This article refers to the Pagan Goddess Brigid. For the Catholic/Orthodox Saint of that name, see Saint Brigid.

In Irish mythology, Brigit or Brighid ("exalted one") was the daughter of the Dagda and one of the Tuatha Dé Danann. The Mythology of pre-Christian Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity, but much of it was preserved shorn of its religious meanings The Tuatha Dé Danann ("peoples of the Goddess Danu " Modern Irish pronunciation /t̪ˠuːəhə dʲeː d̪ˠan̪ˠən̪ˠ/ Old Irish /tuːaθa ðʲeː She was the wife of Bres of the Fomorians, with whom she had a son, Ruadán. For the legendary Irish High King see Bres Rí; for the Marvel Comics character see Bres (comics In Irish mythology, Bres In Irish mythology, the Fomorians, Fomors, or Fomori ( Irish Fomóiri, Fomóraig) were a semi-divine race who inhabited She had two sisters, also named Brighid, and is considered a classic Celtic Triple Goddess. Celts (ˈkɛlts or /ˈsɛlts/, see Names of the Celts In ancient Indo-European mythologies various Goddesses or demi-goddesses appear as a triad, either as three separate beings

Contents 1 Familial relations 2 Associations 3 Divine responsibilities 4 Festivals 5 Other names and etymology 6 See also 7 Notes 8 References 9 External links

Familial relations

She is identified in Lebor Gabála Érenn as a daughter of the Dagda and a poet. Lebor Gabála Érenn ( The Book of the Taking of Ireland) is the Middle Irish title of a loose collection of Poems and Prose narratives The same passage mentions that she has two oxen, Fe and Men, that graze on a plain named after them, Femen. She also possessed the "king of boars", Torc Triath, and Cirb, king of wethers (sheep), from whom Mag Cirb is named. Twrch Trwyth is the name of a particularly potent Wild boar Culhwch is instructed to hunt in the Middle Welsh prose tale Culhwch and Olwen ^[1] As the daughter of Dagda, she is also the half sister of Cermait, Aengus, Midir and Bodb Derg. In Irish mythology, Cermait of the Tuatha Dé Danann was a son of The Dagda. For similar names see Angus (disambiguation. In Irish mythology, Aengus ( Áengus, Óengus, Aonghus In Irish mythology Midir (or Midhir or Mider) was a son of The Dagda of the Tuatha Dé Danann. In Irish mythology, Bodb Derg ( Old Irish: /ˈboðβ ˈdʲeɾg/ Bodb-the-Red; Middle and Modern Irish Bodhbh Dearg /ˈboːβ ˈdʲaɾəg/

Associations

In Cath Maige Tuireadh, Bríg (sic) invents keening while mourning for her son Ruadán, after he is slain while fighting for the Fomorians. Cath Maige Tuired ("The Battle of Mag Tuired" is the name of two saga texts of the Mythological Cycle of Irish Mythology. In Irish mythology, the Fomorians, Fomors, or Fomori ( Irish Fomóiri, Fomóraig) were a semi-divine race who inhabited She is credited in the same passage with inventing a whistle used for night travel. ^[2]

Divine responsibilities

Brighid was associated with perpetual, sacred flames, such as the one maintained by 19 nuns at her sanctuary in Kildare, Ireland. Kildare ( Cill Dara in modern Irish, originally derived from Cell Dara in Old Irish meaning "Church of the Oak" is a town in County The tradition of female priestesses tending sacred, naturally-occurring "eternal flames" is a feature of ancient Indo-European pre-Christian spirituality. Other examples include the Roman goddess Vesta, and other hearth-goddesses. Her sacred flame at Kildare was said by Giraldus Cambrensis and other chroniclers to have been surrounded by a hedge, which no man could cross. Gerald of Wales (c 1146 &ndash c 1223 also known as Gerallt Gymro in Welsh or Giraldus Cambrensis in Latin, Men who attempted to cross the hedge were said to have been cursed to go insane, die, and/or to have had their "lower leg" wither.

Brighid was also connected to holy wells, at Kildare and many other sites in the Celtic lands. Well dressing, the tying of clooties to the trees next to healing wells, and other methods of petitioning or honoring Brighid still take place in some of the Celtic lands and the diaspora. Well Dressing is a custom practised in rural England in which wells springs or other water sources are decorated with designs created from A clootie or cloot in Scots is a strip or piece of cloth a rag or item of clothing it can also refer to Fabric used in the patching of clothes or the Clootie wells (also Cloutie or Cloughtie wells) are places of Pilgrimage in Celtic areas.

As one of the most popular goddesses worshipped by the Celtic peoples, including the druids, many of her stories and symbology survive in the persona of Saint Brigid. A druid was a member of the priestly and learned class in the ancient Celtic societies She is the goddess of all things perceived to be of relatively high dimensions such as high-rising flames, highlands, hill-forts and upland areas; and of activities and states conceived as psychologically lofty and elevated, such as wisdom, excellence, perfection, high intelligence, poetic eloquence, craftsmanship (especially blacksmithing), healing ability, druidic knowledge and skill in warfare. In the living traditions, whether seen as goddess or saint, she is largely associated with the home and hearth and is a favorite of both Pagans and Christians. A number of these associations are attested in Cormac's Glossary. Celtic polytheism refers to the religious beliefs and practices of ancient Celts, prior to the Christianization of the Celtic-speaking lands Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings The Sanas Cormaic ( Cormac's Glossary; sometimes called Sanas Chormaic using modern rules of initial Consonant mutation) is an Irish

Her British and continental counterpart Brigantia seems to have been the Celtic equivalent of the Roman Minerva and the Greek Athena (Encyclopedia Britannica: Celtic Religion), goddesses with very similar functions and apparently embodying the same concept of 'elevated state', whether physical or psychological. For other uses see Brigantia. Brigantia was a Goddess in Celtic ( Gallo-Roman and Romano-British) religion The MInisterial NEtwoRk for Valorising Activities in digitisation, or MINERVA, is a European Union organization concerned with the digitisation of cultural and ATHENA was an Antimatter research project that took place at the AD Ring at CERN.

Maman Brigitte, one of the Lwa of Haitian Voodoo, may be a form of Brigid. In Vodou, Maman Brigitte ( Grann Brigitte, Manman, Manman Brigit, Manman Brijit) is a death Loa, the wife of Baron The Loa (also Lwa or L'wha) are the spirits of the Vodou religion practiced in Haiti, and other parts of the world Haiti ( English: ˈheɪ·tiː or haɪ·ˈjiː·tiː French Haïti a·i·ti Haitian Creole: It is likely that the concept came to the New World through the Irish who were kidnapped, enslaved and forced to labor in the Caribbean alongside the enslaved Africans. As a social-economic system slavery is a legal institution under which a Person (called "a slave" is compelled to work for another ^[3] Because of the intermarriage and cultural blending between the Irish and Africans, it is possible that Haitian Voodo is partially influenced by survivals of Celtic polytheism. Celtic polytheism refers to the religious beliefs and practices of ancient Celts, prior to the Christianization of the Celtic-speaking lands ^[4] Maman Brigitte is worshipped as the Lady of the Cemetery; her colors are purple, violet and black. She is the wife of Baron Samedi, and characterised as a hard working, hard cursing woman who can swear a blue streak and enjoys a special drink made of rum laced with 21 hot peppers. In Vodou or voodoo, Baron Samedi ( Baron Saturday, also Baron Samdi Bawon Samedi or Bawon Sanmdi) is one of the aspects of Baron People suspected of faking a possession by her may be asked to drink her special rum or rub hot peppers on their genitals, which she occasionally does. Those who are not truly possessed are soon identified.

Festivals

On February 1 or February 2, Brigid is celebrated at the Gaelic festival of Imbolc, when she brings the first stirrings of spring to the land. Events 1327 - Teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen Events 962 - Translatio imperii: Pope John XII crowns Otto I Holy Roman Emperor, the first Holy Roman Emperor Imbolc is one of the four principal festivals of the Irish calendar, celebrated among Gaelic peoples and some other Celtic cultures either at the beginning Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, and some Anglicans mark the day as the Feast of Saint Brigid; the festival is also known as Candlemas and Purification of the Virgin. The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world See also Anglicanism The Anglican Communion is an international association of national Anglican churches The Calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organizing a Liturgical year on the level of days by associating each day with one or more Saints The Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple celebrates an early episode in the life of Jesus, and falls on or around 2 February. The Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple celebrates an early episode in the life of Jesus, and falls on or around 2 February.

Other names and etymology

Old Irish Brigit ['brɪʝɪdʲ] came to be spelled Brighid by the modern Irish period. Old Irish is the name given to the oldest form of the Irish language, or rather the Goidelic languages, for which extensive written texts are possessed Since the spelling reform of 1948, this has been spelled Bríd ['briːdʲ]. The earlier form gave rise to the Anglicization Bridget, now commonly seen as Brigid.

• Brìghde/Brìde (Scotland)
• Fraid (Wales) Because of Welsh pronunciation mutations, her name changes to 'Ffraid' when following an [s] sound, such as in the name 'Llansanffraid' = 'Saint Bride's Village'
• Breo Saighead ("the fiery arrow" – a folk etymology found in Sanas Cormaic, but considered very unlikely by etymologists)
• Brigan
• Brigandu (Gaul)
• Brigantia (Great Britain)
• Brigantis (Great Britain)
• Brigindo (Switzerland)

See also

• Brigid of Ireland
• Brigid's cross
• Imbolc

Notes

References

• Bitel, Lisa M. 2001. "St. Brigit of Ireland: From Virgin Saint to Fertility Goddess" on-line)
• MacKillop, James. 1998. Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. (Oxford: Oxford University Press) ISBN 0-19-280120-1.

External links

• St. Brigid Fire Pictures of St. Brigits Church in Kildare and the sacred fire pit.
• Sloinntireachd Bhride (Genealogy of Bride) from the Carmina Gadelica
• Mary Jones's entry on Brigid
• Brighid: What do we really know? by Francine Nicholson
• St. Brigid's Well, Liscannor
• Images of Brighid

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