Prayers Before Battle III

See Prayers Before Battle and Prayers Before Battle II.

SM Stirling presents two more heartfelt prayers in The Sunrise Lands (New York, 2008), Chapter Fourteen, pp. 336.

Rudi Mackenzie addresses:

"'Dread Lord,
"'Father of Victories,
"'Storm-rider,
"'Wild Huntsman...'"

(I am rearranging the text into a list but otherwise quoting in full.)

Rudi's request is: "'...aid us now.'"

He then addresses:

"'Dark Goddess,
"'Morrigu of the Crows,
"'Red Hag of Battles...'"

This time, his prayer is longer:

"'...to You I dedicate the harvest of the unplowed field of war, and the blood to be spilled this day on Your earth.'"

However, the prayer is addressed to both divine aspects:

"'Be You both with Your children; and if this is my hour, then know I go most willingly to You.'"

(Maybe "You" is plural, as opposed to "Thou.")

None of us can be sure where we will go after death or indeed that we will go anywhere except that our bodies will return to the mass-energy of which they are transient forms.

Father Ignatius addresses:

"'Lord Jesus Christ...
"'Mighty Lord of Hosts...
"'God of Battles...'"

- and invokes the intercession of God's Mother and the angels.

He requests:

mercy;
aid;
worthiness to fight to the death for faith and brothers;
strength of soul and body -

- and concludes:

"'Deus lo vult! Amen.'"

I am unsure about "lo" but the Latin means something like "God wills it!"

What is the result of these prayers? At worst, no harm is done and the Wiccan and Catholic allies are heartened and encouraged. At best, some actual deity, transcending beliefs, hears and responds.