It was Imbolc this weekend past (well depending on when you celebrate it) and wow, were the Brigid Myths flying. So, I thought I’d settle a few bits and bobs here. And, as always with Brigid, there’s a lot of fuzziness and liminality at play.
Brigid Myth 1: She’s only a goddess that the Christians stole
I’m gonna be honest here, I struggle with this one. Because stealing old celebrations and overplanting them with new Christian ones was a definite feature of the early Church. Just check out Gregory the Great. As far as the thinking went, it made it easier for people to convert if they didn’t have to change where they worshipped and if there was a fine building there anyway, why bother knocking it down and rebuilding. The early Church was a great proponent of the re-use/ re-cycle methodology of spreading the faith.
In his more recent episode, Finn Dwyer of the Irish History podcast explored the possibility that St. Brigid was a real woman, as opposed to a mythical figure. I’ll leave his episode below for you to find out his final conclusion.
Brigid Myth 2: She’s only a saint that the neopagans stole
I mean, ok, there’s a bit more evidence for this thought process. There are, after all, only 4 bits of pre-Christian lore (all recorded well after Christianity came to these isles) on Brigid the goddess. (You can check out my very brief intro to these four bits of lore, for free, here)
We have, in fact, far more writings about the saint than we do the goddess. But that doesn’t mean she didn’t exist. There are suggestions that it is possible Brigid was brought to the shores of Ireland by… of all things… a group of Brigantes in north-east England. (Well, modern day north-east England. I don’t think England existed at the time as an entity)
I know it seems terrible, but even a stopped clock is right twice a day, and occasionally, something good comes out of England. (My husband would be another example…)
Brigid Myth 3: She’s meek and loving and mild
Sweet holy fuck no. Look I’m sorry. But the swearing is necessary. There’s a reason I called this place the Forge and not the Soft, Cushy, Temperate Place.
Brigid is hot. Fiery. Have a temper. Even in the hagiographies of the saints they couldn’t hide this. This has to be one of the worst Brigid myths out there. And it’s lulling people into a false sense of security. No. Just fucking no.
I mean she can be. But it’s more in the way of a tough doctor who has been through some shit and can be soft when they make a big effort and someone really, really needs it. Just stop with this one.
Brigid Myth 4: Goddess of hearth and home
Look, I get it. It’s an off shoot of the “meek and mild” bollox. It’s not true. We don’t have anything linking her to hearth and home.
As a goddess, she is a Poet (Old Irish sense of lawyer, creative writer, academic), Smith, and Healer. Gonna be honest – all of these have until the very recent past been male dominated professions. Yes there is a sense she may have been a woman-physician, as a physician that caters to women. But it’s still a tough gig. And none of the above professions lend themselves to a domestic goddess. (Pun not really intended there)
I get the idea of being linked to fire. I get it. But it’s not in the lore.
Brigid Myth 5: Links to bread
I don’t know where in the name of Jesus this came from. We have no real links between Brigid and bread. Dairy – butter in particular – oh yes. Oodles of links in fact. Domesticated animals? Absolutely, goddess and saint.
But bread???
Not really.
If you want to bake bread as part of your Imbolc celebrations, more power to you. The Irish consider bread an essential utensil in the whole “moving the butter to the mouth” process. There’s nothing better than a loaf fresh from the oven, dripping in fresh butter.
But there’s nothing linking Brigid to bread directly.
Brigid Myth 6: There’s no need to pronounce the B in Imbolc
Ok, not technically a Brigid myth as such. But definitely linked to my rising blood pressure this weekend. For this one, I even did an insta video on the topic.
(And if you’re not following me over on Instagram, sure you can drop that at the same time)
But there is most definitely a B to be pronounced in Imbolc. It is not “Immolc”.
Brigid Myth 7: There is One True Day to celebrate Imbolc.
Again, this is more Imbolc than Brigid, but sure, feck it, the two are intertwined in modern times.
There are a number of says and times to celebrate Imbolc. I most often celebrate on 31st January. Because it’s the eve of St. Brigid’s Day (1st February). Other people choose “astrological Imbolc”, the midpoint between solstice and equinox (this year, that’s today, 3rd Feb). Still others link their festivities to Candlemas, 2nd Feb.
And, if I’m being really honest, since Ireland recently got a bank holiday for the occasion, if there’s a big ritual or group event I’m doing, it’s going to be on that bank holiday weekend.
While in the modern world, we like to think of dates being right, correct and accurate, it’s not always the case. I know people who celebrate Samhain from dark moon to dark moon, since they view it as a season, not a single night. I kinda do the same with Imbolc, but it’s most of January and some of February.
Most of the traditions in Ireland happen around the 31st January. Check out Duchas for more on that. But remember, your spiritual path has to fit your life. What you do in private is up to you and no one else.
Don’t be calling things traditional that aren’t though.
Finally…
We had all the usual shite about Brigid being associated with this crystal and that colour. We had the arguments over 3-pronged vs 4-pronged cross. All the usual stuff. I’ve given up engaging with it at this point. Although I will be trying to do a video showing how I do the 3-pronged cross. Cos, yeah – it’s the 3rd February and I’ve not made my crosses yet this year!
I hope this helps. Please share it where you think it might do some good!
I am curious, where is your source materiel for the myth debunking? Especially of her having a fiery temper and not associated with hearth and home.
It makes me disturbed that I want to worship a Goddess that is tempermental and a fiery disposition.
P.S. I am talking about the Goddess, not the saint.
If you have issues with a deity with a temper, I’m going to say just steer clear of the whole Irish pantheon. They can all lose their temper at times. That said, I didn’t say she was temperamental. But she does have a temper. To me, temperamental means you never know what mood she’s in and that’s not the case – based on my experience. And that source material is heavily based off hagiographies. Because, as I said, we just don’t have the source material on the goddess. We have the four bits I outlined. Now, the hearth and home – the proof just isn’t there. It’s not mentioned in the 4 excerpts I mentioned in the text and it’s not mentioned in the hagiographies. It’s impossible to prove a negative, but I can say there just isn’t the evidence there that she was associated with hearth and home at all.
Thank you for responding back.
I am just getting to know who Brigid is.
I want to know all aspects of her.
Cary
J
Sorry accidentally pressed comment without commenting!
Agree completely Brigid has a temper if roused to it, though I find her to be more like her Da in having more patience than other deities… She is incredibly tough though and the twee image is so cloying. She will beat you on her anvil for years. But she will make you what you need for what you’re facing. Not what you want. And she is full of joy.
My tuppence on the hearth goddess. Brigid was Queen through marriage to Bres. He was hated in part as he was so miserly with food and drink – the Tuatha de Danaan’s knives were never well greased at his hall. Given how essential hospitality is, this must have been wretched for Brigid not to be a gracious generous host as she should be. To have a proper hearth for guests, worse still her kinfolk. Her own father was starved and dwindled at her table. She is not named but as Bres’ wife I don’t think this is a stretch on the source material?
What follows is UPG sorry! I had been quite dismissive of hearth goddesses until Brigid showed me the power of hearth fire when travelling in the Otherworld. That changed my mind very fast I was awe struck to the point of being almost frightened (the feeling of close divine contact lol) the cleansing defensive light bringing properties were immense. Stuff needed to get done fast in the face of threat, other serious deities were there and Brigid used her aspect as Hearthfire to do it and I was the only one not aware how elementally powerful this is. Caused me a lot of reflection. I can now see Brigid was challenging me deeply at a time I needed it, but it helped me see how we used fire at our earliest history, to keep away darkness and danger. To see shapes in the flames. To nourish ourselves. To gather to tell stories and make art.
Just UPG but it has continued to feel true, even if I do still go to her forge, or drink with the poet. See also her excellence at weaving – no source material but what woman or queen would not wield the distaff at that time?
Happy Imbolc