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The Goddess Bridget
Bridget was one of the great Deities of the Celtic people. She was known as
Brigit or Bridget to the Irish, Brigantia in Northern England, Bride in
Scotland, and Brigandu in Brittany. Various interpretations of her name exist
including, "Bright Arrow," "Bright One," "Powerful One," and "High One." Bridget
was a Sun Goddess, and the legend of her birth is that she was born at sunrise,
and a tower of bright flame burst from her forehead that reached from Earth to
the Otherworld.
As a Goddess of healing, herbalism, the arts, and midwifery, She is in deep
touch with both powers of water and those of fire. There existed a vast number
of sacred wells and springs dedicated to Bridget. Offerings were cast into the
water in the form of gold or brass rings, and in later times, coins. The Goddess
Bridget had always a shrine at Kildare, Ireland, with a perpetual flame tended
by several priestesses. No male was ever allowed near, food and other supplies
were brought by other women. When Catholicism took over in Ireland, the shrine
became a convent and the fire was tended by nuns. The tradition was held and the
eternal flame was kept burning for many years, until a catholic bishop became
angered because he felt women were subordinate to men, and therefore insisted
upon their obedience and ordered the flame to be extinguished.
However, Bridget is the best example of the survival of a Goddess into Christian
records. So cherished by the Celts, Her image was dedicated by the Catholic
church as St. Bridget and various myths were made. The most popular folk tale
being that She was midwife to the Virgin Mary, and thus was always invoked and
prayed to by women in labor. Another story tells that she was the daughter of a
Druid who predicted the coming of Christianity and was baptized.
Clearly, Brigit is the most loved Goddess of the British Isles. Her fire so
bright that she survived mass spiritual transformation and lives on today
watching over her children all over the world. Her festival, Imbolc, is
celebrated February first or second, representing the coming of spring. Fires
are lit at sundown and feasts are shared with the Bright One.
Celtic Hearth is dedicated to Bridget, and the fire is always kept aflame.
Tonight light a candle and give thanks for Her creative inspiration and love.
Probably the clearest example of the survival of an Early Celtic Goddess into
Christian times is Bridgit, the great triple goddess of the Celtic Irish who
appears as Brigantia in England, Bride in Scotland, and Brigandu in Celtic
France. The Christians "converted" Bridgit along with the other people, calling
her "Bridget", the human daughter of a Druid, and claiming she was baptized by
St. Patrick. The ancient Bridgit had three manifestations, one the goddess of
smithcraft, one ruled poetry and inspiration, and one the goddess of healing and
medicine.
The three Brigids were different aspects of one divinity unified in the symbol
of fire for Bridgit was "Bright Arrow" or simply "Bright One" as her name tells
us. The Irish say that Bridgit invented many useful things including whistling
and keening, the mournful song of the bereaved Irish women. Bridgit is
identified with the earth herself and with the soil fertility. Today, little is
left of the legends told of the greatest of all Celtic goddesses, a deity so
intensely related to the feminine force that no man was allowed to pass beyond
the hedge surrounding her sanctuary
Celtic Goddess, Christian Saint
Saint or Goddess, Brigid still holds an important place in Celtic folklore -
Douglas MacGowan
Over the centuries, the stories of two women named Brigid (or Brigit or Bride or
Brighid) have become intertwined in an intricate Celtic knot of myth and miracle
as both a Celtic goddess and a Christian saint of that name have personified
essential spiritual values of their eras.
According to the surviving mythology, the goddess Brigid was a powerful deity
and the patroness of healing arts, fertility, poetry and music, prophecy and
agriculture. Her exact mythological role is confusing: in many myths she is the
daughter of the great Celtic god the Dagda, but she is also commonly equated
with the much older Danu, the mother of the earlier Celtic gods the Tuatha de
Dannan. Additionally, in some of the myths, Brigid appears as three immortal
sisters who share the one name. As a transitional deity between winter and
spring, Brigid is often depicted in two forms: the "cailleach" or old crone of
winter, and a fair young maiden of spring.
One famous myth associated with the goddess states that when Brigid's son Ruadan
is killed in battle, Brigid mourns for the first time in the clamorous method
that would later be commonly known as "keening."
The history of the saint is unfortunately not much clearer than that of the
goddess. As Christianity spread through the Celtic lands, many properties of the
older religion were Christianized rather than eliminated, and this was so true
of the Brigids that it is now impossible to tell where the goddess ends and the
saint begins. In fact, some believe that the saint never actually existed,and
that St. Brigid is merely a canonized version of the goddess. Evidence suggests,
however, that an abbess named Brigid did live in 5th century Ireland.
Legend says that St. Brigid was born in approximately 450 AD at the base of the
Cooley mountains near Dundalk Bay, and died 75 years later on the first day of
February. Her father, usually called Dubhtach, was commonly believed to have
been a druid or pagan chieftain, although her mother, Brocseach, was a Christian
slave. In explaining her taking the name of a pagan goddess, some scholars
believe she may have been originally a worshipper of the goddess Brigid and
later converted possibly baptized by St. Patrick himself. Although early
biographies or hagiographies of the saint exist, they do little to clear up the
confusion; they are not reliable as historical documents, and often disagree
about biographical facts. These hagiographies were principally written to
highlight St. Brigid's miracle stories.
Many of the miracles attributed to the saint relate to agriculture, the arts and
fertility the same realms of which the goddess was patroness. St. Brigid
reputedly tamed wild boar and foxes, turned salt to stone when it was refused to
her by a passing merchant, and miraculously gave an untrained young man the
ability to play the harp perfectly the first time he picked up the instrument.
Her larder's supply of food never ran out, and on one Easter a small cup of malt
from her scullery yielded enough ale to supply all 17 of the abbeys and
monasteries under her rule. In another legend, a man whose wife founds him
repulsive is given water by the saint which causes the wife to deeply love the
man ever after.
One celebrated story of the young saint illustrates the charity and piousness
for which she would later be recognized. Her father, angered by Brigid for
constantly giving his possessions to the poor, brings her to the local king in
hopes of selling her into the king's service. While waiting outside the royal
estate, a poor man comes up to Brigid and begs for alms. Having no money, Brigid
takes her father's ornamented sword and gives it to the beggar. Her father
notices the sword missing when he brings the king out to inspect her. Brigid
declares that she would gladly give all she had, all her father had, and all the
king had in order to aid the destitute. Impressed by her piety, the king tells
Brigid's father he could not accept her as a bondmaid, as he could never pay a
price worthy of her.
Released from her father's rule and shunning his choice of husband for her,
Brigid and seven companions founded the first female religious community in
Ireland near Croghan Hill. Up to that point, early Irish nuns had remained in
their family's house after taking their vows. When Brigid took her vows to
become a nun, the presiding bishop was reportedly so flustered by her piousness
that he read the wrong section of his book and consecrated Brigid as a bishop by
mistake. Later, after founding several small monasteries, Brigid asked the King
of Leinster for land to build her motherhouse on. He agreed, but only granted
her the land that could be covered by her cloak. She spread her cloak on the
ground and it eventually grew in size to cover all of Curragh. (Brigid also took
this same cloak, legend tells, and hung it on a sunbeam to dry). The large
monastery she then built at Kildare, became a focal point for Brigid and for the
spread and growth of Celtic Christianity. It housed both men and women, which
seems unusual by today's standards, but was acceptable at that time. Only women,
however, tended to the holy fire that burned ceaselessly during Brigid's rule
and continued to blaze for almost 1,000 years after her death.
St. Brigid was a favourite among the Irish Celts, and tales about the saint
quickly spread to other Celtic lands. She grew in popularity in Celtic devotions
to the point where she became closely associated with the Virgin Mary (in fact,
she was commonly referred to as "Mary of the Gaels"). The connection to Mary
became so strong that later Christian legends confused Brigid's life-span, as
the 5th century saint was commonly believed to have been Mary's midwife, the
wife or daughter of the Bethlehem innkeeper who let Mary and Joseph stay in the
stable, and the person who led Mary and Joseph to the Temple in Jerusalem when
the teenaged Jesus was "lost." The two Brigids intersect on February 1st, which
marks not only the saint's feast day but also the ancient Celtic festival of
Imbolc, a seasonal festival partially in honour of the goddess that celebrated
the end of winter and the beginning of the lactation of the ewes. Imbolc rituals
in honour of the goddess have been lost over time, but "St. Bride's crosses"
made of rushes or reeds are still placed in houses on February 1st for
protection and the assurance of good luck.
Each Brigid reflected the essential spiritual values of her time, whether pagan
or Christian. They both embodied the important Celtic realms of agriculture, the
fine arts and the natural environment. The goddess epitomizes maternal love
while grieving for her dead son and by her connection with the great mother
goddess Danu; and while St. Brigid never bore children, her position as abbess
and her close association with Mary shows her to be a strong mother figure in
the Celtic mind. The ease with which the two Brigids have become intertwined
shows that many of the values they symbolize have not altered as much over the
past centuries as people might initially believe.
The Pagan goddess Brigid is perhaps one of the oldest goddesses of Celtic Europe
still recognized and worshipped. In fact, until the mid-twentieth century in
Scotland, she was still welcomed in at Imbolc by the symbolic rekindling of the
hearth fire after the house had been cleaned from top to bottom for spring.
Brigid has been known by many names, mostly depending upon the specific location
or time period. Worshipped in Ireland, Wales, Spain, France, and Britain, she
was called Brighde in Ireland, Bride in Scotland, Brigantia in Northern Britain,
Brigandu in France, and also known as Brid, Brig and Brighid. The name Bridget
is the Christianization of these pre-Christian goddess names as will be
discussed below. Her name is taken to mean "Power," "Renown" and "Fiery Arrow of
Power."
Celtic Myth
In the Celtic myth cycles, she is an aspect of Danu, the daughter of Dagda. She
is a triple goddess. However, she is not of the maiden, mother, crone variety;
she has three different aspects which are all parts of the same ageless goddess.
One aspect of Brigid is of poetess and muse, goddess of inspiration, learning,
poetry, divination, witchcraft, occult knowledge. A second aspect of Brigid was
as goddess of smithcraft, carrying a famous cauldron for this purpose. The third
aspect of Brigid was that of healer, goddess of healing and medicine. These
three aspects were united through the symbol of fire; thus here appellation as a
fire goddess. In various places she was also know as goddess of fertility, the
hearth, all feminine arts and crafts, and the martial arts. She was identified
with the changing moon and the ox, boar and ram. Her sacred number is 19 (the
Celtic Great year -- the number of years it takes for the new moon to coincide
with the Sun's winter solstice).
Some clues to her association with fire, and possibly the Sun, can be found in
an Irish legend that states that in Winter Brigid was imprisoned in an icy
mountain by a one-eyed hag (Calleach, see below). In some places, she presided
over thermal springs (i.e. water warmed by an underground Sun...?). But these
are speculative.
Brigid may even pre-date the Celtic period, being a remembrance of a more
ancient seasonal goddess of Ireland and Scotland. The relevant legends recall
how Cailleach kept a maiden named Bride imprisoned in the high mountains of Ben
Nevis. But Cailleach's own son fell in love Bride and they eloped at winter's
end. They were chased by the angry hag Cailleach who caused many a fierce storm.
Finally Cailleach turned to stone and the couple was free. This type of story,
which may date back to 2000 or 3000 BCE, recounts Brigid as a spring and summer
goddess who alternates her rule with a fall and winter hag. Also, the monuments
of Stonehenge and Avebury are constructed of massive sandstones (called sarsens).
These stones are also known as Bridestones, suggesting that Brigid may have been
a primary goddess used in that area in the Neolithic, the late Stone Age.
Ireland
Brigid had an extensive female priesthood at Kildare, Ireland and an
ever-burning sacred fire in her shrine. There were 19 priestess representing the
19-year cycle of the Celtic "Great Year." Each priestess tended the sacred fire
in turn, through a 20-day rotation. On 20th day of each cycle the sacred fire
was said to be tended by Brigid herself. Her shrine was likened to that of Vesta
tended by the vestal virgins in Rome. Its sacred flame was kept burning even
after the shrine became a Christian nunnery, until 1220 when Archbishop Henry of
Dublin ordered it extinguished.
The Irish claimed that she brought "whistling" to the world, which she invented
one night when she wanted to call her friends. She also invented "keening," the
mournful song of the bereaved Irishwoman, one night when her son was killed.
In 722 she appeared to the Irish army of Leinster, hovering in the sky before
they routed the forces of Tara, rather like the sun god El Gabel had appeared to
(the Roman) Aurelian in 273 and as the Christian chi-rho sign had appeared to
Constantine in 312.
Britain
Brigid was known as Brigantia in Northern Britain, and also as The Three Blessed
Ladies of Britain, and The Three Mothers. The name Brigantia for the goddess
arises from that of the ancient people that bore her name, the Brigantes. She
was worshiped especially in Yorkshire, and her name is still echoed in the names
of rivers Briant in Anglesey and Brent in Middlesex. It is likely that the
ancient Brigantes saw her as the power of rushing rivers and the thrusting hills
of the countryside, rather than a personification of a triple goddess.
Christianity
The Christians converted the goddess Brigid along with the people of the area.
They fabricated an entire history for this "Saint Bridget." She was said to be
the daughter of a Druid, who was baptized by the great patriarch St. Patrick.
Bridget apparently took Christian religious vows, and was canonized upon her
death by the church. She was given sainthood by Pope Gregory I. The Pope told
Augustine in the sixth century that Brigid should be co-opted rather than having
the Church destroy the pagan sites and customs of the "newly Christian" pagan
peoples.
The Chruch added Bridget to the the nativity scene, calling her Mary's midwife.
They also renamed Imbolc to Candlemas, to disguise this holiday's pagan origins.
Bridget was attributed a curious list of qualities that were coincidentally
identical to those of the earlier goddess. She was said to have the power to
appoint the bishops of her area, an unusual power for an abbess. This was made
stranger by her apparent requirement that her bishops also be practicing
goldsmiths (hearkening to the second aspect of the goddess described above).
This Christian saint was also invoked as muse and healer (the first and third
aspects described above).
Queen of Four Fires
This is a myth of Brigid taken from The Storyteller's Goddess referenced Below.
It well described the qualities of the goddess Brigid.
A long time ago, near the beginning, at the first crack of pink in a young
morning, near the waters of the magic well, the goddess Bridget slipped into the
world and the waiting hands of the nine sisters who swayed and crooned in a
great circle around her. The waters of the magic well burbled their joy.
Up rose a column of fire out of the new goddess's head that burned to the very
sky. Bridget reached up her two hands and broke away a flaming plume from her
crown of fire and dropped it on the ground before her. There it leapt and shone,
making the hearth of the house of the goddess.
Then from the fire of her hearth, Bridget used both hands to draw out a leaping
tongue of heat, swallowed it, and felt the fire burn straight to her heart.
There stood the goddess, fire crowning her head, licking up inside her heart,
glowing and shooting from her hands, and dancing on the hearth before her.
The nine sisters hummed and the waters of the magic well trembled as Bridget
built a chimney of brick about her hearth. Then about the chimney, she built a
roof of thatch and walls of stone. And so it was that by the waters of the magic
well the goddess finished the house in which she keeps the four fires which have
served her people forevermore.
Out of the fire on Bridget's hands baked the craft of bending iron. Out of the
fire on Bridget's hearth and the waters of her magic well came the healing teas.
Out of the fire on Bridget's head flared out writing and poetry. Out of the fire
in Bridget's heart spread the heat of compassion.
Word of the gifts of Bridget's fires traveled wide. People flocked to learn from
Bridget the secret of using fire to soften iron and bend it to the shapes of
their desires. The people called bending iron smithcraft, and they made wheels,
pots, and tools that did not break.
All the medicine plants of the earth gathered in the house of the goddess. With
their leaves, flowers, barks, and roots, and the waters of her magic well,
Bridget made the healing teas. She gave a boy with weak teeth the tea of the
dandelion root. She gave a young woman the tea of the raspberry leaf to help her
womb carry its child. An old man, a cane in each hand to help him walk, took
from Bridget wintergreen bark for his pain and black cherry juice for the
rheumatism. She gave comfrey to a girl with a broken leg and blue cohosh to
bring her bloods without cramps. Bridget brewed motherwort, licorice root, and
dried parsley for a woman who was coming to the end of her monthly bleeding.
"Cup a day," said Bridget, "that you stay supple and strong."
The people wanted Bridget's recipes. "But we can't remember which plants for
which healings, where to gather them or how long to steep them," they told
Bridget.
The fire on Bridget's head blazed bright. She took up a blackened stick and made
marks with it on a flat piece of bark."These are the talking marks," She said.
"They are the way to remember what you don't want to forget."
The talking marks also let the people write down the stories of her wisdom.
Once two men with terrible stories of leprosy came to Bridget.
"Bathe yourself in my well." said Bridget to the first man. At every place
Bridget's waters touched, the man's skin turned whole again.
"Now bathe your friend," said Bridget.
Repulsed, the man backed away from his friend. "I cannot touch him," he said.
"Then you are not truly healed," said the goddess. And she gave the first man
back his leprosy and healed the second man. "Return to me with compassion," she
said to the first man. "There find your healing."
Every year at midwinter the people than Bridget for her well of wisdom and her
fires of hand, hearth, head and heart. "Thank you, Bridget, for the simthcraft,
for the healing teas, the talking marks, and compassion. May you dwell with your
fires in your house by the waters of your magic well forever."
St. Bridget
Bridget was born at Faughart, near Newry Co. Down to a Druid named Dubhtach and
his bondwoman, who was soon sent away after her birth. Bridget’s father raised
her in Druid symbolism and "according to the Rennes Dinnsenchus, she was a ban-druÍ,
a female Druid, before she converted to Christianity" (Ellis, Celtic Women,
p.146).
Bridget first studied under Bishop Ibhair. The tale says that was converted
because he had prophozied that the Virgin Mary would appear in his church,
however, on the chosen day, she did now appear, but Bridget appeared. To save
face, he called her ‘Mary of Gael,’ and soon after she gave up her possessions
and life to join the church (Ellis, Celtic Women, p.146).
Some time later, to avoid a suit with the King of Leinster, she studied under
Mel, the Bishop of Ardagh, son of the important abottess Darerca, sister of St
Patrick. Mel went on to first ordain Bridget as a priest and then later as a
Bishop.
Bridget went on to found orders with Celtic traditions. Her first overlooked the
Liffey and was placed within the shade of an oak tree. She called her church,
"the church of the Oaks," which was also near the pagan fortress of Dún Ailinne.
According to the Life of Bridget written by a monk in her following in 650 AD,
both men and women were abundant in the community. Peter B. Ellis, a Celtic
scholar, suggests that Bishop Conlaed and she were lovers at some point.
According to customs of the time, his suggestion is not that preposterous.
The Cult of Bridget
After Christian influence ended most sacred marriages, the cult of St Bridget
helped it remain a vital part of Celtic life. The spirit of Bridget was kept
alive through her memory as a Christian saint and the Christians connected her
memory with the Celtic goddess known as Brighde in Ireland.
The goddess Brighde represented warmth, fire, summer, and possibly the sun and
in some Celtic cultures she watched "over thermal springs, presumably as the
underground Sun" (Jones, p.102). The goddess was celebrated with a shrine in
Kildare County (Image to left), where a sacred flame burned and a number of
women, possibly like the Vestal Virgins in Rome, tended it. The flame burned
through its transition into a Christian nunnery until 1220 AD when Archbishop
Henry of Dublin ordered it to be extinguished (Jones, p.102). At the time of its
conversion into a nunnery, the Christian order dedicated it soley to the woman
known as St Bridget instead of the Pagan goddess whose memory they wanted to
disappear.
Bridget's contributed her Celtic beliefs to the changing world of Briton.
Although, she converted from the Celtic religion to Christianity to the
detriment of most of her fellow Druid and Druidess colleagues, she continued the
traditions of equality among men and women in Celtic society in her communities.
Her conversion like many others contributed to the fall of Druidism and Celtic
religion and is a wonderful example of the conversion of Celtic figures into
Christian saints.
Brigit: Goddess of the hearth, fire and poetry; best loved of all deities;
Candlemas is held in her honor; she is the only goddess to survive into the
Christian pantheon of saints. The Catholic church made her a saint then later
decided she was not saint material but just a good woman who was a missionary.
Probably the clearest example of the survival of an early Celtic Goddess into
Christian times is Brigid, the Triple Goddess of the Celtic Irish, who appears
as Brigantia in England, Bride in Scotland, and Brigandu in Celtic France. The
Christians "converted" Brigid along with her people calling her Bridget, the
human daughter of a Druid, and claiming she was baptized by St. Patrick.
The Ancient Brigid had three Manifestations; one of Goddess of Smithcraft, one
of poetry and inspiration, and one of healing and medicine. All were different
aspects of one divinity unified in the symbol of fire, for Brigid was "bright
arrow", as her name tells us. The Irish say that Brigid invented many useful
things including whistling and "keening", the mournful gong of bereavement.
Brigid is identified with the Earth herself and with the fertility of the soil.
Brigit's Feast Day, Imbolc, is a celebration of the union of Goddess and God.
Lupercalia is the romanized version of Imbolc, sacred to Venus, to women in
general, and the ancestor of our modern Valentines Day. Brigid's Fire, like that
at the Temple of Vesta (a Virgin/Whore/Hearth Goddess of Rome) was tended by 19
Civic Virgins. Virgin originally meant one-in-herself, not belonging to any
phallocrat. The estrogenic root is derived from the Latin, meaning strength,
force and skill. Ishtar, Diana Astarte, Isis, Asherah,Mari, Anath, were all
called Virgin; referring to sexual independence not sexual chastity. The
Sodomites were originally the Holy Harlots,brides of gods, set apart to give
birth to the sons of gods, i.e. the empenised prophets. The druidic/Celtic fire
festival Imbolc, the celebration of the return of the Sun. The Virgin Moon
Goddess was worshipped in orgiastic rites, where women were free to take as many
lovers as they chose. Making love to a stranger in Her temple was away for women
to participate, for a ritual moment, in the DivineBe-ing of the Goddess. This
was a way for each woman to experience herself as "the Moon", and the precursor
to our contemporary *drawing down the Moon* ritual. Today, little is left of the
legends told of the greatest of all Celtic Goddesses, a deity so intensely
related to the feminine force that no man was allowed to pass beyond the hedge
surrounding her sanctuary.
The holiday of Imbolc is also known by the names of Imbolg, Oimelc, the Feast of
Brigid, and in post-Christian times, Candlemas. It is celebrated either on one
of the first two days of February. Imbolc is a holiday sacred to the goddess
Brigid in her maiden aspect. Brigidis a highly influential goddess holding sway
over subjects as diverse as blacksmithing, poetry, the hearth, and childbirth.
It is explained that Brigid is a triple Goddess. to the discussion of Imbolc,
Brigidis often milking, fertility, and the return of spring. The word "Imbolc"
literally translates as "in the belly." This is a reference to the season of
spring, which shall soon be born. Although February is considered a cold winter
month, the seeds within the soil are at this time beginning to awaken and grow.
This parallels the growth of the animals still in the womb who will be born
later in the year. Oimelc is an alternative title for Imbolc and means, "in
milk." T hisses a reference to the lactation of ewes and cows, which begins in
February. Chicken and geese begin to lay eggs in the month of February. February
being a cold month does little to indicate the end of winter but hope and faith
make Imbolc a festival of celebrating spring. Imbolc begins on February second
and hence is very close to the beginning of the Roman festival of the Nones on
February fifth, which marked the beginning of spring on the Roman calendar.
Since the Romans consider winter to be the last season of the year and spring to
be the first, the Nones marked the New Year and where considered a time to clean
old scores and to consider new endeavors.
The modern Imbolc takes on most of these rules, but is also considered to be a
festival of fire. It is an obvious welcome to the returning sun and heat as well
as a celebration dedicated to Brigid, who is the goddess of fire. On the night
of Imbolc, bonfires used to light the hills and the daytime was filled with the
praise of chandlers. It was this theme that the Catholic Church latched on to
for their celebration of Candlemas. Obviously, Imbolc is a terrific day for
making candles. A Crown of Lights is sometimes constructed to be worn by a
group's High Priestess at this time by fastening candles to a cornet. In old
Europe many people would spend Imbolc making candles from the animal fat
collected during the winter. These candles would usually last all year and where
considered to be lucky. This is one of the Imbolc traditions adopted by the
Catholic Church. There is an old Scottish tradition of feeding the last ear of
last harvest's corn to the livestock on this day. In modern days, most people do
not own livestock so the tradition has turned to burning the corn dollies that
many witches construct for the autumn. Making Bride's Bed Long before she
befriended the Mother of God, Brighid was the Mother herself, her agricultural
roots going back to the Neolithic. Campanelli describes and **Imbolc** ritual
for creating Bride’s bed, drawn from ancient rituals in which harvesters at the
Autumn Equinox would bring the last sheaf of wheat or other grain in to the
house, believing the Goddess of the Grain lived within. The harvesters often
made this last sheaf into a woman’s shape, the Corn Bride or Maiden, dressing
her in white.
So though Bridgit was the Mother Goddess herself she was so well loved that many
would not go into Christianity without her so she was given the status of a
saint I am sure to help convert people into the Catholic Church. She then was
said only to be a good woman by the church and her sainthood taken away. She
like the virgin Mary lost status but still the Mother Goddess symbolized by the
church and still is today. No matter what we call her she is still the lady of a
thousand names. She like the muses have been in my life to inspire poetry and
writing.
I first came across references to Elen when reading The Green Stone a book on
psychic questing in Britain which took place in the late seventies/early
eighties. She appeared as a goddess archetype synonymous with the land - in
fact, the 'guardian' of the land. She was a fascinating character - quite
enigmatic. Further references to her in later books futher intrigued me and I
felt that as there seemed to be very little reference to her on the net (but
plenty on various other goddess archetypes), that it only fair to put a page
together on a British goddess - perhaps the guardian goddess of Britain. So
here's my humble offering!
In the distant past, the goddess Elen had many guises... Brigantia, Brigit,
Brighid, St Bride, Helen of the Hosts - all with virtually the same qualities,
dominion and appearance.
Elen was almost certainly an iron age deity whose cult centres were found across
Northern Europe. Elen was the forerunner of many other Celtic goddesses, such as
Brigantia, the battle goddess, and Brigit or Bride, the goddess of fire,
smithcraft, poetic inspiration, healing and fertility.
The whole of Yorkshire, the West Riding, in particular, had been occupied by the
fierce, warlike Celtic tribe known as the Brigantians, during the late iron age
and early Romano-British period.
Their patron deity had been Brigantia; traditionally she was linked with both
fire and solar imagery, as well as with water, and was often depicted in a robe
of pure white.
In West Yorkshire, many place names contain the root words of: El, Ellen, Elli
or Helen.
Her name is derived from the root El or Elle, which although translates as 'the
first one' in Hebrew, in British place names, seemed to refer to light.
Elen has also been linked to Sheela-na-gog statues - which were often
incorporated into Norman or medieval church architecture. These crudely carved
statues can be found right across the country and represent naked women with
their legs held open.These statues although crude in their nature seem likely to
be a reference to Elen/Brigits role as not only healer and source of
wisdom/inspiration but also her role as fertility goddess of the land. One of
these carvings, in Colchester Castle Museum actually has the word 'Eleu'
inscribed on one of its legs. All the more significant as in her christianised
aspect Saint Helen is associated with Colchester.
EL - ILU etymology
In Irish traditional mythology, from the original pantheon of the Tuatha De
Danann, Ainne or Anu, the principal - and most persistant - deity of all, was
canonised as St Anne, and Brigit, who was closely associated with Anu, became St
Bride.
Deities tended to change their sex according to the society in which they were
worshipped. The principal deity - in this case - Anu - under the influence of
later matriarchal society - became Danu - the mother of the Irish 'gods' - the
Annage or Tuatha de Danann. Danu was also known as An, Anu or Aine - hence the
reference to St Anne.
An, Anu, or Aine, a term meaning 'brightness' or 'radiance' has associations
with the Middle Eastern word 'El' or 'Ilu' - the 'shining one'. Aine was often
referred to as Ailill Aine, a subjoining which may have some connection to the
old Cornish 'el' meaning 'angel'. 'Ailill' could also have been a descriptive
term, as the Welsh 'Ellyl' means 'an elf'. Therefore Ailill Aine, would
therefore mean the 'elfin Aine'. The characteristics recognised as 'elfin' were
those of the Annage or Tuatha de Danaan - tall, fair haired, shining faced - the
same as the 'ilu' of Sumerians, and the 'Elohim' of the Hebrews - the 'shining
ones'.
It's therefore interesting that Elen is associated with fire and is blond and
shining in countenance.
It's also interesting to note that Elen, strongly allied with the 'strength' of
the land, was considered the mother of elemental forces and supernatural
denizens, who apart from being referred to, ironically, as the little people
(their folklore roots coming from the Annage pantheon), were also known as the
Elle folk.
Fire and Light and Water
The original megalithic builders of Britain revered the life giving light of the
land - these days described as the ley energy lines or 'chi' vital energy lines
sometimes referred to as serpent/dragon energy - as a deity with no gender - but
seen as a supernatural pure source of fire/energy. Much later on in British
history, the deity takes on a female gender as Elen - the bright, shining,
light.
Elen was aspected more with fire and solar imagery than she was with the
traditonally goddess associated moon. But, being female, she was also associated
with water sites such as holy wells and waterfalls - again a stong link to ley
lines as the currents are also associated with water. She was very possibly, the
prototype for the Lady of the Lake who presided over sovereignty of the land in
the Arthurian romances.
In the Welsh medieval romances, collectively known as The Mabinogen, she can be
found in the story called 'The Dream of Macsen Wledig' - here she is Helen of
the Hosts who rules over the country of dreams; she builds the highways from one
fortress to another across the length and width of Britain (another reference to
ley lines?).
Macsen, a legendary emperor of Rome, sees her in a dream. She sits upon a chair
of red gold, wearing shifts of white silk with red fastenings across the breast,
and a gold brocade surcoat and mantle pinned by a brooch. Her hairband is of
rubies and gems, her belt is made of red gold and she is very beautiful. Macsen
sends out envoys to find her and eventually she is discovered at the fortress of
Segontium, near Caernarvon. Macsen meets her and soon afterwards she becomes
Empress of Rome.
The Welsh also revered Elen as a star goddess; Elen of the Roads who with the
advent of Beltane (1st May) opened the season of travel. Sarn Elen, one of the
ancient Welsh trackways is named after her. Alex Langstone in his book St Bega
and the Sacred Ring refers to Elen as the goddess of evening and morning - a
possible reference to the evening star Venus? Therefore a possible link to Elen
being a star goddess? She is also seen as guide and instructor to those seeking
the dragon paths to the sites of secret wisdom - another possible reference to
dragon lines ie ley lines; the theme of living energy/fire/light/knowledge of
land arises again.
It's inevitable that as time progresses, original archetypes will change, evolve
and merge with other aspects from differing cultures. It seems that the essence
of the land, some kind of sentient energy was originally revered by the
megalithic people in Britain. Seen as a source of both light, fire and
knowledge, this aspect eventually took on a female aspect becoming the fire
goddess of the land, Elen - recognised especially in Wales and possibly also
Yorkshire and Cumbria. From then on she became the warrior goddess Brigantia &
Britannia - from which Britain takes its very name. She was also Brigit/Brighid
the fire goddess of healing, inspiration, fertility, smithing and fire.
Christianisation brought us Saint Bride and St Helen... and she seems to have
made somewhat of a comeback recently with the various 'quests' - popping up
regularly through psychic means as both a guide, a guardian and, true to form, a
healer of the land. (References to these episodes will appear shortly in the
psychic questing page - when time allows).
Associated Festivals, Traditions, Imagery
Festival Names: Imbolc/Candlemas - traditional fire festival - the first of the
Celtic/Christianised date of the year after solstice.
Festival Dates: 31 January , 1 February, 2 February, 6 February, 7 February.
Symbols
Fire - flames, candle crown, hearth
Water - cauldron, springs, wells
Grain - Brigid wheels, corn/oat sheaf Goddess effigy, Brigid's Bed
Creatures - white cow with red ears, wolf, snake, swan and vulture
Talismans - Shining Mirror to Otherworld, Spinning Wheel and Holy Grail
Sacred Fire
torchlit processions circling fields to purify & invigorate for the coming
growing season (old Pagan)
lighting & blessing of candles (11th century, Christian)
sacred fire of Brigid (Celtic Pagan)
torchlit procession to honor Juno Februata/Regina (Pagan Rome; Christianized,
7th century)
Purification
removing Yuletide greens from home & burning them (Celtic)
cleaning up fields and home (old Roman, Februa "to cleanse" month)
Mary purification festival (Christian, Western church)
burning old Brigid's wheels and making new ones (some parts of Ireland)
Brigid: Celtic Goddess
Goddess of Inspiration - poets, poetry, creativity, prophecy, arts
Goddess of Smithcraft - blacksmiths, goldsmiths, household crafts
Goddess of Healing - healers, medicine, spiritual healing, fertility (crops,
land, cattle)
Name variations: Brighid; Bride (Scotland), Brid, Brigit, Bridget, Briganta
(England), Brigan, Brigindo (Gaul), Berecyntia, Brigandu (France)
Name means: Bright One, High One, Bright Arrow, Power.
Christianized forms: St. Brigit (Irish), St. Ffraid (Welsh), St. Bridget
(Swedish), Queen of Heaven, Prophetess of Christ, Mary.
Associated Irish Transitions and Traditions
When Ireland was Christianized, worship of the Pagan Goddess Brigid was turned
to that of St. Brigit, said to be the human daughter of a Druid. St. Brigit
became a saint after her "death" and was supposedly converted and baptized by
St. Patrick. Pagan lore was incorporated into the Christian traditions and
legends associated with her as a saint.
As St. Brigit, she had the power to appoint bishops and they had to be
goldsmiths. She was associated with miracles and fertility. Into the 18th
century a women's only shrine was kept to her in Kildare (meaning Church of the
Oak) in Ireland. There, nineteen nuns tended Her continually burning sacred
flame. An ancient song was sung to Her:
"Brigid, excellent woman, sudden flame, may the bright fiery sun take us to the
lasting kingdom."
Sources of information:
The Megalthic Odyssey (a search for the Master Builders of the Bodmin Moor
Astronomical Complex of Stone Circles and Giant Cairns) by Christian O'Brien,
first published 1983 by Turnstone Press, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire ISBN
0-85500-188-7
The Sword and The Stone by Andrew Collins - first published 1982 by ABC Books,
Leigh-on-Sea, Essex and 1983 by Earthquest Books, London, ISBN 0-9508024-0-9
The Green Stone by Graham Phillips and Martin Keatman - first published 1983 by
Neville Spearman (Jersey) Limited, Jersey, Channel Islands and 1984 by Granada
Publishing Limited, London, ISBN 0-85978-060-0
Bega and The Sacred Ring (Restoring a Goddess Archetype) by Alex Langstone -
first published 1992 by The Lantern Press, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex ISBN
0-9520048-0-1
Candlemas Customs & Lore by Selena Fox - a study guide from a work in progress
Modern-day people who honor the deities of the Celts look to Elen as their
Celtic goddess of roads and crossroads. Her association with roads comes from
the old Welsh tale, The Dream of Macsen Wledig. In this story the construction
of Roman roads in Britain is attributed to her, not to anything the Romans may
have done.
According to the tale, Macsen Wledig (Emperor Macsen) of Rome dreams of a
mysterious court. An old man sits carving playing pieces out of gold, seated on
an ivory throne. He is adorned richly with gold, and has an august demeanor. Two
auburn-haired youths sit playing gwyddbwyll, the magical chess-like game for
which the old man is carving pieces. They play upon a silver board with golden
pieces, and they are dressed richly in black brocaded silk. Most astonishing of
all, Macsen dreams of a maiden seated on a red-gold throne. Her face shines so
brightly that to look at her is like looking at the sun. Her clothing, white
silk beneath, gold brocaded silk above, and red gold, rubies, gems and pearls
adorning her, complete her as the fairest sight to see among mortal women.
Awaking from his dream, Macsen is full of love for the maiden and will not rest
until he finds her. Like the Irish god of love, Angus mac Og, he refuses food
and drink. His advisors persuade him to send messengers out to seek the land and
the folk he dreamed of, and the messengers, finally, come to the Island of
Britain and the castle of Aber Seint, at the mouth of a river. Inside they find
the old man, the youths, and the maiden, just as Macsen described.
The old man, it turns out, is Eudaf, son of Caradawg. The two youths are his
sons, Cynan and Gadeon. Most importantly, the maiden is his daughter, Elen.
The messengers fall down in obeisance and hail Elen as Empress of Rome. They
explain that the Emperor has seen her in his dreams, and will have no one as his
wife but her. Elen graciously thanks them, but declares that if the Emperor
wishes to marry her, he must come to the Island of the Mighty and do his own
wooing.
The messengers hasten home to Rome and give Macsen the good news. Macsen rallies
the hosts of Rome and sets out immediately for Britain, conquering it and
driving its ruler, Beli ap Manogan, and his three sons into the sea.
Macsen arrives at Aber Seint for his first joyful meeting with Elen, his bride.
They sleep together that very night, and Elen asks for her maiden price the next
morning. She secures all three islands of Britain, plus the three islands
adjacent, for her father, Eudaf. For herself she takes three strongholds at
Arfon, Caer llion, and Caer Fyrddin.
Subsequently, Elen has the idea of building high roads from each stronghold to
the other throughout the Island of Britain, and orders these roads made. Thus
are they called the Roads of Elen of the Hosts, since the hosts of Britain would
never consent to work so hard for anyone save her.
Macsen stays for seven years in Britain with Elen, and during that time a new
emperor comes to power in Rome. Macsen returns to Rome, conquering as he goes,
but cannot take the city itself until Elen's brothers, Cynan and Gadeon, arrive
with their much smaller army and their greater cunning.
Building ladders of a precise height to scale the city walls, the brothers eat a
feast in the morning, and drink until they are full of courage. The two emperors
take their feeast at mid-day, calling off hostilities at that time. The Britons
seize their opportunity, swarm over the rampart, slay the new emperor, and
subdue Rome to their will. Macsen and Elen ask the brothers if they may have the
city, which they agree to give them.
This story is clearly based on the historical conquest of Britain, and on the
Celtic conquest of Rome by Brennus in 390 B. C. E. It is altered, though, to
center upon the Celts and confer upon them Roman greatness. |