Inspiration for my Dark Goddess trilogy

"I am the wind on the sea;

I am the wave of the sea;

I am the bull of seven battles;

I am the eagle on the rock;

I am a flash from the sun;

I am the most beautiful of plants;

I am a strong wild boar;

I am a salmon in the water;

I am a lake in the plain;

I am the word of knowledge;

I am the head of the spear in battle;

I am the god that puts fire in the head;

Who spreads light in the gathering on the hills?

Who can tell the ages of the moon?

Who can tell the place where the sun rests?"

Song of Amergin

 

This is a poem by a bard/druid named Amergin. He sang this song when his ship first landed on the shores of Ireland. No one knows for certain when the Sons of Mil (the Gaels) sailed from the Mediterranean and landed on what was then called Eriu (Ireland), but it was at least one thousand years before the birth of Christ—if the stories are to be believed.

At that time the godlike Tuatha de Danaan, the Irish faeries, ruled Ireland. The De' Danaans were described by Y.B. Yeats as 'tall and noble and able to change their shapes into different shapes not their own.' They were a society of druids, kings and warriors, but their true identity is shrouded in mystery. Were they tribes of the goddess Danu or gods themselves? According to the Book of Invasions, the Danaans were driven northward from Greece and came to Ireland by way of Denmark about 1472 BC.

The Sons of Mil were men who wielded iron swords while the De'Danaans were of an earlier time of magic. There were many battles fought between these two races until finally a great battle was fought and the Tuatha de Danaan retreated underground to the Sidhe, leaving the earthly plane to men. Even then the stories continued because some of the De'Danaans decided to remain above ground and on Beltaine and Samhain, the barriers between the two worlds would open and men were exposed to the magic of the Fae.

These tales of men and gods were the inspiration for my Dark Goddess trilogy and is the basis for many of my stories. I specifically focused on a legend about two goddesses, one ruled from Samhain to Beltaine and one ruled from Beltaine to Samhain. As I was doing research for the first book in this trilogy, I came across an Irish king who ruled in the sixth century in Scotland (Dal Riata). He had a shadowy past and was believed to have fathered a future king of the Picts. He was also known as one of the most feared kings of his time. In the Welsh poems, he is called 'Aedan the Treacherous' and he was a contemporary of St. Columba. He fascinated me and I came up with an idea for a curse that revolved around his clan, Brigit (a Tuatha de Danaan goddess), Cailleach (an ancient goddess known in Ireland and Scotland) and an ancient Greek vampire. This curse is connected to the legend of a winter and summer goddess and also connected to that final battle between the Sons of Mil and the Tuatha de Danaan.

Cat's Curse (Bk 1), Beltaine’s Song (Bk 2) and Winter’s Requiem (Bk 3) are all available now in Print and Ebook.

http://kelleyheckart.com/BookShelf.html

 

Kelley Heckart

'Timeless tales of romance, conflict & magic'

http://www.kelleyheckart.com

http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/ Check out my long hair hotties!

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My book page at Mundania Press: http://www.mundania.com/author.php?author=Kelley+Heckart

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http://www.amazon.com/Kelley-Heckart/e/B002BMOQ3C/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

The Morrigan

Most people don’t think of faeries as frightening beings like vampires or werewolves, but there are many different types of faeries, some good and some evil. One of these more frightening faeries is the Irish faerie The Morrigan, also called Morrigu. Her name means Phantom Queen and she isn’t the typical faerie like the better-known Tinkerbell, gossamer-winged, tiny, benevolent faeries that most people know.

 

The Morrigan is a battle goddess associated with the Irish Tuatha de Danaan, one of the mythical races of ancient Ireland. These are the faeries that J.R.R. Tolkien based his elves on, and they are human size fae. W.B. Yeats writes about them in Celtic Twilight, ‘Tribes of the goddess Danu are indeed tall and noble, and they can take shapes and sizes that are not their true shapes and sizes.’

As a battle goddess, the Morrigan holds the fate of warriors and is sometimes seen as the washerwoman at the ford, a gruesome hag washing the bloody clothes of a warrior about to die in battle. She is also a fertility goddess—a goddess of death as well as renewal. She is often viewed as the destructive aspect of the Triple Goddess, her other forms are Badb and Nemhain. The Morrigan may have been part of a megalithic triad—three goddesses called The Mothers that were similar to the Greek Fates. She is neither good nor evil, but an unpredictable force that is best approached with caution. The Morrigan is associated with the crow and raven, and often appears in those shapes.

In my stories, she is Morrigan, a capricious, shape-shifting deity comparable in temperament to the Norse god Loki. She appears in the aspect of Badb in Winter’s Requiem, the third book in my Dark Goddess trilogy. The Morrigan is my favorite Irish faerie and appears in various forms in four of my books. I think what I like best about her is her unpredictability and how she straddles the line between good and evil.

The Morrigan is a fae/goddess to be wary of, especially since her appearance could foreshadow death.

Three different women, one ancient curse…

http://kelleyheckart.com/winters_requiem.html

 

Kelley Heckart

'Timeless tales of romance, conflict & magic'

http://www.kelleyheckart.com

http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/ Check out my long hair hotties!

http://twitter.com/CelticChick

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604

A Greek vampire, Celtic kings, vengeful goddesses, an ancient faery curse…

Thanks for inviting me to the Goddess Fish Party blog to promote my new Print release. I am excited that my Dark Goddess trilogy is now complete and all three books are available in Print and Ebook.

Set in Dark Age Scotland, I mixed history with a Samhain/Beltaine myth that revolves around an Irish clan and the goddesses Brigit and Cailleach.

http://kelleyheckart.com/cats_curse.html

Cat's Curse, Book 1: Dark Goddess Trilogy, Celtic historical romance/fantasy

Enter Dark Age Scotland—a mysterious, dangerous & exciting place…

Blurb: Cardea is cursed to live an eternity as a blood drinker. Aedan mac Gabrain, prince of Dal Riata, trusts no one after suffering a curse that keeps him from touching any females. Can two tortured souls find love while battling a dark goddess determined to destroy them?

Reviewer Top Pick! This amazing story is very refreshing in the current romance genre. The storyline had a bunch of twists and turns that kept my attention and intrigued me with anticipation. I am eagerly looking forward to reading the next book (Beltaine's Song), Book Two in the Dark Goddess Trilogy, as I have become addicted to the strength, courage and real human facets of the characters in this saga.
Reviewed by: Lydia Ferrari at Night Owl Romance Reviews

****

http://kelleyheckart.com/winters_requiem.html

Winter’s Requiem, Book 3, Dark Goddess Trilogy, Celtic historical/fantasy

Blurb:

Three different women, one ancient curse…

An ancient curse is revealed, leading Domelch, Brigit and Cailleach into certain danger amid a web of deceit.

Can they break the curse and put the shattered pieces of their lives back together?

‘4 Cups! This story is a remarkable one on so many levels. The theme spoke to my soul and touched my heart. The warrior women made this story sing for me…I adored the way Ms. Heckart tangled religion and politics into a

tale that held my interest to the very end.’ 

Kimberly
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More

****

http://kelleyheckart.com/BeltainesSong.html

Beltaine’s Song, Book 2, Dark Goddess Trilogy, Celtic historical/fantasy

Blurb: For each of them, spring's song has a different meaning.

Aedan and Domelch must battle earthly foes—enemy kings and traitorous allies. For the first time, the arrival of spring heralds the sound of a harsh battle horn as their foes close in. Through all this turmoil, can their love survive?

For their son, Gartnait, spring brings with it the promise of new love and the thrilling sound of the battle horn, putting those he cares about in danger.

'Ms. Heckart draws the reader into the pages and enchants them with her words.'

Karen McGill, Coffee Time Romance

****

 

Kelley Heckart

'Timeless tales of romance, conflict & magic'

http://www.kelleyheckart.com

http://kelleysrealm.blogspot.com/

http://twitter.com/CelticChick

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelley-Heckart/111838455604

My book page at Mundania Press: http://www.mundania.com/author.php?author=Kelley+Heckart

My author page on amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/Kelley-Heckart/e/B002BMOQ3C/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0