Brigid’s name is revered wide and far as a feminine figure of spirituality and new life. Learn if Brigid the Celtic Goddess is the same as the Celtic saint, their stories, and find out if Brigid is just a humble saint who died generations ago, or a great goddess who lives forever.
The name Brigid is sacred to pagans and Catholics alike and most everybody thinks their Brigid is the only Brigid. Catholics say she was an illustrious saint who did things like nobody else. Pagans say Brigid is a magnificent goddess the Catholics took and turned into a saint so they could still communicate with her. Who is right? Join SpiritualBlossom to learn all about this sacred Brigid. Find out who she is through stories of the goddess Brigid and Saint Brigid. Find out symbols of both Brigid’s and how to communicate with them both. Finally, discover once and for all who Brigid is- ancient goddess or saint.
Who is the Goddess Brigid?
Bridgid, also known as Brigit, and Brid, is a pre–Christian Irish goddess whose name means “exalted one”. Her father is the Dagda, chief god of the Tuatha De Danann, and she married another god king, Bres. She is a goddess of poetry, healing, wisdom, livestock, smithing, and is associated with the warm months of the year. She had two sisters, both also named Brigit, and it is possible that in those days Brigid was a title for goddesses, so there may have been more than one goddess whose stories form our stories about her today. It is more likely, however, that Brigid and her sisters were three forms of the same goddess, making her a triple goddess.
She is a fire goddess who was born with the flame of inspiration atop her head. She is called a “Lady of Healing” and has the ability to heal physical, emotional, and spiritual ills. She is also called “Lady of Inspiration” and she inspires musicians, poets, and bards. A goddess of fertility, she is called upon for help by women who seek to conceive children. She protects her devotees and their homes, and animals from illness and danger.
Symbols of the Goddess
The goddess Brigid is symbolized by a great many things including the Brigid’s Cross, Healing Wells which are still used today, and fire.
Brigid’s Cross
This ancient symbol is a version of the sun wheel, which is used around the world in many different forms. For devotees of the goddess, it symbolizes protection from fire and it repels evil. It is also made by hand at Brigid’s high holy time, Imbolc, to help welcome her into the home. It also welcomed Springtime into the home after the long, cold winter months, and in ancient times, it served as a symbol of hope and new life. Some people believe it is necessary to make your own Brigid’s Cross every single year to welcome her, and other people use the same Brigid’s Cross they blessed every year. Read about the magic of the Sun here: Making Magic with the Sun
Healing Wells
There are at least 15 healing wells believed to be wells to the goddess. One is called The Wayside Well, and candlelit ceremonies there head to the well where people bless themselves with the healing waters. Another is called St. Brigid’s Well in Claire, Ireland. This well will be discussed later on in a section about St. Brigid. Water is believed to have healing abilities and in ancient times, and that was sometimes because a natural well bubbled up mysteriously from the ground, providing fresh water. Considering the fact our bodies are 60% or more water, it is not a surprise people visited healing wells. Read about the water Signs of the Zodiac here: What are Water Signs?
Fire
Born with fire on her head, Brigid is a fire goddess. Believed to rule the warm months of the year, her fire represented the lifegiving heat of the sun, and the flames of inspiration, passion, and healing. She was associated with the dawn, and as a Spring and Summer goddess, was believed to make everything grow. She was believed to make people and animals fertile, as well as the earth through the fires of life within her. Read about Fire Signs here: What are Fire Signs of the Zodiac?
Worship of the Goddess
Imbolc is Brigid’s high holy day and it is on February 1, called Imbolc. It is an ancient Celtic day that translates to “in the belly”. This pays tribute to the earth, which has been frozen in winter and by Imbolc, is filled with life, ready to burst forth, like a pregnant woman. It also speaks of the fact lambs were producing milk, and a great holiday using the milk to make foods and feast was done. Her devotion was kept alive by priestesses in pre-Christian times, who tended an eternal flame in Kildare in her name. Read more about how today’s Catholics keep the flame of Brigid burning later in the article. Read about deities of the sea here; The Folklore, Myths, and Gods of the Sea
Talking to the Goddess Brigid
A simple way to open communication with the goddess Brigid is the traditional way- invite her into your home. Two things can be done in the traditional way. One, make a Brigid’s Cross to hang on your door, asking the goddess to enter your home on Imbolc. Make a new Brigid’s cross every year, and bury the old one in your garden. Read how here: Brigid's Cross Tutorial - colorful-crafts.com
Secondly, make a bed for Brigid by your hearth or fireplace on Imbolc to welcome her. It is traditional to clean your hearth and build a new fire in it, and placing a small pillow with blankets by the hearth can serve as a bed for her. If you don’t have a fireplace, light a candle by your stove on the countertop and place the bed there. As you light the fire or candle, say “Welcome Brigid, goddess of our hearts. Come into our home and abide. Bring us protection, inspiration, and guide us with the light of your love.” The goddess is believed to protect the home and you can also do protective magic yourself. Read about how here: Magic for Self-Defense
Who is St. Brigid?
St. Brigid of Kildare was a Catholic Abbess turned Saint who opened an abbey in Kildare as well as at other places in Ireland. A national Saint of Ireland, she lived from 451 , 452, or 453-525 CE and interestingly, she is a saint of some of the very things the goddess Brigid was known for- healing, protection, blacksmithing, and livestock. It is believed by some that stories of this saint were taken from stories of the goddess Brigid, but this saint was a real person who lived- wasn’t she? Some modern scholars don’t think so. They think somebody else started all those monasteries and stories of the goddess Brigid were transformed to create a saint.
In this day and age, we really can’t prove it either way, but somebody built those churches and led the nuns. The page for St. Brigid’s Cathedral in Ireland states that near 480 CE, St. Brigid and her nuns settled near the oak tree that was there and built their first church. They say little is known about this, but by 680, writings about the life of the Saint began and that St. Brigid is buried there at the Cathedral. Read the full history the church presents about the Cathedral here: History - St Brigid's Cathedral
Stories About the Saint
Stories say she was the daughter of a Chieftain of Offaly named Dubhtach and his mistress, Broicseach. Dubhtach’s wife sold Broicseach to a Druid near Dunundalk and the child was born near Louth. If the stories are true, although she and her mother were in a Druid’s house, they were allowed to practice Christianity and Brigid’s devotion and selfless charity were said to convert the Druid. She was allowed to return to her father’s house, and she was so charitable, her father said she would make him a pauper. Her father arranged a marriage for her, and she refused, preferring to dedicate herself to religion. She became a nun in 470.
St. Brigid was said to be so charitable, that as a child, she gave away all of her mother’s butter and gave her father’s sword to the poor. Her father was so frustrated with her for giving their things away, he took her to the King of Leinster to sell her. She won the heart of the king, however, and the king convinced her father to give his daughter her freedom. She was said to be able to turn water into beer and could stop wind and rain. Once, St. Brigid fell and hit her head, spilling a little of her blood, and the blood was said to miraculously make some mute girls speak. A woman once gifted apples to St. Brigid, which she gave to some poor lepers. When the woman scolded St. Brigid for giving the apples to lepers, St. Brigid cursed the woman’s trees so they would never produce again. St. Brigid was known for her many miracles. You can read about miracles here: Do Miracles Really Happen?
Symbols of the Saint
Some symbols of St. Brigid include her holy well, the Brigid’s Cross, and the eternal flame- all of which are also symbols of the goddess who shares her name.
Healing Wells
St. Brigid’s Well is in Ballysteen, Ireland, and it sees a lot of visitors on February 1. It is believed St Brigid died on February 1, which is Imbolc, the sacred day for the goddess Brigid. There is a burial ground and something called a “rag tree” and below that is the well and a statue of the saint. The “rags” tied to the tree are left as offerings and prayers for healing, and are a very old Irish tradition that date back to pre-Christian times. Prayers at the well are done, and people anoint themselves with what they believe to be healing waters of the well. Catholics believe St. Brigid stopped at this well once.
However, the well itself is a site that predates Christianization of Ireland. Ireland has at least 3,000 holy wells, many of which are thousands of years old. The burial ground holds multiple ancient kings and clan leaders of ancient Ireland. Today, people place photos of people to be healed, images and statues of Brigid, Jesus, and Mary mother of Jesus as well as offerings of jewelry and rosaries. You can see a short video of the well here: Saint Brigid's Well in Ireland
Brigid’s Cross
This is a symbol of the goddess Brigid that the saint is known for. It is said that St. Brigid was fashioning one of these from reeds as her father lay dying, and he thought it was beautiful, and asked her about it. The story goes, she told him about her religion, and he denounced his non-Christian faith and converted to her religion right then and there. The meaning of this for Catholics is all about Jesus and their faith, and it is a representation of Irish culture.
The Eternal Flame
The devotees of St. Brigid are interestingly maintaining the ancient flame that originally burned for the goddess Brigid. Since pre-Christian times, a flame was kept burning constantly in honor of the goddess, in Kildare, Ireland. It is said that many attempts to extinguish it were made, but none were successful. At some point, nuns of St. Brigid took over guarding the flame and maintaining it, but it was finally extinguished during the Dissolution of the Abbeys between 1536 and 1541. It was re lit in 1993 by nuns and it is maintained by them today. It represents inspiration, healing, and the eternal presence of goddesses’ and women’s power.
Talking to St. Brigid
The Catholics have special prayers you can say to reach out to St. Brigid. One traditional prayer to her is “ Saint Brigid. You were a woman of peace. You brought harmony where there was conflict. You brought light to the darkness. You brought hope to the downcast.
May the mantle of your peace cover those who are troubled and anxious, and may peace be firmly rooted in our hearts and in our world. Inspire us to act justly and to reverence all God has made. Brigid you were a voice for the wounded and the weary. Strengthen what is weak within us. Calm us into a quietness that heals and listens. May we grow each day into greater wholeness in mind, body and spirit. Amen.” Read more prayers to her here: Prayers | Saint Brigid's
Is Brigid a Goddess or a Saint?
The name Brigid has been a commonly used name for countless generations. Some insist the saint never lived, and the church pretended she did so they could transfer myths of the goddess into a new image to attract pagans, converting them to their religion. We can never prove the saint didn’t live, and it is highly possible a woman who had the Irish name Brigid did, indeed founded those abbeys. It is not impossible that someone with the same name knew the sacredness of the goddesses worship center and founded a new worship center on that site. Today, both Brigid’s are honored by many different people, and they both live in the hearts of people.
The name Brigid has been used many times for countless years, and different sacred beings had that name. One is a goddess who people today still revere and another is a saint whose deeds will never be forgotten. The name Brigid is used in modern times for people too. Perhaps Brigid is too sacred to be one person or one entity, and she lives on through the belief of devotees of many traditions and as a personal name for many ladies. Whoever she is to you, may she bless you, guide you, and inspire you. So Be It.
If you would like to speak to a psychic medium to contact deities, saints, or ancestors, reach out to us at SpiritualBlossom today!
About the Author: Lady Saoirse has studied magic and lore for most of her life but started walking her own Magical Path after being spiritually reborn in the desert. Today she is a High Priestess for The Temple of the Goddess, she is a psychic advisor and spiritual counselor, she shares her gifts as a Psychic and Content Writer for Mysticsense and SpiritualBlossom, and she writes for The Green Egg Magazine and PaganPages.Org emag.
