Day 3: St. Brigid of Ireland



When  Christianity made its way to Ireland
the Celtic people weren't ready
to give up the Goddess.

Brigid was the goddess of the fire,
the protectress of blacksmiths, of healers
and poets. She was the High Mother Goddess
of Ireland. Her feast day is February 1,
known as Imbolc, the beginning of Celtic spring.




Today, Brigit's wells dot the Irish landscape.



She has been incorporated into the persona of
St. Brigid of Kildare,
thought to have been a nun in the 500s.

She is often mistaken for the Virgin Mary,
but her sacred status long predates Christianity.

To see other Virgins,
visit Rebecca's "A Virgin a Day."


Comments

Alan Burnett said…
I seem to remember that she was a great lover of beer : wasn't she once reputed to have performed a miracle by transforming her dirty bath-water into beer. Now that's the kind of Saint I could believe in.
rebecca said…
a bath tub filled with beer? now allan, that's a bath i might just share with you!

meri....love this so much! with or without the beer.
We need her back here!

I'm partial to the Goddess, of course.
turquoise cro said…
I've heard beer is great for your hair!! hehe I call beer "SUDS" Now, maybe that's where that came from Meri?!!! hehe
Fascinating! Interesting too, that she is 'under glass'. Because of the weather?
Anonymous said…
Thanks for this. I loved the photo and the story. I did not know about her.
Meri said…
Paula - don't have your email address, so I apologize for not responding directly. It seems like a lot of the Brigid figures at Brigid's Wells were glass encased. She's painted, so I would suspect you're right..... that the glass case helps protect her from the elements.

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