BRIGID
Real Name:
Brighid (original spelling)
Occupation:
Goddess of poetry, handicrafts and learning, Tutelary goddess of the Brigantes,
Legal Status:
Citizen of Avalon
Identity: The general populace of Earth is unaware of the existence of Brigid except as a mythological character.
Other Aliases: Bride, Brigantia, Brigit, Brigindo, "Minerva," Dea Caelistis,
Place of Birth:
Marital Status: Single
Known Relatives:
The Dagda
(father), Morrigan
(mother), Gwydion,
Llyr (uncles),
Bodb, Oghma, Mider
(brothers), Oenghus, Diancecht, Nuadhu, (half-brothers), Andraste,
Epona
(sisters),
Group Affiliations: The Celtic Gods
Base of Operations:
First Appearance: (behind the scenes) Thor I #301
History: Brigid is the daughter of the Dagda, Ruler of the extra-dimensional race of beings known as the Tuatha da Danaan, who were worshipped as gods by the ancient Celts, and his wife, Morrigan, the goddess of war and death. Reared on enchanted milk from a divine cow belonging to the Celtic gods, Brigid and her sisters, Andraste and Epona, often followed their mother into war against enemies of the Danaans, most notably against the Fomore, eternal enemies of the Danaans.
Brigid was among the most favored of the gods of the Celts and like her mother was often worshipped as a triad of goddesses, each of whom had their own attributes. She was wife of the god, Turbe, and mother of the Tri de Dana, a group of craftsmen gods known as Goibniu, Luchtaine and Creidne, who created the weapons of the gods and the silver-hand of Nuadhu who lost his right hand in war with the Fomore. Turbe was slain by the trickster-god, Bres, the son of a Fomorian male and a Danaan, who then surrendered Eire to the Fomore. He forced Brgid to give him an heir named Ruadan, and when he came of age, Bres used Ruadan to spy on the Danaans to keep them from rising against the Fomore. When Bres sent Ruadan to seek the secret of the Danaans invulnerability to weapons, Ruadan discovered the secret well from which the Danaans derived their health, but he was slain by the god Goibniu to keep the secret from the Fomore. Brigid pleaded to Diancecht to restore her son, but Diancecht refused her.
Eventually, the Tuatha de Danaan were victorious over the Fomore and ousted them from Eire. Bridget was taken as a wife by Tuireann, son of Ogmios, and she had three more sons, Ivchar, Ivcharba and Brian. Her sons by this marriage were constantly at odds with Lugh, the son of Cian, who had become King of Eire. Lugh hated Brigid's sons because they had slain his father, and gave them several impossible tasks to carry out to keep them busy. Each task proved more impossible than the last, but they survived each task. At the end, they asked Lugh to heal them from the injuries they had wrought, but he refused the favor and allowed them to die from their injuries instead.
Eventually, worship of the Celtic gods was replaced by that of Christianity, which was heavily promoted by King Arthur in the Fifth Century AD. The Druids have carried her worship to the modern age. She was later Christianized into the Early Catholic Church through St. Brigid in the early Sixth Century. Morrigan also called upon her to protect the Young Gods, a number of human beings of pure genetic selection who served as potential of the human race to the Celestials.
In recent years, the Egyptian god Seth sent a great beast to
lay siege to Asgard and Thor pursued it to Avalon where it killed a small Danaan
family. Leir accused Thor of killing the family and Thor protested his innocent
even as he had to fight for his life against the Celtic Gods. As the great beast
returned, Leir helped Thor to destroy it, but he still felt a great debt to Thor
for the misunderstanding. As Seth invaded Asgard, Leir convinced several of the
Celtic Gods, including Brigid, to
help the Asgardians defend Asgard from Seth's armies.
Height: 5' 8"
Weight: 375 lbs.
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Brown
Strength Level: Brigid possesses superhuman strength enabling her to lift
(press) over 30 tons under optimal conditions.
Known Superhuman Powers: Brigid possesses the conventional physical
attributes of the Celtic gods. Like all Danaans, she is extremely long-lived,
but not immortal like the Olympians: she has not aged since reaching adulthood
and cannot die by any conventional means. She is immune to all Earthly diseases
and is resistant to conventional injury. If she were somehow wounded, her godly
life force would enable her to recover with superhuman speed. It would take an
injury of such magnitude that it dispersed a major portion of her bodily
molecules to cause her a physical death. Even then, it might be possible for a
god of significant power, such as the Dagda, Llyr or Gwydion or for a number of
Celtic gods of equal power working together to revive her. Brigid also possesses
superhuman strength and her Danaan metabolism provides her with far greater than
human endurance in all physical activities. (Danaan flesh and bone is about
three times as dense as similar human tissue, contributing to the superhuman
strength and weight of the Celtic Gods.)
Brigid also has some ability to practice magic, but she is no
where as powerful as Morrigan or the Dagda. She can imbue objects with mystical
properties, cast spells by invoking other more older deities and materializing
objects and artificial beings to follow her orders. She can alter her appearance
to other guises as well and alter her size and appearance as how mortals see
her. She can fly by levitating herself and move objects mentally at will.
Abilities: Brigid is a capable swordsman and carries a shield.
Weapons: Brigid carries a sword and uses a shield as a weapon.
Pets: Brigid is connected to flocks of birds, typically ravens and crows.
Comments: Brigid has not yet appeared in the Marvel (except perhaps
behind the scenes) or DC Universes. Her
Feast Day occurs on February 1.
Clarifications: Brigid is not to be
confused with:
Last updated: 07/07/10