February 1st is the feast of Imbolc, the return of Spring. The Goddess Brigit, or Bride, is one of the few who survived the transition to Christianity, where her worship retains links with pagan traditions.
Living in the city, it’s easy to miss the signs of emerging life. Imbolc, the time of lambing, would have a very literal meaning in an agricultural society. When much of the country is covered in snow, temperatures are at their lowest it is hard to feel that Brigit is coming. But snowdrops have been in flower since Christmas and bulbs are pushing their way through the ground. Some trees and shrubs are already in bud, but the energy of new life can be sensed even where trees are still bare. Imbolc or Oimelc, from Old Irish, also means ‘in the womb’, where new life is both seen and unseen.
In the prayers collected in the Carmina Gadelica Bride is invoked for protection and healing.
Every day and every night
That I say the genealogy of Bride,
I shall not be killed, I shall not be harried.
I shall not be put in cell, I shall not be wounded,
Neither shall Christ leave me in forgetfulness.
No fire, no sun, no moon shall burn me,
No lake, no water, nor sea shall drown me,
No arrow of fairy nor dart of fay shall wound me,
And I under the protection of my Holy Mary,
And my gentle foster-mother is my beloved Bride
Sometimes held to be a triple goddess Bride was connected with the elements of fire and water: the sacred flame and metalwork; springs, holy wells and healing. Her cult centre at Kildare has both. A sacred flame was tended until the reformation, when it was extinguished, but was relit in 1993. The flame is carried to the town square where it burns during the festival of Brigit. Offerings and requests for blessing are left at her holy well.
Both goddess and saint have a complex web of associations and symbols including:
· New life: snowdrop, serpent, hedgehog
· Solar connection: dandelion
· Poetry and inspiration (as well as nourishment): cauldron
· Blessings: the crosog or Bridget’s Cross
Brigit had a further transition and transformation when taken to Haiti by Irish and Scottish sent as indentured servants, becoming La Grande Brigitte, bride of Baron Samedi. From here she reached New Orleans where she is worshipped as Mother Brigit, a powerful helper in magic, who guards graves in the cemetery.
Sources
Celtic Prayers and Incantations Alexander Carmichael Dover Publications New York 2007 (though the complete text of the Carmina Gadelica is available online)
Imbolc workshop with Susanne Corbie given at Treadwells London.
The Many Faces of Brigit http://judikailles.com/?p=586
The Rites of Brigit Goddess and Saint Sean O Duinn The Columba Press Dublin 2005