Brigit Snippets from "A Handbook of Irish Folklore" by Seán Ó Súilleabháin

 This is what I could unearth about Brigit in the wonderful text from 1942, which was intended to help collectors of Irish traditions. It is a wonderful book, filled with as many questions as answers, and is available in full on Archive.org at this location.

There are two references to headache treatments on page 312:

‘Head-ache (tinneas cinn…) : charm, cut hair on Good Friday, Saint Brigid's ribbon, Rush worn round the head on Saint Brigid's Eve, snuff left over after a wake, brown paper steeped in vinegar, holy well water as remedies; headache caused by wild birds (especially bats) getting at severed hair.’

Tooth troubles, on page 314 - 315:

‘Teeth troubles (toothache…tinneas fiacal, doigh fiacal) : remedy in charm recited or worn, tobaccos or “bluestone” placed in tooth, frog or clay from elder roots applied, great reed-mace (earball cait) or athair talmhan applied, Saint Brigid's ribbon or brat, holy water, embrace of certain sacred cross; prevention of toothache by not shaving on Friday (Sunday) or by pulling a tooth from a skull with one's own teeth…’

Brigid's feast day, three 324 - 326:

‘St. Brigid’s Feast. This feast was very popular in Ireland. The cult of Saint Brigid was widespread. Many folk stories make her contemporaneous with the Blessed Virgin, and are told to explain why Saint Brigid’s feast has priority to that of Our Lady on the calendar. Write down versions of these tales or of any others about the saint. Were the high tides at Saint Brigid’s feast specially prominent in Irish weather-lore? See also the following subsections and pp. 404, 423.

‘The Vigil of St. Brigid’s Feast. By what names was this known ( Óidhche Fhéil’ Brighde, Óidhche’l Brighde bricín, St. Brigid’s Night, etc.)? Was on given to the Saint by the recital of a special prayer, by the lighting of candles, or in any other way? Describe this in detail.

‘Were crosses made in your district on or before the feast of St. Brigid? What were these crosses called? Of what materials were they made? Where were these materials obtained? Who made the crosses? When were they made? Where? And how many were made in each house? Did any ceremony take place in connection with the making of the cross or its introduction or installation in the house? Where any special words used during the ceremony? What was done with the cross(es) when made? Where was it put? What was done with the old cross(es) when a new one was introduced? Were these crosses supposed to have curative or other miraculous powers? Any stories about this? Was used made of these crosses for the protection or prosperity of the livestock? Where the cattle driven through one of these large crosses placed at the cow house door? Any explanation for this? Can you illustrate by a drawing the design of the type of St. Brigid’s cross made locally? Also give the dimensions of the cross and it's various parts. A photograph of the cross would also be of interest and value. Was a ribbon or piece of cloth exposed on St. Brigid’s night (or at any time during the festival)? What name was applied to this? Where was the cloth or ribbon procured? When? Had it to be of a certain quality, material, colour, or dimensions? Describe the disposal ceremony in detail. Who conducted it? How was it done? Where was the cloth or ribbon exposed? Indoors or outside? For how long? Was it inspected by anybody during the time? What was supposed to happen to it during the period? What curative or other properties was the cross supposed to acquire as the result of being exposed? Any stories about the effects of this? For how long was the class supposed to be efficacious? Was it measured before and after exposal? Did a difference in its dimensions as shown by the two measuring portend anything? Was a sheaf of oats or bread of any kind left on the doorstep on St. Brigid’s eve? Why? Was the object so exposed of any special kind? What was done with it afterwards?

‘Was St. Brigid’s Eve celebrated by carrying about from house to house a decorated emblem or figure? What name was applied to this? What (whom) was it supposed to represent? Was any special object (such as a churn-dash) dressed up for the purpose? What materials composed it? Who prepared the effigy? Was it carried about by young people or by adults? How were they dressed? Did they sing any special songs or recite certain words, or play music during the procession or at the houses visited? How were they received? Did they collect money, or a gift of any kind at these houses? To what purpose was this usually devoted? Was the night celebrated by a dance or other entertainment? How was the effigy finally disposed of? Have people any explanation of the origin of the custom?

‘St. Brigid’s Day. Was this day looked upon as the point from which the weather improved day by day? Are there any stories told regarding this? Any sayings about it (“Ní buan sneachta ar chraoibh ó Lá Fhéile Brighde amach.”*)? Did people abstain from work of any kind which involved wheel turning on Saint Brigid's Day? Have there any explanation for this custom? What types of work were involved? Did people turn clay or sods (with a spade) on that day? Are these customs still observed? Was it usual to throw a live shellfish (periwinkle) or some such thing into the four corners of the house on St. Brigid’s Day? Why was this done?’

from Candlemas, page 328:

What name was this Feast popularly known (Lá ‘le Muire na gCoinneal sa Teampoll etc.)?  Write down any lore about this feast (why St. Brigid's Feast proceeds it, etc.)…

from Places or Objects Associated with Saints, page 403 - 404:

‘Was it popularly believed that certain places or objects acquired healing or other special powers through contact or association with saints? Give details of this. For blessed clay from the grave of a saint see the forgoing paragraph. St. Brigid’s Crios, ribbon, cloak, etc.’ … ‘were any special powers ascribed to crosses made on the feast of St. Brigid or St. Patrick?’ 

* This translates as: “Snow does not last on a tree from Brigid's Day onwards.”

Image: Photo of the open book, showing frontispiece with a photo portrait of the author and the title page, from Ulysses Rare Books.

Video: St Brigid's Day - Folklore and Traditions

Brigit's Gift of Plenty

This story appears on the internet in several places. It is taken from the book Tell Me A Story: Timeless Folktales from Around the World, adapted by Amy Friedman and illustrated by Jillian Gilliland.


Brigit's Gift of Plenty (an Irish tale)


March 16, 2003

Now Brigit -- the woman who was to become St. Brigit of Ireland -- was born at sunrise on the first day of spring, and what a lovely day it was, and what a special and generous child she was. The angels, they say, baptized her, giving her the name Brigit because it means "fiery arrow," and oh, she was a quite a girl, with spirit and a determination to do good. Whenever she saw something she could make better, she set her mind to it, and in that determination, there was a kind of wondrous power.

Brigit's mother was no princess. No, she was a servant girl, and that is what Brigit grew up to be, too, but the angels and the Druids knew she was a special child. As a child, she owned a white cow with red ears. That set her apart from the rest from the very beginning. Like Brigit, her cow was pure and good, and the milk she gave tasted sweeter than any other milk in Ireland. But it was not only Brigit's cow that was special; she had a special way with all animals. Also, everything she touched seemed to grow and increase, and in this way Brigit helped many people in Ireland.

Brigit used her power for good to help others, and many tell the tale of the ways she worked. Brigit is said to have woven the first piece of cloth in Ireland, and her cloth had the power to heal. She helped to increase farmers' crops and flocks, and nurtured the birds and beasts, and helped the poor.

Once, when she had grown to young womanhood, Brigit went to her father's house to stay awhile. She did not often spend her time with him, for he had become annoyed with her years earlier when she tried to give away all his possessions to the poor. But her father was a decent man, and Brigit looked after him well on her visit, as she had looked after so many others.

One evening her father came to her with a sackful of wheat and a basket of bacon. "Take care to cook this well," her father said. "We have an important guest coming to supper tonight, and I want him to share a special meal."

"Of course, father," Brigit said, and peering into the basket, she saw five thick slices of bacon -- quite a treat. "Don't worry, father; I shall fry this bacon till it is sizzling and crisp, and I will serve your friend a meal such as he has never known."

Her father had come to have great faith in his daughter, and leaving her to her work, he set off for an afternoon walk through the woods.

While Brigit was preparing the supper, she heard a sound at the back door. There was scratching, followed by the most pitiful whimpering. She rushed to the door, and there she saw the skinniest, sorriest hound she had ever seen. His coat was rough, and his ribs showed through, and Brigit's heart broke at the sight of him.

"Come in, come in," she said to the poor creature, who, sniffing the air and smelling the aroma of cooking bacon, limped inside.

"Here then," Brigit said, and she handed the hound a thick piece of bacon.

Oh, you can imagine his joy at the taste of such a treat. He swallowed it in a gulp, and Brigit was certain she could see him smile. She patted his back, and feeling the ribs, she cringed. "You must have more," she said, and she handed him another slice, which he gobbled down.

The poor old hound sighed and licked his lips. Brigit could not stop herself and reached into the pan and handed the dog a third slice of bacon. He swallowed this one, too.

Naturally, she fed every piece of that bacon to the starving creature, and fed him other food as well, and when he was full, he licked her hand, slipped outside and fell into a peaceful sleep at the back door. Brigit returned to her tasks.

Just then her father returned from his walk in the woods. "Daughter," he said, "how is the meal?" And he looked into the pan, and sure enough there were five sizzling slices of bacon, as if Brigit had never taken any away. This was her special gift, to create abundance.

"Now we shall sit down to eat," her father said, and went to summon his guest. When they were gathered at the table, the guest turned to Brigit and said, "You did not see me in the yard earlier?"

"No sir," she said.

"Ah, well, I watched you as you fed that poor, starving hound, and I see that you are a special woman. You taught me about generosity as you worked," He looked at his friend, Brigit's father, and lifted the plate of bacon as a salute to Brigit.

"This will be for the hound," he said, and her father agreed, for they could see the miraculous power of a generous heart.

Tell Me A Story was awarded both the 2006 Parents' Choice Honors Award for story telling and the 2008 National Association of Parenting Publications Gold Medal. To search inside the book click here. To purchase the CD. For more on the author and illustrator, click here.

Brigid's Cloaks

Below find info on Sara Jane Kingston's Brigid's Cloaks and other items related to the cloaks, including art, communities, a children's book... She also has a Brigit meditation CD available: http://www.brigidscloak.com/meditations.html

Sara Jane Kingston began making Brigid's Cloaks for sale last year after discovering their value as spiritual tools. You can make your own or order one from her, or from the Catholic Brigidine sisters at Solas Bhride in Kildare, Ireland.

A snippet of her story:

Brigid's CloakTraditionally, the brat bhríde, or Brigid's Cloak, was laid outside before sunset on the eve of Brigid's feastday, 1st February, and brought back in before sunrise.

Blessed by Brigid, ancient Spring goddess and saint, the dew which fell that night imbued the cloth with powers of healing and protection which lasted throughout the year.

Brigid's Cross, now usually associated with the 5th-century Christian saint, was made annually from straw or rushes and hung above the door. In pre-Christian times, it was probably a sun symbol and celebrated the power of the goddess to bring back the light at the Celtic feast of Imbolc. It holds the promise of fertility and abundance...

...As a child I had loved the story of how, when St. Brigid went to the King of Leinster looking for some land on which to build a church, he had tried to put her off by saying that he would give her as much land as her cloak would cover. Not to be daunted, Brigid asked four of her nuns to each take a corner of her cloak and as they began to walk, the cloak began to stretch in size until it was large enough to cover a substantial piece of land. The King, true to his promise gave her the land and she built her first church there. This seemingly miraculous power over land of the 5th-century Christian saint in this story holds the resonance of the more ancient Brigid, the great Celtic Land Goddess.

As I work in healing through the energy field, I used the symbol of Brigid's Cloak as a starting point to allow people to connect into seeing their own "energy cloaks" or auras by imagining that they were wearing a cloak and seeing what it was like. Was it old and frayed, heavy or light? What material was it made of - what sort of texture, or textures? And the colours - were they bright or dark or a mixture?

Go to Sara Jane's site at http://www.brigidscloak.com/ for more of her story. If you would prefer to make your own Brat Bhride, go wild--the possibilities are endless! Don't forget their use as healing tools. A cloak may be cut into smaller pieces and distributed to those in need of blessings once it has been used in ritual. Or the entire cloth laid over a sick person to aid in her recovery.

Many other sites refer to Brigid's Cloak.

• for a simply beautiful painting of Brigid's Cloak as the land of Eire, go to Barrie MacGuire's listing at http://www.maguiregallery.com/barrie/brigidscloak.htm. Barrie is also a quilter, and has included a video of his paintings of quilted Ireland. Go to his homepage to view it. http://www.maguiregallery.com/barrie/barrie.htm
• "St. Brigid's Cloak" a prayer circle for Christian women flame-keepers, dedicated to keeping the fire of St. Brigid of Ireland burning bright in the world today. Local members in Las Vegas, Nevada have an annual St. Brigid's Food Drive for the Poor in November and December.
• "Brigid's Cloak", a children's book by Bryce Milligan, published by WhipperSnapper Books.
• The Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians, Inc says of St. Brigid's Mantle: "In very traditional homes, two devout practices are still observed on the Eve of St. Brigid's Feast Day (February 1st). A strip of cloth called "brat Bhride" (Brigid's mantle) is hung outside the door. A loaf of oat bread baked in the shape of a cross and a sheaf of straw are left on the windowsill. For on that night, Brigid travels through the land with her red-eared cow bestowing blessings on those who keep the old ways."
• Sr. Mary Minehan of Solas Bhride says, "I also remember my mother having an ulcer on her leg. A customer told her to leave out a piece of cloth on the eve of Brigid’s feast. There was a belief that St. Brigid left her curative powers on the cloth on the eve of the feast day. I can’t remember if it cured mam’s sore leg but I remember the faith and belief she had in Brigid. I have learnt since that the cloth is called the Brat Bríde. The custom is being revived in Kildare, so my earliest memories are of Brigid the protector, Brigid the healer."
  

Sweet Blessings on you all this Beautiful Bealtaine!

Briget's Crosses & Biddy Boys

Although generally this blog is for referring to other sites, books, etc. to do with Brigit, I would like to add a few notes on Brigit's Crosses from the book Irish Folkways by E.Estyn Evans (Routledge, London and New York, 1957, 1988). This book is an excellent resource and is considered the classic reference for information on folk-customs and tools.

To the left is a drawing taken from pg. 269 of this book. Fig. 1-7 are Brigit's crosses, and Fig. 12 is a Brigit's Girdle. The other figures provide comparision with other cultures. Figure 3, the three-armed cross, is made with 9 stranded plaits (pg. 210).

From the book:

"The blessed Bridie was a cowherd and is therefore associated with cattle and with such flowers as the dandelion--the Plant of Bride--yielding a milky juice which was believed to nourish the young lambs in spring. St. Briget's Feast was very popular and many superstitious practices, more or less Christianized, cling to the preparations made on St.Briget's Eve, the last day of January. On that day rushes are fashiuoned into protective charms known as Briget's Crosses, a name which illustrates how the church has won over pagan symbols, for the 'crosses' take the form of either swastikas or lozenges, and comparative evidence suggests that they are magic symbols of suns or eyes. A three-legged swastika, presumably an old form, is reserved for the byre: its shape may be compared with the Celtic triskele.

"The lozenge-shaped charms have their counterparts in many parts of the world. The Huichols of Mexico make similar charms of wool mounted on a bamboo frame: knwon as 'god's-eyes', they bring good health and long life to children (F. Toor, A Treasury of Mexican Folkways (1947), pg. 72). A CAlifornian Indian charm made of grass or rushes is very similar. In the Old World similar magic 'squares' have a wide distribution, in Europe, Africa, Tibet, Burma, Assam and Indonesia, and farther afield iin Melanesia, Polynesia and Australia. Among the Nagas of Assam the squares, made of coloured thread, are placed on the graves of women and protect them against evil spirits (H. E. Kaufmann, Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, 73 (1943), 101, 106.) In Sweden and Estonia straw squares are strung up as Christmas decorations and tied to the straw masks worn during Christmas games (Fig. 10).

"Briget's Crosses are believed to protect the house and the livestock from harm and from fire*. No evil spirit could pass the charm, which was therefore hung above the door of house and byre. The rushes must be pulled, not cut, on St. Briget's Eve, and care must be taken to fashion the crosses from left to right, with the sun. As a rule they are left in position until replaced the following year, though I have seen byres with many crosses thrust into the underthatch, the decaying accumulation of annual offerings. In Co. Galway similar crosses made of wood or straw were also placed in the rafters at Hallowe'en, and the discovery of a partly burnt rush cross which had been deposited in a megalith in Co. Limerick points to a more general cult of the 'cross' (S. P. O'Riordain, North Munster Antiquarian Journal, 1 (1936), 36. For a study of Briget's Crosses in Co. Armagh, see T. G. F. Paterson, Ulster Journal of Archaeology, 8 (1945), 43-48). A 'love-knot' of similar shape, fashioned out of sedge leaves, is known from South Wales."

Evans goes on to add that:

"It was popularly believed that the saint wandered through the countryside on the eve of her feast day. Bread was left on the doorstep, and in some districts it was the custom to place it by the fire so that Bridie might come in and rest. Sometimes the last sheaf of harvest was used for the purpose. In south-western Ireland a doll made of straw--or decorated churn-staff--was carried from house to house by 'Biddy Boys', wearing straw masks such as are used by mummers and by strawboys at weddings, and singing songs in honour of the saint. They would solicit gifts and end the day in jollification. The evening was celebrated by a supper of pancakes taken from a plate laid on a rush cross, and as on the other quarter-days prognositcations were made.

"A ribbon or piece of cloth exposed on St. Briget's Eve became endowed with curative powers. It was believed that no work which involved the turning of a wheel should take place on the saint's day. The placing of a periwinkle in each corner of the kitchen likewise hints at a remote pre-agriculatural origin for the festival, but it came to be associated with the pastoral promise of spring, of warmth, new grass, lambs and milk. It is said that the saint placed her foot in water on her feast day so that on that day it begins to warm up each year."

* "The crosses would have blessed the thrashing as well as the cattle." (pg. 215)