Macha

Culture: Irish (Celtic)   Domain: Sovereignty, horses, endurance

Macha is a figure (or set of related figures) tied to sovereignty and, in her best-known tale, to a forced race while heavily pregnant against the king's horses, which she wins before giving birth and cursing the men of Ulster to suffer her labor pains at their moment of greatest need. She is sometimes read as one aspect of a triple Morrígan.

Associations

Sovereignty, endurance under unfair pressure, horses, consequences for injustice.

Ways people honor her (modern)

• Push through a genuinely unfair demand while holding your dignity
• Reflect on consequences that follow mistreatment, even delayed ones
• Keep a horse image on the altar
• Read her curse-tale as preserved in the Ulster Cycle's Noínden Ulad

Approach any deity with respect and do your own research. Practices vary widely between traditions, and modern devotional practice often goes beyond what survives in ancient sources.