Brigid of Kildare is one of the most fascinating figures in Irish history and spirituality, embodying both a powerful Celtic goddess and a revered Christian saint. In both forms, Brigid stands as a symbol of thresholds — between old and new religions, between life and death, and between the cycles of nature. Whether celebrated as a goddess or a saint, she remains an enduring figure of renewal, fertility, and transformation in Irish cultural and religious history.
Brigid as a Celtic Goddess
In pre-Christian Ireland, Brigid was venerated as one of the most powerful goddesses in Celtic mythology. She was part of the Tuatha Dé Danann, a race of divine beings, and was considered a triple goddess, overseeing multiple domains — fire, poetry, healing, fertility, and smithcraft.
An old Irish poem, “Hail Brigitan” written in the seventh century, speaks of contemplation of this Trinity:
“Deeper than the seas
Greater than words can express
Three persons in one only God
Overflowing with wonder.”
As a deity of fire, she was linked to the hearth, the forge, and creative inspiration. This fire represented her dual ability to nurture life and shape the raw elements of the earth, symbolising transformation in both a literal and spiritual sense.
In the glossary “Sanas Cormaic”, reputedly written by King-Bishop of Munster, Cormac mac Cuilennáin, (died 908 CE), Brigid is depicted as a goddess of the pagan Irish:
“Brigid, a female poet, daughter of the Dagda. She is Brigid the female sage of poetry (or woman of poetic skill), i. e., Brigid a goddess whom the filid used to worship. For very great and very splendid was her application to the art (frithgnam). Therefore they used to call her goddess of poets, whose sisters were Brigid the female physician and Brigid woman of smithcraft, daughters of the Dagda, from whose names almost all the Irish used to call Brigid a goddess.”
The Lebor Gabála Érenn calls Brigid a poetess and says she had two oxen, Fea and Femen, from whom are named Mag Fea (the plain of the River Barrow) and Mag Femin (the plain of the River Suir). The animals were said to cry out whenever plundering was committed in Ireland, suggesting that Brigid was a guardian goddess of domesticated animals.
Brigid also appears in the Cath Maige Tuired, ‘The Battle of Moytura” (from around the 9th century CE) where she lets out such a painful scream of horror upon seeing her son killed in battle, that she is reputed as being the inventor of “Caointeoireacht”, the Irish art of “keening” or lamenting.
The goddess Brigid was particularly revered as a goddess of poetry and inspiration. She embodied imbas, a concept in the Celtic tradition that refers to the fire of divine insight that ignites the mind of the poet. As the patroness of bards and artists, Brigid was believed to infuse creative works with spiritual meaning, guiding poets in their expression of the mysteries of life.
Saint Brigid
It has been argued that Saint Brigid is a Christianisation of goddess Brigid; a form of syncretism; her pagan identity transformed into that of Saint Brigid, a revered Christian figure.
Saint Brigid was born in 451 AD in County Louth, said to be the daughter of a pagan chieftain named Dubhthach and a slave woman named Brocca. Her mixed heritage and early life in slavery were the first of many challenges that she overcame, and her experiences shaped her into a woman known for her compassion and care for the poor and marginalised. The stories of her early life are filled with miracles and acts of kindness, marking the beginning of her rite of passage from ordinary girl to future saint.
From a young age, Brigid showed an unusual level of piety and generosity. One famous story tells of how she gave away her father’s valuable goods to the poor, much to his dismay. One of the best-known examples of this is when she gave away her father’s precious jewelled sword to a poor man so that he could barter it for food to feed his family. Thus, a sword, a weapon of war, was transformed into a life-giving instrument, turning a ‘sword into a ploughshare.’ Another tale recounts that as a child, she would secretly give milk and butter to those in need, a symbol of her early inclination toward charity. These small acts of defiance against the expectations of her family and social status represented the first steps in Brigid’s spiritual journey, a crossing of the boundary from childhood to a life dedicated to others.
According to tradition, Brigid resisted her father’s plans to marry her off, instead choosing to dedicate her life to God and enter religious service. This decision marked a clear breaking point with her old life, crossing over from a future of marriage and family life into one of religious leadership. Her rejection of conventional roles for women at the time — choosing instead a path of service and spiritual leadership — was a radical choice and a defining moment in her life.
Saint Brigid is said to have taken her vows from Saint Mel, a nephew of Saint Patrick, which places her at the heart of the early Christian Church in Ireland. It is reported that during her ordination, Saint Mel mistakenly read the prayers for the consecration of a bishop over her, and though this was considered an error, it was taken as a sign of divine favour. This moment can be interpreted as a rite of passage, where Brigid transcended not only the expectations of her gender but also the typical boundaries of religious roles for women at the time.
Brigid founded a monastery at Kildare in the mid-5th century. Kildare (meaning “Church of the Oak”) became one of the most important monastic communities in Ireland, and Brigid became its abbess. What made this monastery unique was that it housed both nuns and monks, and Brigid was recognised as the abbess over both, a testament to her leadership abilities. This decision to create a dual monastery represented her transition from a nun and servant of God into a position of leadership, spiritual authority, and influence.
Brigid’s monastery in Kildare grew to become a centre of learning, spirituality, and craftsmanship, helping to spread Christianity across Ireland. She became known as a leader who nurtured both spiritual and practical skills among her followers, emphasising education, art, and healing as much as religious devotion. Under her guidance, Kildare became a beacon of Irish Christianity, attracting pilgrims and scholars from far and wide. Her role as a leader and community builder further elevated her status from a humble nun to a revered saint, a transformation that is central to her life’s story.
The Irish monk, Cogitosus who wrote “A Life of Brigid” (“Vita Brigitae”) in 650 AD, places great emphasis on Brigid’s faith, her healing powers, her hospitality, her generosity, her great skill with animals, and above all her compassion for the poor and the oppressed. Twenty-three of the thirty-two chapters of his book relate her extraordinary concern for the poor.
Throughout her life, Saint Brigid was associated with numerous miracles, many of which reflected her deep connection with both the natural world and the Christian God. One famous miracle involves Brigid turning water into beer to serve visiting clerics — an act that aligns with her reputation as a provider and caretaker. Another story tells of a prayer she made that increased the milk yields of cows to provide for a community during a famine. These miracles, which combined Christian themes with echoes of earlier pagan fertility traditions, helped cement her legacy as both a spiritual and earthly caretaker.
These miracles can be seen as symbolic markers in Brigid’s spiritual journey, further advancing her status and transforming her from a mere mortal into a figure of almost mythic proportions. Each miracle added to her growing reputation, eventually leading to her canonisation as one of Ireland’s most beloved saints.
Saint Brigid was said to have died at Kildare on 1st February 525 and was laid to rest in a jewelled casket in Kildare. In 835, her remains were moved from Kildare to protect them from Norse invaders. She was interred in the same grave that holds the remains of Saint Patrick and Saint Columcille at the Cathedral grounds in Downpatrick in County Down.
Fire and Water
Brigid has long been associated with a sacred fire that burned in Kildare reaching back into pre-Christian times. Scholars suggest that priestesses used to gather on the hill of Kildare to tend their ritual fires while invoking a goddess named Brigid to protect their herds and to provide a fruitful harvest. When Saint Brigid built her monastery and church in Kildare she the custom of keeping the fire alight continued. For Saint Brigid, the fire represented the new light of Christianity, which reached Irish shores early in the fifth century. In Saint Brigid’s time, the number of her nuns who tended the flame was nineteen. On the 20th day, Brigid tended it herself. The sacred flame survived up to the suppression of the monasteries in the sixteenth century. In 1993 the flame was re-lit in the Market Square, Kildare, by Sr. Mary Teresa Cullen, leader of the Brigidine Sisters.
Brigid has also been associated with sacred wells and springs, which were believed to possess healing properties. These water sources were thought to be connected to the underworld and the energies of renewal and purification. People would visit Brigid’s wells to seek physical and spiritual healing, especially during her festival of Imbolc, held on February 1st. Imbolc, marking the halfway point between winter and spring, celebrated the goddess as a force of fertility and new beginnings, symbolising the earth’s awakening from its winter slumber.
Fire and water are often seen as opposing elements, but Brigid holds dominion over both, reflecting her ability to bridge opposites. Her flames represent the hearth, the forge, and the spark of creative inspiration, while her wells and springs symbolise the nurturing and healing powers of water. This duality captures the essence of Brigid’s role as a mediator between life and death, creation and destruction, the old ways and the new.
Whether she is revered as the goddess who lights the hearth and inspires poets, or as the saint who performed miracles and tended an eternal flame, Brigid remains a symbol of balance, unity, and the transformative power of thresholds. Her ability to bridge the old and new, to embody both fire and water, and to guide her followers through moments of profound change ensures her place as one of the most cherished figures in Irish culture and spiritual history.
Brigid and the Threshold
Brigid, whether as a goddess or saint, is fundamentally associated with the concept of the threshold — a place of transition and transformation. As a goddess of fire and water, she presides over the thresholds between life and death, creation and destruction, and the physical and spiritual realms. Her festival of Imbolc is a threshold between the darkness of winter and the light of spring, marking the beginning of agricultural cycles and the renewal of life.
Brigid also supports personal thresholds. People invoke her during significant life transitions - birth, marriage, illness, and death. Her qualities as a healer and protector make her a comforting presence during times of change, whether one is crossing the threshold into adulthood, facing personal crises, or navigating spiritual awakenings. She guides individuals through these liminal spaces, offering support, renewal, and the promise of new beginnings.
XXI The World
The World Tarot card – the final card of the Major Arcana – represents completion and fulfilment, and is often associated with wholeness and cosmic unity. This card suggests completion of a rite of passage and speaks to the culmination of personal or spiritual journeys, where one reaches a state of balance and integration, having learned important lessons along the way.
The World card can signify the crossing of a threshold. This threshold is not just the conclusion of a specific project or endeavour, but often a profound, existential realisation — where one’s worldview or identity has evolved. This can occur at major life milestones: graduating, achieving a long-sought career goal, or completing a spiritual initiation. Whatever the context, the card marks the transition from one phase to another with a sense of accomplishment and readiness for new challenges.
More than just an ending, the World also implies the promise of new beginnings. It invites reflection on how far we have come and what wisdom we now carry forward. There is a deep sense of self-knowledge and alignment, which allows us to step into the next stage of life with confidence, having assimilated the diverse experiences that brought us to this point.
In rites of passage, there is often an element of both celebration and release. The World card captures this perfectly, as it honours the achievement but also hints that the journey is cyclical and ongoing. In the grander arc of life, each ‘ending’ is merely the start of a new beginning. It encourages embracing the flow of change, knowing that each phase of life adds to our wholeness and growth.
Brigid the goddess remains a symbol of spiritual growth, resilience, and transformation — qualities central to the idea of a rite of passage, while Saint Brigid’s journey from a child of mixed heritage and humble beginnings to the abbess of one of Ireland’s most important monasteries mirrors the transitions many individuals experience on their path to spiritual and personal fulfilment. Her decision to reject societal expectations, her leadership role in Kildare, and her legacy as a saint reflect not just her own rites of passage but also Ireland’s transformation during one of the most pivotal periods in its history. In essence, Brigid of Kildare, as both goddess and saint, is a powerful symbol of thresholds. She embodies the ability to stand between worlds, guiding those who seek transformation, renewal, and balance. Whether at the turning of the seasons, the transition between spiritual paths, or the personal changes we face in life, Brigid is a figure of strength, offering wisdom and support as we step into our new chapters.
Sources
“Saint Brigid of Kildare,” Noel Kissane, Four Courts Press, 2017.
“Hail Brigitan old-irish poem on the Hill of Alennedited,” translated by Kuno Meyer Hodges Figgis 1912.
“Brigid: History, Mystery, and Magick of the Celtic Goddess,” Courtney Weber, Weiser Books, 2015.
This is a wonderful read! I especially loved reading the poem, “Hail Brigitan” which I had never heard before. Thanks very much.