( Goddess - Irish )

Goddess Macha lived a mortal life around 300 BC. She was the daughter of Red Hugh, an Ulster Prince who ruled Ireland from Emain Macha, literally translated means "brooch of Macha", which was the foundation of Ulster and today is a hill fort just outside Armagh, Northern Ireland. Macha’s father, Red Hugh and his brothers Dithorba and Kimbay agreed in turn to have sovereignty of Ireland, and following Red Hugh’s death, Dithorba was next to take over sovereignty. Red Hugh was a fair man, and placed importance on every man and woman in the land. He understood the qualities of women and how necessary they were to the defense of the realm, having active roles in battle. Macha grew up learning how to be a warrior, so she would be able to take her place alongside every other able bodied man and woman when the call to war came. She trained every day in fighting and having developed her skills, she taught others her skills so that they were not only ready for war, but would easily defeat any threat to the sovereignty to Ireland. Macha too was a fair woman, who treated all people with respect and was in turn shown respect. Her warlike qualities were what others admired and she showed such an example that men and women wanted to be like her. She had physical strength and was fearless, and a great defender of the realm and her people.