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This page is devoted to Brigid--who was one of the most beloved goddesses in ancient Ireland--who was so popular that she was not eradicated with the coming of the Christian missionaries, but instead canonized--whose sacred flame burns once more in her old sanctuary--who is still loved today by the Irish, and by many Pagans.
Brigid was the goddess of fire; she was probably originally associated with the sun. She was seen as a trinity of sisters, all named Brigid; one presided over the warm comforting flame of healing (she was also associated with sacred healing wells), one over the purifying and tempering heat of the forge, and one over poetry, the "fire in the head."
In later Christian tradition, Brigid was referred to as the "foster-mother of Christ." A foster-mother was all-important in Celtic society; many children were sent to foster parents who would bring them up, educate them, and train them in war or a trade. There was a saying that the ties of foster kinship were stronger even than those of blood, for there was a deep spiritual bond there. Why is this relevant? I consider Brigid to be a sort of spiritual foster mother to me. She was the first Deity I came to know well in my pagan wanderings, and she has always been there for me. She has been beside me, guiding my steps, comforting me, and letting me cry on her shoulder. This is why I see her as a sort of foster mother, or godmother--or should I say Goddess-mother?
In Scottish myth, Brigid was called Bride and was the personification of Spring. Every year, she would be locked away in the castle of Cailleach Bera, the Winter Hag, and then rescued by her lover, Angus, who fell in love with her in a dream and sought her throughout the world. This story reminds one of the Irish tale of Caer, and since the male figure in the story is the same, it makes me wonder if the two female characters, Bride and Caer, are in fact linked as well. I believe this ancient myth has survived into the present day, as the faery tale "Rapunzel". Rapunzel, like Bride, was locked away by an old crone, and fell in love with a young man. When Rapunzel heals the prince's blindness with her magical tears, one is reminded of a story once told of St. Brigid. The saint is supposed to have blinded herself to repel an unwanted suitor; she later healed her own eyes by magic. The hints are there.
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I wrote a poem last year about the elopement of Bride (admittedly, before I knew much about the details of the story), incorporating a traditional Imbolc charm; here it is:
