Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
00:00 | Introduction: Hutton's Final Lecture as Gresham Professor
00:42 | The Morrigan: Bridget's Dark Alter Ego
01:26 | A Modern Icon: Global Fame & Worship
02:34 | Pop Culture: Madonna, Villains & Modern Devotees
03:53 | What Does "The Morrigan" Mean? A Name in Dispute
05:35 | Nightmare Queen: Tracing Her Terrifying Etymology
06:13 | Decades of Scholarly Disagreement Over Her Identity
07:58 | Building Blocks, Never a Structure: The Lecture's Thesis
14:15 | Battle Spirits: Generic Terrors & Named Goddesses
18:02 | Meet the Big Five War Goddesses
21:44 | Magic as a Neutral Cosmic Power
27:09 | Macha's Three Contradictory Origin Stories
31:17 | The Badb: Crow Spirit and Doom-Prophet
36:45 | At Last, The Morrigan: What Makes Her Distinct
37:59 | Three Distinguishing Features & Cosmic Prophecy
40:18 | Propositioning Cú Chulainn: Rejection & Revenge
41:20 | Global Parallels: Athena, Ishtar & Gilgamesh
43:18 | The Death of Cú Chulainn & the Raven on the Shoulder
48:00 | What She Is: A War Goddess of Love and Combat
51:32 | Reclaiming The Morrigan: Freedom in Reinterpretation
Watch the Q&A session here: youtu.be/Yb15EWQL59M
The Morrigan functions today largely as the supreme dark Celtic goddess, associated with violence, sex, shape-shifting and sorcery: the scary side of female power. This talk is designed to search for her in her medieval Irish roots, in order to explain her modern reputation and also to see if she was once a rather different and more complex figure. It locates her as originally one of five different Irish war goddesses, each with their own distinctive characteristics, of whom she was the most unusual. By doing so it also shows why she has survived as a modern celebrity while the others have been forgotten, but also how those others have contributed to her modern image.
This lecture was recorded by Ronald Hutton on the 17th of June 2026 at Barnard's Inn Hall, London
Professor Hutton is Professor of History at the University of Bristol. He took degrees at Cambridge and then Oxford Universities, and was a fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford. He is now a Fellow of the British Academy, the Royal Historical Society, the Society of Antiquaries and the Learned Society of Wales, and has won awards for teaching and research.
He has lectured all over the world, authored twenty books and ninety-six essays, appeared in or presented scores of television and radio programmes, and sits on the editorial boards of six journals concerned with the history of religion and magic.
The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website: gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/goddess-morrigan
Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: gresham.ac.uk/support
Website: gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: twitter.com/greshamcollege
Facebook: facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: instagram.com/greshamcollege
00:00 | Introduction: Hutton's Final Lecture as Gresham Professor
00:42 | The Morrigan: Bridget's Dark Alter Ego
01:26 | A Modern Icon: Global Fame & Worship
02:34 | Pop Culture: Madonna, Villains & Modern Devotees
03:53 | What Does "The Morrigan" Mean? A Name in Dispute
05:35 | Nightmare Queen: Tracing Her Terrifying Etymology
06:13 | Decades of Scholarly Disagreement Over Her Identity
07:58 | Building Blocks, Never a Structure: The Lecture's Thesis
14:15 | Battle Spirits: Generic Terrors & Named Goddesses
18:02 | Meet the Big Five War Goddesses
21:44 | Magic as a Neutral Cosmic Power
27:09 | Macha's Three Contradictory Origin Stories
31:17 | The Badb: Crow Spirit and Doom-Prophet
36:45 | At Last, The Morrigan: What Makes Her Distinct
37:59 | Three Distinguishing Features & Cosmic Prophecy
40:18 | Propositioning Cú Chulainn: Rejection & Revenge
41:20 | Global Parallels: Athena, Ishtar & Gilgamesh
43:18 | The Death of Cú Chulainn & the Raven on the Shoulder
48:00 | What She Is: A War Goddess of Love and Combat
51:32 | Reclaiming The Morrigan: Freedom in Reinterpretation
Watch the Q&A session here: youtu.be/Yb15EWQL59M
The Morrigan functions today largely as the supreme dark Celtic goddess, associated with violence, sex, shape-shifting and sorcery: the scary side of female power. This talk is designed to search for her in her medieval Irish roots, in order to explain her modern reputation and also to see if she was once a rather different and more complex figure. It locates her as originally one of five different Irish war goddesses, each with their own distinctive characteristics, of whom she was the most unusual. By doing so it also shows why she has survived as a modern celebrity while the others have been forgotten, but also how those others have contributed to her modern image.
This lecture was recorded by Ronald Hutton on the 17th of June 2026 at Barnard's Inn Hall, London
Professor Hutton is Professor of History at the University of Bristol. He took degrees at Cambridge and then Oxford Universities, and was a fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford. He is now a Fellow of the British Academy, the Royal Historical Society, the Society of Antiquaries and the Learned Society of Wales, and has won awards for teaching and research.
He has lectured all over the world, authored twenty books and ninety-six essays, appeared in or presented scores of television and radio programmes, and sits on the editorial boards of six journals concerned with the history of religion and magic.
The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website: gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/goddess-morrigan
Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: gresham.ac.uk/support
Website: gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: twitter.com/greshamcollege
Facebook: facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: instagram.com/greshamcollege
