Victorious Brigit

 An anonymous poem written originally in Old Irish, which was in circulation between 600 and 900 CE is dedicated to Saint Brigit and extols her various titles and the virtues they represent. That this is a Christian saint is indicated via the line that refers to her as Daughter of Dubhtach, the father of the future abbess of Kildare as mentioned in her hagiography. The other lines of the poem could as easily be about the goddess Brigid to whom the imagery of the saint is so closely related. it may well be that audiences hearing this poem at its inaugural reading might have struggled to distinguish one from the other - and in some cases not even regarded there as being much difference. The theological demarcations of today were not necessarily seen as all that important well over a millennia ago. Even the clearly Christian references to her as being the Heaven-King's sister and having reached Holy Heaven could be seen as remembrances of pagan Brigid as sibling to divine figures such as Oengus Og and Bodg Dearg and so an occupant of the celestial realms.

So here are a few line-by-line late evening musings from a pagan stance to take my mind away from the endless paperwork of my day job. The accompanying English translation is of uncertain attribution - it appears in an anthology by P L Henry, though it may be that he got it from Kuno Meyer or an earlier translator.

Brigit Búadach

Brigit Búadach (Victorious Brigit) - for the warriors of Ancient Ireland búa was a battle cry, bellowed in triumph over their defeated enemies. It means victory and is the root of the name of Queen Boudicca of the Iceni, making her in essence the first recorded Queen Victoria. The pagan goddess is a warrior woman, a strategist rather than a gore-merchant, not unlike Athena of the Greeks She is at least semantically related to Brigantia, and quite possibly the same goddess under a variant name, who was known across Britain and Gaul.

Búaid na fine (Glory of kindred) - to a warrior culture glory and victory are closely related. Ireland, like the rest of the world at that time, had a collectivist, tribal culture in which the great deeds of one member of familial group - the fine - would reflect on the status of them all. Even the modern western world is not so very down ~ after all, how many parents swell with pride at the accomplishments of their children and cannot resist bragging about "my son, the doctor"? Brigid brings great pride to her divine family, just as the saint does to her ecclesiastical kin, and she encourages her devotees to only ever do that which reflects well on the reputation of their family and faith.

Siur Ríg nime (Heaven-King's sister) - whilst the saint is referred to as being the infant Christ's wet-nurse, she is here imagined as more like a sister to him. This could be partially influenced by a blurring of Christian and pagan iconography. Brigid has several half-brothers, one of whom may well be the Heaven King alluded to here. Oengus Og, the god of love, wins control of the Bru na Boinne (a sacred burial mound along the banks of the River Boyne) via a trick played on his divine father. By taking the royal seat he becomes a de facto king.

Nár in duine (Noble person) - nobility was much desired and regarded as a sign of superiority, rather like the Chinese concept of junzi, an innate quality of dignity, wisdom, force of character, moral turpitude, and social responsibility.

Eslind luige (Perilous oath) - this line does not translate well into English. It implies that Brigit is not one before whom to lightly make swear oath because she will hold them to it in exacting terms. In Heathenry there are certain deities regarded as ones who specialise in witnessing oaths (such as Ullr). I think a similar notion would have been known in the Ancient Celtic world too. Lugus' name roots to the word oath, so he was most likely one such. Brigid may well have been another.

Lethan breo (Far-flung flame) - Cormac's Glossary tries to tie Brigid's name to the word for a fiery arrow, breo saighead. Whilst modern etymologists think this an improbable root, the author of this poem may well have had some notion that goddess of the hearth fires and her Christian "sister" who tended an undying flame, was connected to either the stars as far-flung points of fiery light, or possible beacons lit on distant hills whether as signals or as ritual gathering places (maybe elements of both).

Ro-siacht noí:bnem (She has reached holy Heaven) - has an overtly Christian flavour, tough the word bnem has roots in neamh, which not only means holy or sacred but also links to the word for the sky and can be found in the word nemeton - a sacred grove part of whose sanctity stems from being open air so stars, sun, moon etc. can all be seen in their natural wonder. One version of the arrival of the Gods in Ireland has them descended in a great cloud that covers the Iron Mountain in County Leitrim. When the mists eventually dissipate the deities can be seen in all their glory.

Mumme Goídel (Gaeldom's foster-mother) - the word mumme was a term of affection for a foster-mother in a culture where wealthy families regularly fostered each other's children as a means of sealing diplomatic bonds. In one of my murder mystery stories, set in the distant past, I decided (apropos of no evidence whatsoever) that the druids would be addressed by the honorific of foster-mother or foster-father, with the notion that the tribe would have seen them as fostering the spiritual growth of their people.

Riar na n-oíged (Support of strangers) - the importance of hospitality cannot be over-emphasised in Irish and other Celtic cultures, especially in earlier centuries before the State took on a role of corporate care. Just as tales describe the hospitality of the saint, so they do of the goddess before her. Her devotees are encouraged to give welcome to strangers, for thereby we may be entertaining gods.

Oíbel ecnai (Spark of wisdom) - one of the three sisters who are collectively known as Brigid is the goddess of poetry. Each of the sisters governs a different manifestation of fire, and whilst many people in times ancient and modern might well have mediated on fire for a pyromantic inspiration, the idea is as much metaphoric as actual. The poem declared by Amerghin Og when he first stepped foot on Irish soil speaks of the god that sets the head afire with smoke. This is an image of creative genius burning up the mind of the artist, much as the leannan sidhe is sometimes regarded as driving artists to exhaustion with creative splurges. 

Ingen Dubthaig (Daughter of Dubthach) - Dubthach is the father of the saint, her mother being a slave woman, Brocca, who had converted to Christianity. At the behest of his wife, Dubthach sells off Brocca and her child to become the slaves of a druid. Whether any of this actually happened is a moot point. A pagan rendition of this poem might simply change one word - the father's name to that of Dagda, father of Brigid, and all the rest would apply as well.

Duine úallach (High-minded lady) - Uallach is also a woman's name, one of the better known bearers of it (suitably enough) was a prominent poet of the early 900s. Indeed, she served as the Ollamh, the highest rank to which a fili (an Irish poet-seer) could attain, sort of like a Poet Laureate.

Brigit búadach (Victorious Brigit) - we end back where we begin, as it done with Irish poems of the day. the light of Brigit/Brigid burns brightly still.