: Translated from the Irish Epic Táin Bó Cuailnge (New York: Oxford University Press, 2002), p. 260.

  46. Augusta Gregory, trans., Gods and Fighting Men: The Story of the Tuatha De Danaan and of the Fianna of Ireland (London: John Murray, 1905), p. 292.

  15

  Persephone

  It is dusk and you walk through a beautiful field of flowers. The evening air is fragrant, and fireflies glow as they fly lazily through the air. But there is something in the distance that catches your eye. It is the flicker of light, much brighter than the fireflies. You walk across the field and through a few stands of trees until you find the source of the light. Two torches burn on either side of the entrance to a large cave.

  You know this place, and you know that the cave leads to the underworld, the realm of Hades. You feared this place once, but you have walked the paths of the underworld before and you are not afraid. You step into the dark, taking one of the torches with you for light.

  The tunnel is rough cut stone, and you walk carefully, watching your footfalls so you do not trip. Down and down you walk, deeper and deeper into the earth. And soon you see gems and other glistening stones that twinkle in the walls in the firelight. There are beautiful things in the dark, in the deep parts of the earth. You know this, and you seek to find the most precious thing that dwells in this realm, the goddess who sits on its throne.

  Soon the tunnel opens up to a large chamber. There are many paths and tunnels that lead deeper into Hades, but this seems to be its center, where all the paths lead to and away from. In the cavern’s center is a large raised area with a throne carved out of polished black stone. On it sits a woman. Her skin almost shines with a light of its own against the darkness. Her black hair frames dark eyes. And on her head is a crown made of iron, its spikes and spirals reaching upward, as severe and sharp as her beauty is soft and lovely. At her side is a man robed in dark clothes and fine jewels, and you know this must be Hades, whom this realm is named after, Persephone’s husband. He rests a hand on her shoulder and looks attentively and longingly at her as shades and spirits approach her throne and she meets with them, passing judgments and offering wisdom.

  You too join the long line of spirits waiting to have an audience with Persephone. And soon you too stand before her. You ask the question you have come to ask, and listen as she speaks to you.

  When you are ready, you rise from your kneeling position before her throne and turn to go. But Hades moves forward and gestures for you to wait. He tells you it is time for his wife to return to the world above and offers you the honor of escorting her there. You bow and accept with gratitude.

  Persephone rises from her throne, and with a parting kiss Hades sits in her place. The goddess takes your hand and together you walk through the dark, up toward the world above. The moment you take her hand you feel lighter, you can feel a spring breeze on your skin, smell the scent of a thousand blooming flowers, and a joyful laugher bubbles up inside you, the kind that fills you on a lazy summer day. Even here, crowned in iron, among the dead, Persephone is full of life. She smiles at you, knowing what you must feel.

  “You wonder why I choose to dwell here? Why I ate the pomegranate seeds? Was I tricked or did I eat them willingly?” She gestures one hand to the tunnel you walk through. “Life needs rest. Every seed must germinate in the darkness of the soil before it may bloom. The darkness is not to be feared. You know this or you would not have traveled to this realm. My mother would have endless summer, but I know there is not wisdom in that. Without a time to rest, without the time to germinate and look within, the fruit of summer loses its sweetness. I chose to eat the seed, as I choose to walk these halls. The underworld was not thrust upon me, but a path I chose willingly. I would have it no other way.”

  Soon you see the dusky light of the world above and you and Persephone emerge from the underworld. As she steps upon the earth, flowers and other plants begin to bloom at her touch.

  “From the fertile darkness I emerge renewed. And when I need to go to darkness again I will return.” She cups your face with her hands and kisses your brow. “Do not fear the dark. It is needed, and when you need to go within and dwell in your own darkne
ss so that you may make your life fertile on your return, come to my realm and seek wisdom at my throne.” And with that the goddess vanishes.

  You feel a new warmth in the air. Spring is in full bloom. But you know winter will come too in its time. And you know when you need to seek Persephone’s wisdom, you will be able to find her again.

  Persephone is the Greek goddess of spring and the queen of the underworld, who brings comfort and judgment to the dead. She is usually portrayed robed holding a sheaf of grain, alongside her mother Demeter, whom she was worshipped in conjunction with. Her origins seem to be that of a chthonic deity connected to agriculture. A plate found in Phaistos that dates to the Bronze Age may be one of the earliest depictions of Persephone, showing a goddess growing out of the ground with dancing girls and flowers around her.47 Her husband, Hades, rules over everything below the ground as well as the unworldly, and it makes sense that his wife, representing the fertility of spring, would be connected to the fertility of the soil.

  She was conflated with Despoina, an old chthonic goddess originating in Arcadia. According to Homer, Persephone was the daughter of the harvest goddess Demeter and Zeus, the king of the gods. Although if we consider her the same goddess as Despoina, she would be the daughter of Demeter and Poseidon. Demeter, taking the shape of a mare, had been pursued by Poseidon, and from their union she bore Despoina, originally in the form of a mare, and Areion, a mythical horse.48 Despoina is essentially a title, meaning “mistress,” as the true name of the goddess could not be revealed to anyone except those initiated into her mysteries.49