| Brigit | |
|---|---|
| Member of theTuatha Dé Danann | |
 "The Coming of Bríde" byJohn Duncan (1917) | |
| Symbols | Brigid's cross, flamingtorches,Cows (particularly white cows),Serpents,Swans,Bees,Oak trees,Dandelions,Wells |
| Texts | Lebor Gabála Érenn,Cath Maige Tuired,Cormac's Glossary |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents | Dagda |
| Siblings | Cermait,Aengus,Aed,Bodb Derg, Brigid the Healer, Brigid the Smith |
Brigid orBrigit (/ˈbrɪdʒɪd,ˈbriːɪd/BRIJ-id,BREE-id,Irish:[ˈbʲɾʲiːdʲ]; meaning 'exalted one'),[1] alsoBríg, is a goddess ofpre-Christian Ireland. She appears inIrish mythology as a member of theTuatha Dé Danann, the daughter ofthe Dagda and wife ofBres, with whom she had a son named Ruadán.
She is associated with wisdom, poetry, healing, protection, smithing and domesticated animals.Cormac's Glossary, written in the 9th century by Christian monks, says that Brigid was "the goddess whom poets adored" and that she had two sisters: Brigid the healer and Brigid the smith.[2][3] This suggests she may have been atriple deity.[4] She is also thought to have some relation to theBritish Celtic goddessBrigantia.
Saint Brigid shares many of the goddess's attributes and herfeast day, 1 February, was originally a festival calledImbolc. It has thus been argued that the saint is a Christianization of the goddess, or that the lore of the goddess was transferred to her, and that Imbolc was originally associated with the goddess.[5]
Middle IrishBrigit[ˈbʲɾʲiʝidʲ] evolved intoearly modern IrishBrighid[bʲɾʲiːdʲ] and, aftera spelling reform in 1948, the spelling was standardised asBríd[bʲɾʲiːdʲ]. The earlier form gave rise to various forms in the languages of Europe, starting from the Medieval LatinBrigida, and from there to EnglishBridget, FrenchBrigitte, SwedishBirgitta orBirgit and FinnishPiritta.
The name comes fromProto-Celtic*Brigantī and means "the high one" or "the exalted one". It iscognate with the name of theancient British goddessBrigantia, with whom Brigid is thought to have some relation.[6] It is also cognate with theOld High German personal nameBurgunt, and theSanskrit wordBṛhatī (बृहती) "high", an epithet of theHindu dawn goddessUshas. The ultimate source isProto-Indo-European*bʰr̥ǵʰéntih₂ (feminine form of*bʰérǵʰonts, "high"), derived from the root*bʰerǵʰ- ("to rise").[7][8]Xavier Delamarre, citing E. Campanile, suggests that Brigid could be a continuation of theIndo-Europeandawn goddess.[1]
Sanas Cormaic (Cormac's Glossary), written by Christian scribes in the 9th century and based on earlier sources, has an entry for Brigit. It says she was a goddess of the elitepoet-seers (thefilí) and that she had two sisters, Brigit the goddess ofhealing and Brigit the goddess ofsmithing, all of whom are daughters ofthe Dagda:
"Brigit ... the female seer or woman of insight, i.e. the goddess whom poets (filid) used to worship, for her cult was very great and very splendid. It is for this reason that they call her the goddess of poets by this title, and her sisters were Brigit the woman ofleechcraft, and Brigit the woman ofsmithcraft, i.e. the goddesses i.e. three daughters of the Dagda are they.[3][9]
It explains that from these, all the Irish have a goddess calledBrigit; suggesting that it "may have been more of a title than a personal name".[6]
TheLebor Gabála Érenn, first compiled in the 11th century, also calls Brigit a poetess and daughter of the Dagda. It says she has two oxen, Fea and Femen, from whom are named Mag Fea (a plain on theRiver Barrow) and Mag Femin (a plain on theRiver Suir).[2] Elsewhere, these are called the oxen of Dil, "radiant of beauty".[10] It also says she possesses the "king of boars",Torc Triath (from whom the plain of Treithirne is named), and the "king ofwethers", Cirb (from whom the plain of Cirb is named).[11] The animals were said to cry out whenever plundering was committed in Ireland. This suggests Brigid was a guardian goddess of domesticated animals.[2][12]
The "Judgments of Bríg" (Bretha Bríg) are 8th–9th century glosses added to theSenchas Már, a collection ofearly Irish law tracts. They are adjustments tocustomary laws to allow for the special needs of women.[13] The texts ascribe these to the mythical Bríg Brethach ("Bríg of the Judgments"), who is said to be the wife of the legendary judge and poetSencha.[14] In theUlster sagas of Irish mythology, Bríg Brethach is one of a trio, along with Sencha's mother Bríg Briugu ("Bríg the hostel-keeper") and his daughter Bríg Ambue ("Bríg the propertiless").[13]
InCath Maige Tuired, Bríg is the wife ofBres and bears him a son, Ruadán, whose name is related to the word for "red".[15] The story says she began the custom ofkeening, a combination of wailing and singing, while mourning the death of Ruadán.[2] She is credited in the same passage with inventing a whistle used for night travel.[16]
Historians suggest that the goddess Brigid wassyncretized with the Christian saint of the same name. According to medievalist Pamela Berger, Christian monks "took the ancient figure of the mother goddess and grafted her name and functions onto her Christian counterpart,"Brigid of Kildare.[5] The saint'shagiographies "are mainly anecdotes and miracle stories, some of which are deeply rooted in Irish pagan folklore".[17]Dáithí Ó hÓgáin wrote that the melding of pagan goddess and Christian saint can be seen in some of the saint's miracles, where she multiplies food, bestows cattle and sheep, controls the weather, and is linked with fire or thermal springs.[2]
The goddess and saint have many of the same associations. Saint Brigid is considered a patroness of healers, poets, blacksmiths, livestock and dairy workers,[17] as well as serpents (in Scotland) and the arrival of spring.[18][19] Kim McCone points out thatSanas Cormaic says the three Brigids were patronesses of poetry/prophecy, healing/medicine, and smithing. Meanwhile, Saint Brigid is linked with the poetDubthach maccu Lugair, the physicianÁed mac Bricc, and the master smithConleth.[9]
Fea and Femen, the oxen of the goddess Brigid, are associated with the area of southeastern Ireland wherePtolemy places theBrigantes tribe in the 2nd century.[20] In Britain, the Brigantes are associated with thegoddess Brigantia, whose name is cognate with Brigid.[6] Meanwhile, Saint Brigid is strongly associated with the province of Leinster in southeastern Ireland.[6]
In the late 12th century,Gerald of Wales wrote that nineteen nuns took turns in keeping aperpetual fire burning atKildare in honour of Saint Brigid, and that this fire was kept burning since Brigid's time. It has been suggested this fire originally belonged to a temple of Brigit the goddess.[21] The Roman goddessVesta and the Greek goddessHestia had perpetual fires tended by priestesses.[22] According to Gerald, it was ringed by a hedge that no man was allowed to cross,[17] lest he be cursed.[23][24]
The saint is associated with manyholy wells andclootie wells in Ireland and Britain, where small strips of cloth or ribbons are left as part of a healing ritual.[25][26] Celtic healing goddesses, such asSirona andCoventina, were often associated with sacred springs.[27]
This theory is contested, however, with scholars including Elva Johnston arguing that the significance of the pagan goddess has been exaggerated at the saint's expense. Johnston wrote "the argument for the priority of the goddess over the saint depends on three interrelated points: firstly, that [Saint] Brigit is not real, secondly that her lives betray that they are an attempt to euhemerise a pagan deity, and finally an underlying assumption that a goddess cult is more empowering for the women of ancient and, by analogy, contemporary Ireland".[28]
Saint Brigid's Day is 1 February. It was originallyImbolc, the first day of spring in Irish tradition. Because Saint Brigid has been linked to the goddess Brigid, the festival of Imbolc is commonly associated with the goddess.[29][30]
Atholus onVenus was named after Brigit by theInternational Astronomical Union in 1985.[31] As theplanetary nomenclature rules prohibit the use of national figures and religious figures from contemporary religions, this is a reference to the goddess rather than the saint.
Brigid is an important figure for somemodern pagans, who emphasize her triple aspect. She is sometimes worshipped in conjunction withLugh orCernunnos.[32]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)