Ernmas bore the three war goddesses of the Tuatha Dé Danann — the Morrígan, Badb, and Macha — terrible sisters who haunted battlefields in the shapes of crows and drove warriors to frenzy or foretold their doom.
Badb Catha, the battle crow, screams over the carnage of war as a manifestation of the Morrígan — her shriek alone could kill warriors with terror, and her presence over a battlefield foretold slaughter.
⚠ Lebor Gabála Érenn lists Badb as a daughter of Ernmas alongside the Morrígan, making them sisters rather than aspects. The conflation of distinct figures into a triple goddess is a scholarly interpretation based on interchangeable use of names in battle narratives.
When Cú Chulainn bound himself dying to a standing stone so he would face his enemies upright, Badb alighted on his shoulder in the form of a hooded crow — only then did his enemies know he was dead and dare to approach.
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