DragonsFaeriesElves&theUnseen : Brigid the Celtic Goddess of Fire

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Brigid the Celtic Goddess of Fire-

Brigid the Celtic Goddess of Fire

Hello My Dear Friends & Followers, today's post I am going to bring you into the World of the Goddess Brigid, one of the most Powerful religious figures in Irish history...
Brigid had many layers to her personality, that were separated by
traditions, that were intertwined which made a huge impact on their tale
through the centuries in Irish history. She has succeeded in traveling intact through many generations, fulfilling different roles in divergent times of ancient Ireland, Scotland Wales, and even France. However, she was best know in Ireland as Brigid the Celtic Fire Goddess for which they worship. In Northern England, she was known as Brigantia. In Scotland, they knew her as Bride and in Britain/Wales as Brigandu. Since Brigid was worship in so many different cultures, she had also gained an extremely long list of names. However, all of the names, that she was given were forged together by fire which Bright one' or 'Bright Arrow is a few examples. There were a few other names that Bridey, Brighid, Brigit & Briggidda. Brigid, is also known as the Forge, hearth, poetry, healing, childbirth and unity in most of the European countries. She also had a biblical name too, it happened to be the most powerful of all her names that she was given. It was Saint Brigid perhaps was perhaps was the most powerful religious figures in Irish history. So

happened to be the Goddess element. So hence that is how she got all her different names that all relate to the element of fire - 'Brigit means '
hence her Saint name was much more important than any of the others.

Goddess Brigid

the Goddess Brigid Celtic of fire was known for and these were a few of them;
There are many different legends & myths on the Goddess/Saint Brigid for which I hope I will be able to cover most of them in this post. Besides being a Saint & Goddess, she also took the role as an ancient Triple Goddess too. Brigid was born at the exact moment of daybreak and Brigid rose into the sky with the sun rays of fire from her head. She was the daughter of Dagda and the
great 'father-god' of Ireland. It was said that in Druid Mythology the infant Goddess Brigid was fed with milk from a sacred cow from the Otherworld.
As she got older Brigid owned an apple orchard in the Otherworld and her bees would bring their magical nectar back to the earth. Some have said that wherever she walked, small flowers and shamrocks would appear like magic. As a sun goddess her gifts are that of light, knowledge, inspiration, plus the vital healing energy of the sun. Later the Goddess Brigid did marry and became the wife of Bres and Irish King. She had three sons and each of them became famous warriors. Brigid and her husband Bres the Irish King came from two different warring tribes of Ireland in hopes that their union of marriage would end the enmity between their kin. Unfortunately, their hopes and dreams within their marriage to end the enmity between their kin of their two tribes did not bring peace and alliance to their two tribes which was essentially to the war between their two kin. Brigid being Danu and Bres from Fomorians tribes, with their intermarriage, war was hopefully averted. But it seem it wasn't to be... Brigid's eldest son Ruadan was killed on the battlefield and with his death it assured the role of Ruadan it seems the true war or battle began between the two families - the Daun's & Fomorians tribes.

Brigid the Warrior

How Brigid's eldest son die? Well he was on the battle field using the knowledge of metal-smith that he had learned from his mother, by striking the first blow and killing the first of the opposing kin in the war, however as the warrior fell to the ground that same warrior managed to get one last blow before he died. It was a deadly struck at Ruandan as he was walking away. From that strike it brought Ruandan down dead. This gave Brigid enormous grief at the loss of her eldest son and for that the continual hatred between the two tribes of her family and her husband all because of the death of her son Ruandan. Some have said that the mourning were so loud and were heard throughout Ireland it was so heart-rending that both tribes left the battle field and forged a peace. Eventually the love and respect for the goddess unity to the Celts who were spread throughout Europe. It seemed after the war regardless of their differences, they all agreed upon her goodness and compassion that she had for all people.And the being of the Goddess Brigid.

This is when one of the most popular tales of the Goddess Brigid involved two lepers who appeared at her sacred well at Kildare.
After the war between the two tribes; her tribe and her husband tribe, It was the beginning of the end for the ancient ways of doing things it Ireland. So when Brigid became the Goddess of Ireland, her evolution from

Saint Goddess Brigid

Goddess to Saint linked to Pagan Celtic and Christian traditions much the same ways the cauldron of the Goddess Cerridwen and the Holy Grail were combined in Arthurian Legend. Brigid acted as a bridge between the two world - the spiritual world & the regular world. She has successfully made this transition back to Goddess again with most of her traditions retained. And is worshiped both in Ireland and the highlands of islands of Scotland. It seems in order to incorporated the Goddess Brigid into Christian Worship and hence to insure her Survival, Involvement and Further as a Christianized Saint - Brigid was said to be the Foster-Mother of Jesus. Fostering children being a common practice among the Celtics in both Ireland and the Highlands of Scotland too. This is what the Goddess Brigid did to become a Saint Goddess that I could find ' She took
a child to save him from the slaughter of male infants supposedly instigated by Herod. Brigid wore a headdress of candles to light their way safety, both her and the many infants'.
Interesting note' Apparently in the gospel of Thomas there existed a scripture that has been now excluded from the Bible in which he claimed a web (blanket) was woven to protect the infant Jesus from harm. ' I don't know when or why this was taken from the bible but at some point I will come back to this post and explore this more in detail. Wendy... This to me says that the Goddess Saint Brigid was around during time of Christ. Which is very interesting to me.

Saint Brigid

She did come across a few problems when she became Saint Goddess Brigid, due to the fact that there were so many differences between the Roman church and the Christan Western Isles of Ireland. This was because of the many older deities that made the transition from Gods and Goddesses to Saints. Some were having a huge gender change too. One of these reasons were, often pagan worship was continued in monasteries and convents which were built on or near the sites sacred to the Celtic Pantheon with only a thinly disguised. As for her role as the Triple Goddesses, I couldn' t find as much on this role but, I know it was just as important as the others roles. I do know that Brigid's role as an Mother Goddess was never completely eradicated and reappears throughout her life as a Catholic Saint. She has many themes that I could find but, mostly that of milk, fire, and the sun. She had a huge compassion for people, generosity, hospitality, loved spinning and weaving, smith work, healing, agriculture, evolution, and pagan religion too.
She had beauty, grace and was very spiritual too.

An prayer to Saint Brigid '
'Brigit, ever excellent woman,
golden sparkling flame,
lead us to the eternal kingdom,
the dazzling resplendent sun.'

Sisterhood of Saint Brigid
Feb 1
Ireland

It is said that even as Brigid the Catholic Saint Catholic, she always kept her previous Goddess and Warrior within her and the eternal flame at her convent at Kildare suggested that it was either Pagan or Druid. The Kildare, which later was an ancient college of vestal priestesses who were trained then scattered throughout the land to tend the sacred wells, groves, caves and hills of the Brigid the Saint. These priestesses were originally committed to thirty years of service, however after this period, they were free to marry and leave the convent. The site for the monastery Kildare was chosen for its elevation and also for the ancient Oak Trees that were found there, it was so sacred that no weapons were permitted on the monastery or the woods around area. If you were found with any the fines were to collect the deadfalls (deadfalls means dead trees that had fallen within the forest) within the forest near the monastery.

It seems that the Kildare Monastery continued on with each Abbess taking on Saint Brigid name throughout the years, retaining her name. The Convent was in use continuously till 1132, with each abbess having using the Saint Brigid name mystically to retain her spirit of sorts. That is until the last Abbess was invested during King Henry the Vlll Reformation. It is said that Dermot MacMurrough and his troops had taken over the Kildare Monastery. Things didn't go well at the monastery. It seems from what the Irish believe that troops besides taking over the monastery they also raped the reigning abbess and that was basically the end of Kildare when King Henry the Vlll during the Reformation. So if you think about it, it was one Horror Terrible Act, that took down the Kildare Monastery. The Saint Brigid's Monastery that lasted for centuries. However, she left such a strong defining legacy for all WOMAN! She was a mother wife and warrior, willing to do what ever it takes to protect her land and her people and her tribe of Ireland. Even though she lost her parents and tried to bring her tribe and her husband tribe together to stop war, which ended in the lost of her beloved eldest son, cared on as a even better woman.
Then she became from Mother to Goddess the Brigid to Virgin Mother to Virgin Saint with great Dignity.
She kept her power of Paganism with the emphasis on virginity stemmed with Christianity too.
All along she also kept her roots a the Celtic Ways.

She is even today worship as Saint Brigid