Brigid

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

In Irish mythology as it is presently constituted, Brigit or Brighit ("exalted one") was the daughter of Dagda (and therefore one of the Tuatha Dé Danann) and wife of Bres of the Fomorians. She had two sisters, also named Brighid, and is considered a classic Celtic Triple Goddess.

Familial relations

By Tuireann, she was the mother of Creidhne, Luchtaine and Goibniu.

She is identified in Lebor Gabála Érenn as a daughter of the Dagda and a poetess. The same passage mentions that she has two oxen, Fe and Men, that graze on a plain named for them, Femen; the Torc Triath, king of boars; and Cirb, king of wethers, from whom Mag Cirb is named.Macalister, R. A. Stewart. Lebor Gabála Érenn. Part IV. Irish Texts Society, Dublin, 1941. § VII, First Redaction, ¶ 317.

She is also said to be the sister of the goddess of pleasure (and goddess of the underworld), Bebhinn.

Associations

In Cath Maige Tuireadh, Bríg (sic) invents keening while mourning for Ruadán (her son by Bres), slain while fighting for the Fomorians. She is credited in the same passage with inventing a whistle used for night travel.Cath Maige Tuired (The Second Battle of Mag Tuired), translated by Elizabeth A. Gray. ¶ 125.

Divine responsibilities

Brigid was the goddess of the Sacred Flame of Kildare and one of the goddesses worshipped by the Celtic peoples, including the druids. She was 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 blacksmithy), 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.^* 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.

Festivals

On February 2, Brigid was celebrated at Imbolc, when she brought spring to the land. It is also the feast day of St Brigid (who is honored by Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and some Anglicans).

Other names and etymology

Old Irish Brigit came to be spelled Brighid by the modern Irish period. Since the spelling reform of 1948, this has been spelled Bríd . The earlier form gave rise to the anglicization Bridget, now commonly seen as Brigid.

Brìde (Scotland)
Ffraid (Wales)
Breo Saighead ("the fiery arrow" – a folk etymology found in Sanas Cormaic, but considered very unlikely by etymologists)
Berecyntia (Gaul)
Brigan
Brigandu (Gaul)
Brigantia (Great Britain)
Brigantis (Great Britain)
Brigindo (Switzerland)
Brigida (The Netherlands)

The theonym Brigit appears to be derived from Proto-Celtic *Brigantījā meaning "high" or "exalted".^* Some of her titles included:

"Brigantia, Exaltedness of Inspiration" - patroness of poets
"Brigantia, Exaltedness of the Hearth" - patroness of healers, goddess of fertility
"Brigantia, Exaltedness of the Forge" - patroness of smiths, craftsmen and warriors

Familial relations

Associations

Divine responsibilities

Festivals

Other names and etymology

See also

References

Bibliography

External links

Gourt Home::Gourt :: Brigid

Familial relations

Associations

Divine responsibilities

Festivals

Other names and etymology

See also

References

Bibliography

External links