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Encyclopedia > Breg (Irish mythology)

In Irish mythology as it is presently constituted, Brigit or Brighit ("exalted one") was the daughter of Dagda (and therefore one of the Tuatha Dé Danann) and wife of Bres of the Fomorians. She had two sisters, also named Brighid, and is considered a classic Celtic Triple Goddess. The mythology of pre-Christian Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity, but much of it was preserved, shorn of its religious meanings, in medieval Irish literature, which represents the most extensive and best preserved of all the branches of Celtic mythology. ... The Dagda is an important god of Irish mythology. ... The Tuatha Dé Danann (peoples of the goddess Danu) were the fifth group of inhabitants of Ireland, according to the Lebor Gabála Érenn (Book of Invasions) tradition. ... In Irish mythology, Bres, aka Eochaid Bres, Eochu Bres (Eochaid/Eochu the Beautiful), was a king of the Tuatha Dé Danann. ... In Irish mythology, the Fomorians, Fomors, or Fomori (Irish Fomóiri, Fomóraig) were a semi-divine race who inhabited Ireland in ancient times. ... Celts redirects here. ... A Triple Goddess symbol (probably originating from Classical Greek lunar symbolism), representing the three aspects of the moon (waxing crescent, full moon, waning crescent) and womankind (maiden, mother, crone). ...

Contents

Familial relations

By Tuireann, she was the mother of Creidhne, Luchtaine and Goibniu.[citation needed] In Celtic mythology, Tuireann was the father of Creidhne, Luchtaine and Giobhniu by Brigid. ... In Irish mythology, Creidhne (or Credne) was a son of Brigid and Tuireann and the artificer of the Tuatha Dé Danann, working in bronze, brass and gold. ... In Celtic mythology, Luchtaine (or Luchta) was a son of Brigid and Tuireann and a god of craftwork and smithing. ... In Irish mythology Goibniu or Goibhniu (pronounced Goive-nu) was a son of Brigid and Tuireann and the smith of the Tuatha Dé Danann. ...


She is identified in Lebor Gabála Érenn as a daughter of the Dagda and a poet. The same passage mentions that she has two oxen, Fe and Men, that graze on a plain named for them, Femen; the Torc Triath, king of boars; and Cirb, king of wethers, from whom Mag Cirb is named.[1] As the daughter of Dagda, she is also the half sister of Cermait, Aengus, Midir, and Bodb Derg. Lebor Gabála Érenn (The Book of the Taking of Ireland) is the Middle Irish title of a loose collection of poems and prose narratives recounting the mythical origins and history of the Irish race from the creation of the world down to the Middle Ages. ... The Dagda is an important god of Irish mythology. ... Twrch Trwyth is the name of the creature Culhwch is instructed to hunt in the Middle Welsh prose tale Culhwch and Olwen. ... Lamb redirects here. ... The Dagda is an important god of Irish mythology. ... in Irish mythology Cermait of the Tuatha Dé Danann was a son of the Dagda. ... In Irish mythology, Aengus (Áengus, Óengus, Angus, Aonghus, Anghus) aka Aengus Óg (Aengus the Young), Mac ind Óg (son of the young), Maccan or Mac Óg (young son) was a member of the Tuatha Dé Danann and probably a god of love, youth and poetic inspiration. ... In Irish mythology Midir (or Midhir) was a son of the Dagda of the Tuatha Dé Danann. ...


Associations

In Cath Maige Tuireadh, Bríg (sic) invents keening while mourning for Ruadán (her son by Bres), slain while fighting for the Fomorians. She is credited in the same passage with inventing a whistle used for night travel.[2] Cath Maige Tuireadh (the (second) Battle of Magh Tuiredh) is a tale of the Irish Mythological Cycle in which the Tuatha Dé Danann defeat their enemies, the Fomorians. ... In Irish mythology, Bres, aka Eochaid Bres, Eochu Bres (Eochaid/Eochu the Beautiful), was a king of the Tuatha Dé Danann. ... In Irish mythology, the Fomorians (Irish Fomóire, Fomórach) or Fomors were a semi-divine race who inhabited Ireland in ancient times. ...


Divine responsibilities

Brighid was associated with perpetual, sacred flames, such as the one maintained by 19 nuns at her sanctuary in Kildare, Ireland. It is widely believed, though not conclusively proven, that the tradition of women tending her sacred flame is far older than Christianity, and that before the nuns the flame was maintained by priestesses. Her sacred flame at Kildare was said by Giraldus Cambrensis and other chroniclers to have been surrounded by a hedge, which no man could cross; men who attempted to cross the hedge were said to have gone insane, died, and/or to have had their "lower leg" wither. WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ... Giraldus Cambrensis (c. ...


Brighid was also connected to holy wells, at Kildare and many other sites in the Celtic lands. Well dressing, the tying of clooties to the trees next to healing wells, and other methods of petitioning or honoring Brighid still take place in some of the Celtic lands and the diaspora. Well dressing in Youlgreave Well dressing is a custom practised in the Peak District of England, in which wells are decorated with designs created from flower petals. ... A clootie or cloot in Scots is a strip or piece of cloth, a rag or item of clothing; it can also refer to fabric used in the patching of clothes or the making of proddy rugs (aka clootie mats).[1] The saying Neer cast a cloot til May... Clootie wells, also Cloutie or Cloughtie (Straffon 1998) are places of pilgrimage in Celtic areas; they are wells or springs where strips of cloth or rags have been left, usually as part of a healing ritual. ...


As one one of the most popular goddesses worshipped by the Celtic peoples, including the druids, many of her stories and symbology survived in the persona of Saint Brigid. She was the goddess of all things perceived to be of relatively high dimensions such as high-rising flames, highlands, hill-forts and upland areas; and of activities and states conceived as psychologically lofty and elevated, such as wisdom, excellence, perfection, high intelligence, poetic eloquence, craftsmanship (especially blacksmithing), healing ability, druidic knowledge and skill in warfare. In the living traditions, whether seen as goddess or saint, she is largely associated with the home and hearth and is a favorite of both Pagans and Christians. A number of these associations are attested in Cormac's Glossary. Two druids, from an 1845 publication, based on a bas-relief found at Autun, France. ... The Sanas Cormaic (sometimes called Sanas Chormaic using modern rules of initial consonant mutation) is an Irish glossary containing etymologies and explanations of over 1400 Irish words. ...


Her British and continental counterpart Brigantia seems to have been the Celtic equivalent of the Roman Minerva and the Greek Athena (Encyclopedia Britannica: Celtic Religion), goddesses with very similar functions and apparently embodying the same concept of 'elevated state', whether physical or psychological. In Gallo-Roman and Romano-British religion, Brigantia was a goddess who is attested several places in Britain and Europe. ... Minerva and the Muses, by Hans Rottenhammer (1603). ... Helmeted Athena, of the Velletri type. ...


Festivals

On February 1, Brigid is celebrated at the Gaelic festival of Imbolc, when she brings the first stirrings of spring to the land. Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, and some Anglicans mark the day as the Feast of Saint Brigid; the festival is also known as Candlemas and Purification of the Virgin. February 1 is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... The Gaels are an ethno-linguistic group in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man, whose language is of the Gaelic (Goidelic) family, a division of Insular Celtic languages. ... Imbolc is one of the four principal festivals of the Irish calendar, celebrated either at the beginning of February or at the first local signs of Spring. ... The Roman Catholic Church or Catholic Church (see terminology below) is the Christian Church in full communion with the Bishop of Rome, currently Pope Benedict XVI. It traces its origins to the original Christian community founded by Jesus Christ and led by the Twelve Apostles, in particular Saint Peter. ... The Eastern Orthodox Church is a Christian body that views itself as the historical continuation of the original Christian community established by Jesus and the Twelve Apostles, preserving the traditions of the early church unchanged, accepting the canonicity of the first seven ecumenical councils held between the 4th and the... The Anglican Communion uses the compass rose as its symbol, signifying its worldwide reach and decentralized nature. ... The calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organising a liturgical year on the level of days by associating each day with one or more saints, and referring to the day as that saints day. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Candlemas (Russian: Sretenie, Spanish: Candelaria) is a Christian feast commemorating the purification of the Virgin Mary and the presentation of the infant Jesus in the Temple. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Presentation of Jesus at the Temple. ...


Other names and etymology

Old Irish Brigit ['brɪʝɪdʲ] came to be spelled Brighid by the modern Irish period. Since the spelling reform of 1948, this has been spelled Bríd ['briːdʲ]. The earlier form gave rise to the anglicization Bridget, now commonly seen as Brigid. Old Irish is the name given to the oldest form of the Irish language which can be, more or less, fully reconstructed from extant sources. ...

The theonym Brigit appears to be derived from Proto-Celtic *Brigantījā meaning "high" or "exalted".[1] Some of her titles included:[citation needed] Motto: (Latin) No one provokes me with impunity1 Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official language(s) English, Gaelic, Scots2 Government  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - UK Prime Minister Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Jack McConnell MSP Unification    - by Kenneth I 843  Area    - Total 78,772 km... This article is about the country. ... Folk etymology or popular etymology is a linguistic term for a category of false etymology which has grown up in popular lore, as opposed to one which arose in scholarly usage. ... The Sanas Cormaic (Cormacs Glossary; sometimes called Sanas Chormaic using modern rules of initial consonant mutation) is an Irish glossary containing etymologies and explanations of over 1400 Irish words. ... Map of Gaul circa 58 BC Gaul (Latin: ) was the name given, in ancient times, to the region of Western Europe comprising present-day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Switzerland and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the Rhine river. ... Map of Gaul circa 58 BC Gaul (Latin: ) was the name given, in ancient times, to the region of Western Europe comprising present-day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Switzerland and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the Rhine river. ... In Gallo-Roman and Romano-British religion, Brigantia was a goddess who is attested several places in Britain and Europe. ... The Proto-Celtic language, also called Common Celtic, is the putative ancestor of all the known Celtic languages. ...

  • "Brigantia, Exaltedness of Inspiration" - patroness of poets
  • "Brigantia, Exaltedness of the Hearth" - patroness of healers, goddess of fertility
  • "Brigantia, Exaltedness of the Forge" - patroness of smiths, craftsmen and warriors

The Chinese poem Quatrain on Heavenly Mountain by Emperor Gaozong (Song Dynasty) Poetry (from the Greek , poiesis, making or creating) is a form of art in which language is used for its aesthetic qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its ostensible meaning. ...

See also

Saint Brigid of Ireland Saint Brigid of Ireland (Bridget, Bridgit, Brigit; in English St. ... Brigids cross, Brighids cross, or Brigits cross, or Crosóg Brigde(in gaelic) is an old Irish symbol, probably derivative of the pagan sunwheel. ...

Notes

  1. ^ Macalister, R. A. Stewart. Lebor Gabála Érenn. Part IV. Irish Texts Society, Dublin, 1941. § VII, First Redaction, ¶ 317.
  2. ^ Cath Maige Tuired (The Second Battle of Mag Tuired), translated by Elizabeth A. Gray. ¶ 125.

References

  • Bitel, Lisa M. 2001. "St. Brigit of Ireland: From Virgin Saint to Fertility Goddess" on-line)
  • MacKillop, James. 1998.Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. (Oxford: Oxford University Press) ISBN 0-19-280120-1.

External links



 
 

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