Many modern Pagans, especially feminist ones, focus on the Goddess as having the triple aspects of Maiden, Mother and Crone. Quite a few books and articles have been written about the Goddess from this point of view. This same school of thought often considers all Goddesses to be Lunar Goddesses. The two beliefs have become so prevalent they are almost universally accepted . Disagreeing with these views almost amounts to heresy. After some research and inner working I have found that I do not subscribe to these beliefs. The concept of a Maiden/Mother/Crone Triple Goddess was problematic for me because I do not easily fit into any of these molds. Trying to fit my beliefs into this viewpoint was almost like trying to wear hand-me-down clothes. Yeah they fit, but they just don't feel right somehow. And although I do love the Moon and nighttime I feel just as strong a connection to the Sun and daylight. If I have aspects that embrace these different energies why wouldn't Goddesses.
The Goddesses I am drawn to and work with are predominantly Battle Queens - Morrigan, Macha, and Freya. They do not neatly fit into the Maiden, Mother, Crone archetype nor, in my experience, are any of these three Lunar Goddesses. In fact I would argue that they are Solar in nature. Which would tie in with the fact that the Celts and Norse viewed the Sun as female and the Moon as male. For me they represent the opposite of the Mother archetype. They are mature females who are not mothers, females who are also warriors. This fit my soul like a well worn pair of jeans. I had finally found a connection to the Goddess where I felt understood and accepted.
Freya is usually described as the Norse Goddess of fertility, prosperity and sexuality. However she is also called the leader of the Valkyrie. Freya is a mighty warrior, riding to battle in her chariot drawn by two cats, choosing half of all those slain in battle to grace her hall, Folkvangr. One interesting aspect of Freya, which she shares with Morrigan, is that she does not usually take part in the battle. The Valkyries' function is to create fear and terrify the participants, making them vulnerable to attack by the favored side. Freya takes lovers at will and refuses to bend to the will of others. When Freya desires the necklace Brisingamen, she sleeps with the four dwarves who created it to possess it. When Thrym, king of the frost giants, steals Thor's hammer Mjollnir and demands Freya as his bride in return for it, Freya refuses. She is in control of her sexuality and comfortable with her warrior nature. She also displays loyalty and devotion, searching in vain for her lost husband Odhr (Od), believed by some to be Odin. Freya is a mistress of shamanic magick practices, a seidhr, which she taught to Odin. Gold and amber, both having strong Solar energies, are considered sacred to Freya. When you combine the stories and energies associated with Freya it is clear that she is not a Lunar Goddess (especially not in a culture that considered the Moon to be male). She does have some Earth aspects but Freya is not the home and hearth type. I think her energies resonate with the Sun. While Freya is not identified as a Sun Goddess I think she would be right at home wearing the trappings of one.
Macha, the Irish Battle Goddess often considered an aspect of the Morrigan, has at least three distinct myths associated with her. In one tale she is the wife of Nemed, "sun of women" who dies of a broken heart after having a vision of the destruction wreaked by a future war. In another she is the wife of Crunnchu forced to race the king's horses while heavily pregnant. As she lay dying this Macha curses the men of Ulster so in times of need for 4 days and 5 nights they will become as weak as a woman in childbirth. This curse sets the stage for the final battle in the Cuchulain saga. A third Macha, the Red, is a Queen of Ireland who is credited with building Ard Macha and establishing Emain Macha as the capital of Ulster . In order to gain the throne she must outsmart her three rivals. She does this by defeating them in battle and, after a seven year reign, refusing to give up the throne because there were no agreements stating what would happen in the event of the throne being won in battle. She also tricked them into building a fort for her. Macha is viewed as a powerful and intelligent woman, with the ability to bring destruction to those who cross her. She is consistently associated with horses and sovereignty, both often affiliated with Solar energies.
Morrigan, "daughter of Ernmas", and "Phantom Queen", is often described as a triple goddess with Macha being one aspect of her triplicity. She is associated with fertility, the Otherworld, war, death and prophecy. In various myths the Morrigan is shown to be associated with cows, representing fertility, and crows, associated with death. She mates with the Dagda on Samhain while standing astride a river and washing her feet. She is often portrayed as "The Washer at the Ford" prophesying the death of the warrior whose armor she cleans. During the Ulster Cycle of myths she alternately tries to seduce or destroy Cuchulain. At the end of the saga a crow perches on Cuchulain's shoulder indicating that he is dead. The Morrigan is also described as prophesizing the end of the world after the Tuatha de Danann's victory over the Formorians. The Morrigan is a complex and difficult to understand goddess but I have to say that I do not see her fitting into any of the Maiden, Mother or Crone archetypes. The only tale I've read that mentions motherhood in connections with the Morrigan describes her as giving birth to a son who is destroyed because it has been foreseen that he will bring death and destruction to everything. Definitely not the traditional "Mother Goddess" story.
Even in myths there are women who embody a much more solar/warrior energy. Maeve, the battle queen of Connacht; Grania ni Mhalle, the daring Irish pirate queen; Boudicca, the warrior queen of the Iceni; and even Brunihild, the Valkyrie queen of the Volsunga Saga all embody this aspect of the Goddess. These women, even when they have children, are not gentle, nurturing mothers. There may be some who view these women as unnatural or harsh but I think they represent a very real part of women's psyches that has been suppressed for too long.
These three Goddesses can be a helpful guidepost for women, like myself, who do not fit in the Maiden/Mother/Crone mold. Or maybe that mold is valid and just needs to be expanded. There is room for a fourth aspect of the Goddess and maybe the Warrior/Dark Mother aspect is it. This aspect is more fierce and more threatening to modern sensibilities than the traditional Maiden/Mother/Crone aspects but it is just as valid. Let those of us who personify this female warrior energy reclaim this aspect of the Goddess. It is time to free the Warrior/Dark Mother Goddesses.
If you'd like to learn more about Celtic Goddesses or Solar Goddesses the look for the following books: