The Mythology of Brigid

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Her Mythology

Brigid (also called Bride, Brigantia, Brigdu, and more) is a Goddess associated with many things.

Her main three domains are poetry, healing, and smithcraft. However, She is also associated with fire and water, life and death, domestic animals (especially cattle and sheep), spring (in particular, early spring), Imbolc, fertility, and childbirth.

Worship of Her is associated with the British Isles and Ireland in particular, but she was worshipped consistently throughout the Celtic Nations.

Brigid is a daughter of The Dagda, the Great God. In one of the myths, She is also the wife of Bres, a ruler who was mixed between the Fomorians and the Tuatha Dé Danann.

In the myth where She is the wife of Bres, Their son Ruadan hurt the smith God Giobhniu at the second battle of Magh Tuireadh, but was slain during the combat. This led to Brigid going to the battlefield to mourn Her son.

It's said that this is the first caoine (keening), and since then, Irish women made it tradition to caoine at every graveside. This is done less today, but that is the story on why She, a spring Goddess, is associated with death.

Imbolc/Candlemas is a celebration of both spring's arrival and of Brigid in particular. She became a Catholic saint when Christian Irish people refused to give up Imbolc.

She had two oxen named either Fea and Femen or Fe and Men, depending on what source you look at. They inspired the names for Mag Fea and Mag Femin, both plains. She also had a sheep named Cirb who was the king of sheep, and a boar named Torc Triath who was the king of boars.

In addition, She (as a Saint) performed the first abortion of Ireland; a pregnant nun came to Her and said that she had sinned out of lust and didn't want the baby, so Brigid removed the baby with Her hands.

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