As a follow on from my last blog, pictured above is a display of a few Brigit's Cross designs that were made here in Ireland and the counties to which they belong.
I really do want stress that remembrance of The Goddess Brigit and her Christian counterpart St. Bridget has never been neglected in Ireland.
To me as a pagan it is the Goddess Brigit who is uppermost in my mind. She is a triple goddess with three very distinct gifts that she shares with us, firstly: Poetry/Inspiration, secondly: Smithcraft and thirdly: Healing.
Brigit is not a goddess to be dallied with, she is as strong as the Morrigan (without the battle associations) and as wise as the Cailleach.
From working with her in meditations came the following poem, that I now share with you.
SOME CALL HER MOTHER.
Some call her Mother. The Mistress of this land
Her body hidden haunts wild places for man
Whose calloused raw hands worked nippled
Cairns to stand proud on mountains
Hunted, fought bloodily among heathered tresses
Ploughed deeply her fertile plains to feed
Warrior lords, foreign, crippled with greed.
In Her a sea smooth cave, that once sheltered Fintan.
Crabs with dead mans fingers, sought a womb watery grave.
To rebirth rebellion - Freedom and the marrow
Of Her Favour!
© MRL 11. 09. 2003
Great post as always Mel.
ReplyDeleteI love your poem!
I have read that Brigit is also an equivalent to the Romano-Celtic Brigantia the tribal goddess of the Brigantes up where I come from.
Apparantly the Brigantes settled in Ireland as well as Northern England.
Thank you for your appreciation Morgaine. You are absolutely right about the Brigantes. BRIGIT/BRIGID/ BRIGHID/BIRGIT: Forms of her name are found all over Europe. There is evidence to suggest that it was a female Sun & Fire cult and to have been imported to Ireland from Europe. I think that gives a clue into the riddle of the grant of land the Curragh of Kildare, which say's briefly that it was where her cloak covered.In other words where the people of the cult lived.
ReplyDelete(A priestess of hers with the same name converted to Christianity & was canonised as St Bridget.)
This is wonderful.......
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of the land of Ireland as goddess / mother and the images you paint with words. There is a real sense of history and her continued presence despite all that she has endured.
Thank you!
Coming from the North of Ireland, I wasn't aware that there was more than one style of Brigit's cross!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the infomation on Brigit. I too, did not know there were differing cross designs.I also love the poem, very powerful.
ReplyDeleteFine poem and fascinating insight into Brigit, Mr Heron :)
ReplyDeleteJane: I was aware of Mother Ireland from when I first worked in N.Ireland & travelled the land, she is to be felt everywhere.
ReplyDeleteRobert: There are a lot of people throughout this island who only know of the 4 legged type of Brigit Cross.
Fizzycat & Nat: Thank you for your appreciation of the poem.
We've lost a lot of the balance of old in our present patriarchal society.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this story of Brigit and your spring rituals. We need to recognise and incorporate the changing seasons in our lives.
I find the old religion fascinating - and enlightening.
The more I read, the more I think I must visit Ireland!
ReplyDelete