Tirza Schaefer: Romance Author & Goddess Facilitator
Brigid
I love to explore the Divine Feminine and write about Goddesses. For a list of those, click on the link: Goddesses. In order to become more balanced within ourselves and, through that, to bring greater balance and harmony to the world around us, we must find greater balance between the masculine and feminine energies within ourselves that each one of us possesses, regardless of physical gender or any other ways of self-identification.
A Child of Danu
Brigid, or Bríd, as is her original name, is of Celtic-Irish origin. She is one of the Thuata Dé Danann, the children of Dana, according to Irish mythology. She is associated with the spring season, fertility, healing, poetry and smithcraft. In the course of Christianisation, she was made a Christian saint, Saint Brigid of Kildare. Her saint’s day is the same as the original Pagan festival of Imbolc, associated with the Goddess and marking the beginning of spring. Imbolc is usually celebrated on the 1st or 2nd of February or halfway between the winter solstice and spring equinox.
She is associated with healing waters, wells and springs. She is the Lady of the Sacred Flame, the flame of inspiration, and creative consciousness. Bríd is the Bringer of Prosperity, goddess of fertility, new growth and birth. She is the patroness of poetry, healing, smithcraft, midwifery, and animal care and breeding. Bríd is a warrior, protectress and Goddess of healing grace.
The Flame of Inspiration
In mythology, Bríd was described to have been born at dawn with the exact rising of the sun. Her head was radiant with light and thus, she is associated with sunbeams and warmth, ascended awareness, enlightenment and new beginnings. This solar energy, also heralding spring after the dark winter months also bring hope and renewal.
In Celtic mythology, there is no difference between the flame of inspiration and that of the hearth in the house. The inner and outer worlds are not only equal but also not separate from each other. Bríd is a very complex Goddess, having so many different aspects, which is due to her triple nature, but not as maiden, mother and crone, but as three sisters representing the three elements of fire, water and earth. From there her functions and attributes are further diversified like a tree with many branches, all ultimately converging to the one root.
She is known throughout Ireland, Wales and England under various names and in each part, a river has been named after her, Brigit, Braint and Brent respectively. In England, as Brigantia, she is the central figure of many heroic myths and is therefore associated with underworld quests and sacred kingship. As she is so versatile, she has been able to survive throughout the ages and is still a central figure in worship to this day in Ireland as an only thinly veiled version a Christian saint.