"He conquers who endures."
-Persius
Brigid
If the Celts had any Goddess above all, it would be Brigid. Goddess of wisdom and healing, it was She that looks into every cradle and protects the children sleeping therein. She is a daughter of the Dagda, and is a special patron of poets, smiths and healers. She is regarded as a triple Goddess: of Inspiration, Smithcraft and Healing, and those who follow any of these three aspects regard themselves as under the greatest of protections. She is also a patron of warfare and Her soldiers were called the Brigands.
There are many legends surrounding Her, not the least of which is who She married. In one legend She is married to Bres (half-Fomorian ruler of the Children of the Danu) and They have a son, Ruadan. Ruadan is killed at the second battle of Magh Tuireadh, and Brigid goes to the battlefield to mourn him. Her keening wail is the first "caoine" or keeing lament heard in Ireland, and the tradition contiued up until this century. She is also the patron of sacred fires and wells, and it is not uncommon to find either dotting the Irish landscape. Even with the coming of Christianity, the Christians could not remove Her entirely so converted Her to St. Brigit, the handmaiden or nurse of Christ. She was held in greater esteem than even Mary, and was said to be able to decree who the Irish kings would be. All other sites related to Her were converted to Christian monestaries or convents with nuns now tending Her sacred flame. At Kildare is Her most holy of flames, tended by 19 virgins or later, 19 nuns. The flame was extinguished in the 13th century only to be rekindled in the 20th.
Brigid is generally regarded as the Maiden aspect of the Great Goddess although is just as often regared as being the Mother. She is often associated with Imbolc and shown as a mature woman in perhaps Her thirties. Poets, healers and goldsmiths are sacred to Her.
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Brightest of Blessings