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Bridget or Bridie
Saint and Goddess of New Beginnings


Bridget speaks,

I have both bright and dark sides. A positive image reflecting my bright side is of a strong blond woman with braids. As Lady of Bringing-into-Being, I have been worshipped at the beginning of new projects. When I am associated with nature, I am the lady of childbirth, of new streams and recently dug wells, which gush down the mountainside, and the lady who brings health to newborn animals.

When I am associated with culture, I am the lady of the plough, the foundry, and the cooking fire, all of which begin and transform things. As childbirth goddess, I hold the gateway for the soul which passes between the spirit world and the physical world. As goddess of hearth and plough, I bring life and strength. I have been associated by the Romans with Vesta, the hearth goddess, and by Christians with Mary, who gave birth to Jesus without sin or pain.

I have even been worshipped by the Norse tribal people, as queen and warrioress. For the Fair Folk, I was an artist of power, for the Celts a goddess, for the Christians, a saint. However sometimes these overlapped. When I became worshipped as a Christian saint, I was given a life history and was characterized as a devout human woman, but I still retained associations with my older roles. So I became a virgin goddess of childbirth, a warrior queen and defender of the faith, and a holy presence at sacred streams and wells. My identity as a member of the Fair Folk was furthest from their minds, though I maintained a link with the Fair Folk and their artistic endeavors.

I became an ideal of piety, strength and devotion, an ordinary woman who could do extraordinary things through faith. Thus there grew up many stories and myths around me.

As a warrioress, I defend true Christians on the battlefield, and can embody the force of curses and revenge. There are still churches, which retain my battle form, which was shared with the Norse image of the Valkyrie. In another set of stories, I am the humble maiden who plays with animals, with peace in her voice and healing in her hands. Yet again, I am also the lady-queen, whose authority is based on my ability at creation, and defense of land and tradition. As guardian goddess, I have been adopted by many faiths.

I am the lady of safe harbor, who nurtures and strengthens, and brings new things into the world. As goddess, I am worshipped with milk and cakes and silver. As saint, I am mostly asked for favors. There are many advantages to the goddess role.

In each case, I appear with long hair bound, and a white dress which ripples in the wind. I wear reeds and white flowers, and come to help those in distress. I come to bless new beginnings, and bring safety and protection, at endings, so that a new life may begin.


Bridget and the Druids

I am the goddess of creativity, inspiration and idea. For that reason, I was a hidden goddess of the Druid priests. Much of their training was memorization, but with me, they got to explore new ground. Their chants created imaginative strands with traditional and repeating patterns, but I inspired them to weave tapestries of new designs. While women wove the physical cloth for robes, men wove the spiritual cloth to create the history and future of their people.

There were priestesses but they had different roles. Much Druid knowledge involved war - there was surveillance of enemies by supernatural means, techniques of control of weather, and insight into future dangers to the culture. The priestesses dealt more with health and fertility, curing ailments and giving children to the barren. While women could be warriors, this was exceptional and was normally only done under threat. To the men, I gave fertility but also destruction. To women I gave healing springs and holy wells.

While much has been made of gender equality during Druid times, this was really not the case. Both men and women had their own societies and their own forms of knowledge. An occasional fighting women did not mean a race of warrioresses.

However some women did learn sorcery, though not from me. These women rarely benefited from this kind of knowledge, as sorcerers in general end up in unfortunate situations. They alienate the gods, and then there is nobody to turn to when they get into trouble.

I teach only defensive strategies, which should only to be used in times of danger. But these are not my preference. I like fresh water, nobility, honesty, heroism, and beauty. I inspire the blacksmith and the weaver, the cook and the builder. I like sacred wells in sacred groves, virtuous maidens and warriors capable of self-sacrifice and acting to help others. I do not have the taste of the Fair Folk for jewels, silks and colored veils. Simplicity is fine for me. It goes with an open mind and innocent heart.

Though I am called by many names, my values stay the same, and I bless those who follow them.



Introduction | History | Manannan Mac Lir | Merlin | Taliesin | Building the Realms of the Fair Folk | Lir and Danu | Lugh and the Morrigan | Anya, Daughter of Manannan | Manannan's Ocean Kingdom | Aengus, The Poet God of Love and Romance | The Ancient Roads to the Fair Folk | Manannan's Horses | The Society of the Fair Folk | The Place of Transformation | Traveling Between the Worlds | Research Methodology | Conclusion

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