Legend/MythThe Legend of the Goddess Brigit.
The goddess goes a number of names such as:Bride, Bridey, Brighid, Brigit, Briggidda, Brigantia. Yet I will always personally call her Brigit for future use.
Brigit was seen to look over births, healing, blacksmiths and poets with inspired wisdom. Her abilites were closly related to light, inspiration and skills of fire. Brigit was seen as benefactress of innerhealing and energy.
Her link with fire was seen as the inspirational fire as used by poets and the daily fires of the home and forge.
As the patroness of poetry, filidhecht, the equivalent of bardic lore, are the primal retainers of culture and learning. The bansidhe and the filidh - Woman of the Fairy Hills and the class of Seer-poets, respectively, preserve the poetic function of Brigit by keeping the oral tradition alive. It is widely believed that those poets who have gone before inhabit the realms between the worlds, overlapping into ours so that the old songs and stories will be heard and repeated. Thus does Brigit fulfill the function of providing a continuity by inspiring and encouraging us.
The role of the smith in any tribe was seen as a sacred trust and was associated with magickal powers since it involved mastering the primal element of Fire, moulding the metal (from Earth) through skill, knowledge and strength. Concepts of smithcraft are connected to stories concerning the creation of the world, utilizing all of the Elements to create and fuse a new shape.
Brigit is also the Goddess of physicians and healing, divination and prophecy. One of Her most ancient names is Breo-saighead meaning fiery arrow, and within that name is the attribute of punishment and divine justice.
Brigit is associated with the Cow and Ewe. This has been followed through in many feativals as in the Imbolc and Celtic culture.
To understand the connection between Brigit and the cow there a few things that should be known such as:
Brigit was seen as a Mother to many and also the importance the milk at the time she was first widly known.
Cows and Ewes will have birthed their young and their milk would be flowing. Milk, to the Celts, was sacred food, equivalent to the Christian communion. It was an ideal form of food due to its purity and nourishment. Mother's milk was especially valuable, having curative powers. The cow was symbolic of the sacredness of motherhood, the life-force sustained and nourished. This was not a passive cow giving milk but an active mother fighting for the well-being of her children.
In addition to Her totemic animals of the cow and the ewe, She is also associated with the cockerel, the herald of the new day and the snake, symbol of regeneration. In this way She is related to fertility Goddesses, many of Whom were also shown holding snakes and shares with Minerva the shield, spear and crown of serpents. Serpents are also a common theme in Celtic jewelry (another product of smithing) with many torcs displaying this sinuous symbol of power and divinity.
Other the years the goddess Brigit was then beleieved to become a sait rarther than a goddess and was thus accepted into christain belief. She was worshiped as a saint up to the early 20th century.
Throughout the ages Brigit has always been seen as a virgin wheather is was as a saint or mother Goddess.
Kid- Short layered hair, with a slightly tanned skin from staying outside. Her hair is still very messy and badly cut ending in small points. Her eyes sparkly bright red and has quite a 'hard' effect on her softer features. Blue marking are slightly more frequent across her body. They appear to be like henna tattoo's across her ankles, wrists, sholder and back. None take place anywhere else apart from the simple ones remaining on her face, making her skin seem an icy blue year by year. A small mist now seems to follow Angarika around to keep her in balance as many features seem more fire-like.
