Badb

In Irish mythology, the Badb (Old Irish, pronounced [baðβ]), or in modern Irish Badhbh^[1] (Irish pronunciation: [bˠəu], Munster Irish: [bˠəiw])—also meaning "crow"—is a war goddess who takes the form of a crow, and is thus sometimes known as Badb Catha ("battle crow").^[2] She is known to cause fear and confusion among soldiers to move the tide of battle to her favoured side. Badb may also appear prior to a battle to foreshadow the extent of the carnage to come, or to predict the death of a notable person. She would sometimes do this through wailing cries, leading to comparisons with the bean-sídhe (banshee).

With her sisters, Macha and the Morrigan or Anand, Badb is part of a trio of war goddesses known as the three Morrígna.^[3][4][5]