The Queen of Battle is one of the most arresting (at least to me) cards in Caitlin Matthew's Celtic Wisdom Tarot. This wondrous figure, complete with a crow on her staff and headdress, represents

"a woman made wise by experience; sharp, analytical, and intelligent; autonomous and independent. Keen but fair..." (Matthews, Celtic Wisdom Tarot 66).

According to Matthews, the Morrigan is the Goddess of Battle and "catabolic" change--perhaps suggesting those kinds of fundamental or formative changes that change us right down to the molecular level. (She  certainly has this kind of effect on Skye!) She is represented as part of a trio of goddesses; with her 2 sisters (whose names change depending on the source), the Morrigan is known to assume the shape of a crow and visit (and feast upon) the bodies of those slain in battle. 

Morrigan and her sisters were definitely influenced by the legends and stories I've read about the Celtic Goddess who possessed three faces: the Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone.  I was also inspired by stories of Morgan Le Fay, particularly those like The Mists of Avalon that represented her in a sympathetic (at least to some extent) light.

When Skye meets the Morríghana, Morrigan and her sisters Macha and Nemain are living in a little house in the town of Manitou that used to belong to Skye's grandfather. The three Sisters open Skye's eyes not only to the secrets of her past but also of a world she never dreamed could be real. 

Learn more about contemporary takes on the Triple Goddess by clicking here.  

**Full disclosure: Since finishing the novel, I have read articles debunking this notion of the goddess representing life stages, but I still like the idea of it. Besides, it works well with depictions of the Triple Goddess holding flowers, fruit, and wheat (which also could be connected to life cycles, right?).

* The above image has been reproduced with kind permission from Caitlin Matthews. ​

According to Caitlin Matthews' Celtic Wisdom Tarot, "the Changer" is another name for Taranis the Thunderer, who is shown here with his lightning bolt and sacred wheel. This Celtic god is associated most closely with the Roman Jupiter and his thunderbolt. Behind Taranis, we see the sacred wheel that overturns all things--including human destiny. Stories indicate that human sacrifices were made in his honour, though not all sources agree about this. Either way, he seems to have been a fearsome and powerful deity! 

​I first came across Taranis many years ago when I received this deck of cards as a gift. I was struck by the powerful imagery and the accompanying explanation about Taranis' knack for turning people's lives upside-down. Years later, when I began to envision Skye's adventures into the Celtic Otherworld, it was Taranis who appeared as my villain.

Skye first glimpses Taranis when she draws his card from the deck of tarot cards she has inherited from her mother's family--a family she knows nothing about. When she looks at the card, she can feel the god's cruel nature emanating from the image. Little does she know that this card has more to do with her past, her present, and her future than she could ever imagine. 

As the story progresses, Skye learns more about this god's connection to her own family. Skye is descended from a long line of seannachies, who were mythical Celtic storytellers who (at least in my fanciful interpretation)  created bridges between the worlds of the gods and their human followers. Many ancient stories suggest that Taranis passed into obscurity as his cult became irrelevant in the face of evolving religious beliefs and practices. Some stories even suggest that he died of grief. In The Storyteller's Daughter, however, Taranis is able to dodge this fate when he stumbles upon Skye's family, whose blood is still strong with the seannachies' powers. Through trickery, deception, and brute force, Taranis is able to remain in the human world. Now Skye has become his next target. 

Click here to learn more about Taranis from The Mythology Source. 

* The above image has been reproduced with kind permission from Caitlin Matthews.