Morrigan

Album: I Worship Chaos (2015)
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Songfacts®:

  • Morrigan is a Celtic goddess, and a rather frightening one, holding dominion over war and the underworld. Associated with death, she was known to show up at battles in the form of a crow, and feed on the dead when the fight was over.

    In our interview with Children of Bodom frontman Alexi Laiho, he said: "This song is basically about mortal man being obsessively in love with a goddess, and can't let go. It's a very dark and twisted love song."
  • The video was directed by Patric Ullaeus, who also did the band's videos for "Living Dead Beat" and "Trashed, Lost & Strungout." The band doesn't appear in the clip, which plays out the storyline in the lyrics: a man in love with the dark goddess Morrigan, who finds himself in battle. It makes a lot more sense in context with the backstory, which explains that the crow in Morrigan in alternate form.

    Speaking with Ullaeus, he explained the concept: "The story is about a man stepping into a dark place where the demons of the past are taking over his life and he becomes a prisoner of his own mind. He doesn't know where to go; it feels like he is drowning and falling into the abyss. The desert represents his empty existence and he desperately wants to get out. When he does get out, he needs to confront his biggest enemy, his demon inside.

    He engages in battle and just when you think he can't win, just when you think evil will take over, Morrigan saves his life. She gives him the tools to conquer his fears and destroy his enemy. But does the help he gets from her come with a price? You decide..."

    The model Fanny stars as Morrigan; the main character is played by the MMA fighter Viktor Larson, and his demon is played by Otman Boujrad of the Swedish National Thai boxing team. (Here's the full behind-the-scenes look at the "Morrigan" video.)

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