Morrigan's Eyes
The Goddess of Death Sees All
"My dear children, my sweet, sweet children... I only ask three things of you: Hold yourself high above those Daoirenn that crawl the earth, relish the form I've given you and the freedom it gives you....And keep your eyes on my foes. Let your eyes be mine, so that I may know all."
The Tale of Morrigan's Eyes
The eyes of a raven or crow are one to be wary of, especially if they have an otherworldly glint to them. These creatures with intelligent gaze, are rumoured to be servants of Morrigan. Tired of the gods of Life and Rebirth conspiring against her without her knowledge, royal families souring her name and attempting to cheat death, the Goddess Morrigan decided she would use trickery of her own. After all, why corrupt humans as her spies when they were so weak in her eyes, when she could simply make something better? It is said that on that fateful day, Morrigan gave all Corvus human-like intelligence. She charmed them with her powerful magic, linking their vision with hers. Each and every Corvus from now until the end of time, would be a spy for her, allowing her to see everything. No one would escape her vision. So take care if you see ravens and crows, they may be watching you. Flattery of the Goddess is one way to appease them, to show you bare no ill will to their mother.But is it truely Corvus that humans need to worry about? Or is there something more to this myth?
Summary
It is said that the goddess Morrigan has a special kind of Corvus (in this case ravens and crows) that she is able to use as scrying mirrors. They are indistinguishable from the natural animal, and therein lies the problem.
If you can't tell them apart from the animal, how can you know if you're being watched?
Spread
The myth of Morrigan's Eyes is incredibly common, and has spread throughout Barhkh. The only way someone would not know of it is if they were a foreigner who hadn't studied Barhkh's myths and Gods.
The myth is commonly told to children young, so that they will treat Corvus with respect but also apprehension.
Variations & Mutation
Some villages claim that given the Goddess' image, that only Corvus with snow white feathers can be her true eyes, while others claim that you should trust no Corvus - that any bird under her domain can be used as a scrying mirror, allowing her to see all.
Cultural Reception
Many humans, as a result of this myth, have a healthy respect for corvus. It is commonly stated that you are to state flattering things about the goddess when in the presence of Corvus to appease them, in hopes that they'll fly away to leave you to your secrecy.
However, it does seed paranoia, and others often find themselves looking to Corvus as signs of bad omens.
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