Dumb St. Brigit Joke

Knowing well my affection for the sacred woman, my niece told me a joke about St. Brigit that she got out of a book I gave the family years ago in the hopes of bestowing a cultural blessing of some sort.

The book is The Cut-throat Celts from the Horrible Histories series by Terry Deary and illustrated by the lovely Martin Brown.

Now, I don't have the book in front of me, so I have to give you my niece's version, but I suspect it's close.

Q: Why is Saint Brigit like a lonely teacher?

A: Because she only has one pupil.

Thanks, FJ!

Brigit Reviews (Series Five): Nonfiction, Popular (Neo-Pagan)

This post follows rather belatedly on the earlier reviews of children's Picture Books, etc. When I have completed the Sixth and final series (Academic/Popular Academic) I'll pin them all to the Pages tab below the title banner, in order to make them more accessible to later readers. In the meantime you can find the previous reviews and introductory material at these links:

Brigit Book Reviews (1): Introduction

Brigit Book Reviews (2): List of Books to be Reviewed

The Reviews, At Last!

Brigit Reviews (Series One): Picture Books

Brigit Reviews (Series Two): Novels

Brigit Reviews (Series Three): Plays and Poetry

Brigit Reviews (Series Four): Nonfiction, Popular (Saint)

Brigit Reviews (Series Five): Nonfiction, Neo-Pagan

Candlemas: Feast of Flames, Amber K and Azrael Arynn K (2001) Llewellyn Publications

“The Well of Her Memory” in Red-Haired Girl from the Bog, Patricia Monaghan (2003) New World Library

‘‘Imbolc—Brigit”, Alexei Kondratiev,  in Devoted to You, Judy Harrow (2003) Citadel Press

Brighid’s Healing: Ireland’s Celtic Medicine Traditions, Gina McGarry (2005) Green Magic

Ogam: Weaving Word Wisdom, Erynn Rowan Laurie (2007) Megalithica Books

Brigid: Goddess, Druidess and Saint, Brian Wright (2009) The History Press

Brighid and Me: Experiences with the Goddess, Hollee Swann, ed. (2010) copyright Helen Roberts Hollee Swann

Brigit: Sun of Womanhood, ed. Patricia Monaghan and Michael McDermott (2013) Goddess Ink

Pagan Portals—Brigid: Meeting the Celtic Goddess of Poetry, Forge, and Healing Well, Daimler, Morgan (2016) Moon Books

Introduction

We have a mixed bag in this category, some excellent, some I don’t recommend at all, and some I recommend with certain reservations. A few of these reservations crop up repeatedly, in particular the failure of authors to cite their sources and the mixing of fact with guesswork—their own or that gleaned from other writers.

A useful guideline for dealing with one sub-category of the latter problem can be found in the concept of UPG. (See below. ) It is a variation on a basic principle of nonfiction writing: only present as fact what can be established as such. Represent your own ideas and those of “the popular mind” as what they are. This does not make them less important. Insight and innovation nourish our growing appreciation of and connection to Brigit in the modern world. Delineating between our own ideas and defensible traditions simply allows each individual to draw their own conclusions, in possession of as much clear, and clearly sourced, information as possible.

The Ks’ book, Candlemas, suffers from a lack of citations—there are some but not many and they aren’t all useful—making it frequently impossible to check their statements. It also suffers in offering unproven assumptions as fact, particularly annoying when they are in doubt or disproven elsewhere. Despite this it is a lovely jumping off point for thinking about Brigit and the festival, with lots of warmth, imagination, and ideas for celebration, Neo-Pagan-style.

Monaghan’s essay, “The Well of Her Memory”, offers a well written and interesting personal perspective on Brigit and her modern celebration in Kildare. A couple of her statements, again not cited, are dubious, however, and I would verify elsewhere any new ideas you find here that you want to embrace.

Kondratiev, too, at times presents imagination as fact in ‘‘Imbolc—Brigit”. Yet he does have a good background in Celtic studies and it is a pleasure to imagine along with him. He offers numerous ways to celebrate a Neo-Pagan Imbolc, as well. Worth the read.

I can’t speak to McGarry’s herbal information, which may be solid, but, despite her obvious goodwill, as a book about Brigit or Celtic tradition Brighid’s Healing: Ireland’s Celtic Medicine Traditions is very unreliable. Nor does it have much obvious to offer around actual Irish herbal traditions. Not recommended.

Laurie has done an excellent job in Ogam: Weaving Word Wisdom. This book is not specifically about Brigit, but she appears frequently in its pages, placed to an unusual degree in the context of the Celtic mindset from which she emerged, and the Neo-Pagan landscape in which she now finds herself. It is well-footnoted and carefully distinguishes Laurie’s own ideas from tradition, offering modern innovations and explaining how they adhere to or differ from what is known of the beliefs and values of the Celts.

Despite some interesting photos and tidbits, I can’t recommend Wright’s Brigid: Goddess, Druidess and Saint. Instead of distinguishing his hypotheses from known facts, he puts forward his own imagined history, unsupported by evidence, quite forcibly as reality, thereby giving a very misleading picture of things.

Swann has put together a nice little pamphlet of personal essays by various Neo-Pagans on their relationship to Brigit in Brighid and Me: Experiences with the Goddess. I like it, and was pleased to be asked to write an essay for it, so I leave it to you to decide if I am biased.

I’m going to cheat and not actually review Monaghan and McDermott’s Brigit: Sun of Womanhood. It was published after the writing of the other reviews here, which have been long delayed in publication due to health issues in my life. Rather than delay yet longer as I read and review Sun of Womanhood  I will say only that it exists, and that it is a collection of largely Neo-Pagan writings, though there are offerings from Christians as well.

Daimler’s Pagan Portals: Brigit is a short (112 pg.) and very focussed look at the goddess Brigit. If you can afford only one book about Brigit, this is it.

Useful Terms:

When discussing books written by authors of a spiritual bent, the terms UPG, SPG, and CG can come in very handy.

UPG (Unsubstantiated Personal Gnosis): Information gained through meditation, intuition, visions, etc., which cannot be substantiated by lore or research but is usable in the individual’s practice. Labelling as UPG helps prevent misunderstandings about verifiable sources and preserves intellectual honesty. “UPG” specifically indicates beliefs arrived at via mystical means, not ideas or intellectual conclusions reached from academic research.

SPG (Shared Personal Gnosis) — A mystical vision and belief shared by a number of people.

CG (Confirmed Gnosis) — Substantiating evidence for UPG or SPG may later be found in the lore, rendering it CPG (Confirmed Personal Gnosis). These instances are highly valued, and have served to bolster individual and community faith in the Deities, spirits or ancestors from whom the information was received. Instances of CG are also very important in that over time they help us learn to distinguish true imbas from imagination. (Imbas is the Old Irish word for “inspiration.” In Modern Irish it is spelled iomas. )

                                                   Distilled from the CR FAQ (available online or in book form.)

Click below to read the reviews.

The Meaning of the Word: Imbolc

Cross-Stitch by Donna Amaral

Don't be misled by bold and simple assertions of what Imbolc means. We really are not sure. Scholars give various tentative definitions of the word:

“The exact meaning of ‘Imbolc’ or ‘Oimelc’ presents considerable difficulty, and Pamela Berger suggests gently that cleansing of the fields after the winter and preparing them for sowing the grain in spring may be fundamental in the idea underlying the term. She refers to the theory which separates the term ‘Imbolc/Imbolg’ into two words: im and bolg, im meaning ‘around’ and bolg ‘belly’—the belly of that goddess—that is the land, the farm...”

         The Rites of Brigid, Goddess and Saint, Séan Ó Duinn, pg 19-20.

Ó Catháin reads things differently.

“Imbolc/óimelc the ancient name for the festival of Brigit is defined thus in the ninth-century Cormac’s Glossary:...‘that is the time when the sheep’s milk comes’...Though condemned as ‘a fanciful etymological explanation’ this statement has, nevertheless, inspired oft-repeated assertions that the pagan name of our feast, as imbolc/óimelc is said to be, has something to do with the period of the coming into lactation of sheep. Eric Hamp...has shown that the word simply means ‘milking’...”

          The Festival of Brigit, Séamas Ó Catháin, pg 7.

Ó Catháin goes on at length to examine the philological evidence and theorize about what the name—if it even IS the true name of the feast—means and what it may tell us about the festival. 

For an unorthodox and intriguing interpretation of the word Imbolc, see my upcoming review of  Phillip A. Bernhardt-House’s paper “Imbolc: A New Interpretation”. (Or better yet, hunt down the paper itself. You'll find it in Cosmos: The Yearbook of the Traditional Cosmology Society 18 (2002): 57-76.

 A hint here: If im has as its basis “butter”, olc is generally derived as “evil, bad, wrong” in Irish, both Old and Modern. But Kim McCone traces this word back to the Indo-European root meaning “wolf”. Joining these two, Bernhardt-House offers “Imbolc as the 'butter-wolf'”, hoping to “shed some light on further images in Irish sources, as well as connecting this to a further complex within Indo-European ritual” (60).

All of which simply shows that the details, roundabout though they may be, are infinitely more textured and fascinating than the boiled down versions we often receive, and that there are many more possiblities out there than the simplified story we often receive begins to hint at. 

REVIEW: Brigid: Goddess, Druidess and Saint, by Brian Wright

This book review by Dorothy Ann Bray was first published in Folklore 121 (December 2010): 346–362.

Brigid:Goddess, Druidess, Saint. By Brian Wright. Stroud: History Press, 2009. 255 pp. Illus.

£18.99 (pbk.). ISBN 976-0-75244-865-7

Saint Brigid of Kildare is considered one of Ireland’s foremost saints of the early Christian period, along with Saint Patrick and Saint Columba. Her floruit was supposedly the late fifth century to the early sixth century and she is credited with the foundation of a major monastic community of both monks and nuns at Kildare. Her cult spread from Ireland into Wales, Scotland, England, and the Continent, and continues to the present day. Her hagiographical tradition is extensive, with her earliest Life dating from the mid-seventh century. Her folkloric tradition is even more extensive: on her feast day, 1 February, she is celebrated with special rituals and customs; several holy wells have been dedicated to her; in the Hebrides, she has been associated with the Virgin Mary—as her midwife, no less; and she has been closely identified in the modern era with a pagan Irish deity of the same name, to the extent that many people believe that she is the goddess Christianised. A book that draws together her early and later traditions, and examines the popular folklore surrounding her, ought to be welcomed—but, unfortunately, not this book.

Brian Wright does draw together Brigid’s early traditions in his first few chapters, beginning with a discussion of the origins of the goddess Brigantia who became venerated as “Brighid” (sic) in Ireland, thanks to the druids (according to him). Brigid the saint, he believes, was a druidess who converted to Christianity and, with her fellow druids and druidesses, founded the monastery of Kildare. Alas, there is no evidence whatsoever for this. Wright offers a potted history of pre-Christian and early Christian Ireland that takes theories for fact and makes use of sources in an uncritical way. His account of the goddess Brighid, about whom he admits few tales exist, is devised in a similar fashion, where he synthesises several discrete strands of mythological lore and speculative ideas.

When it comes to relating the customs and traditions connected to Saint Brigid, Wright proceeds from the firm conviction that many of these stem from the pre-Christian beliefs and lore surrounding the goddess; most of the miracles of Saint Brigid, including the multiplication of food and drink and control of the weather, are, according to him, survivals of the deeds of the pagan goddess. He does not take into consideration the miracles of Christ (except once, on page 235, where the hagiographer himself does it), although he does allow that her early hagiographers adapted these deeds for a Christian moral purpose. ButWright’s purpose is not to examine these tales, customs, and beliefs in any scholarly way; this is meant as popular book for a non-academic audience. There are no references to his sources in either footnotes or endnotes. Translations of hymns, prayers, and saints’ lives go unacknowledged. This, however, is a disservice to his readers, academic and non-academic alike, both of whom might like to follow up his sources. Although he provides a list of Further Reading, this is a jumble of the scholarly and nonscholarly, and a mess in terms of citation; journal articles are cited as if they were books, and one item is, in fact, cited twice, owing it seems to some confusion over the authors’ names (Amber, K and Azreal Arynn K or K, Amber and K, Arynn—which is it?).

Wright does actually provide some extensive compilations of folk customs and traditions surrounding Brigid, including Saint Brigid’s Day celebrations. However, his account is no substitute for Séamus Ó Cathaín’s The Festival of Brigit: Celtic Goddess and Holy Woman (1995). On the other hand, Wright does tell his readers how to make a Saint Brigid’s cross in Chapter Seven, “Celebrating the Goddess-Saint in Ireland,” and Chapters Eight and Nine contain a compendium of Brigid’s traditions in Scotland, Wales, and the Isle of Man. Chapter Eleven, on holy wells, also brings together several of Brigid’s folk customs and beliefs associated with wells, although Wright does not consider the possibility that not all wells dedicated to Saint Brigid may have been pre-Christian sites of worship. It is simply assumed as a fact.Wright is billed as a teacher of folklore and British mythology in Somerset and Devon, and his local interests are evident in his chapter on the tradition of Brigid’s association with Glastonbury (Chapter  Ten). In his final chapter, he lists some of the modern manifestations of the veneration of the “goddess-saint” and ends with a brief advertisement for the Friends of Bride Mound at Glastonbury.

Had he stuck with simply bringing together the modern folk customs and beliefs of Saint Brigid—and had he offered proper references—Wright might have produced a book both interesting and useful. As it is, this book is seriously limited in value. It is also very poorly written. Individual chapters are badly organised internally, and the entire text is riddled with grammatical errors (sentence fragments abound) and mistakes in spelling and punctuation. For example, a common and consistent error is the use and misuse of the apostrophe (“it’s” for “its,” and vice versa); these and mistakes like “Keeting” instead of “Keating” (p. 70), “formerly” for “formally” (p. 135), and   “Cannon” for “Canon” (p. 189), to name but a few, suggest that no human copy-editor laid eyes on the manuscript prior to publication. Yet the material quality of the publication is high: it is printed on good, heavy paper; the photographs and line drawings are well reproduced; and the front and back covers are colourful and eye-catching. But priced at £18.99, this is asking too much for what it is. The content just does not live up to the packaging.

Dorothy Ann Bray, McGill University, Montreal, Canada

©2010, Dorothy Ann Bray

Blessings of Imbolc!

It's come again to the northern realms--the festival of Imbolc--and many of us are busily preparing to welcome Brigit into our homes for another year. The spring image above (borrowed from my sister's blog) may be more typical than my own experience. Here we are well into spring already, with the fleet moments of snow long past, though the air is still chill and bracing in the middle of the night.

Here she peeks, like the snowdrop pressing her first green shoots above the ground. In my case the snowdrops came from the garden store, but they are eagerly on duty, one to go into the ground to sew anew, and one to greet me on my little deck.

This afternoon I am going to scoop my youngest and most meditative nephew to spend the weekend here. Together we can plant the snowdrops, cook the Irish stew and colcannon, and welcome Brigit in from the cold to her place at the table.

May Brigit bless your home and friends, this night and every night, and may her flame burn brightly on your hearth.

Butter Lamp GIF

I hope this works! (I've borrowed this gif from the site Hindu Wisdom. Lots of interesting stuff there.)

Here you go, flamelovers:

New Brigit Book: The Brighid Oracle by Ceri Norman

First mentioned on this blog in April 2011, Ceri Norman's The Brighid Oracle is out at last, after delays with the original publisher. Unfortunately, the planned deck is not a part of it, though the new ebook comes with instructions for making your own set.

I haven't seen  it yet, but here is what Ceri has forwarded about her new ebook. (Here's hoping it will go into paper eventually so old-fashioned folk like me can get our hands on it. Literally.)

To purchase the Kindle edition click here.

The Brighid Oracle by Ceri Norman

Brighid, the Ancient Celtic Goddess and Christian Saint, is closely associated with augury and divination, as well as the arts of healing, smithing and poetry. She was known by many epithets, including ‘Brighid of the Augury’ and ‘Prophetess of Christ’.  Her sacred flames and waters were used for divination, and still are today.

Within the oracle are practical instructions on how to conduct readings.  There are, for example, clear interpretations of the symbols, spreads that can be used, such as Brighid’s Cloak, and information on how to make and care for your own oracle set. There are 33 symbols which draw on the lore, legends and landscapes associated with Brighid; these include Brighid’s cross, Fire in the Forge, Kildare, Rowan and Swan. The oracle also includes a meditation to meet Brighid for yourself.

In this eBook Ceri Norman brings together information from a wide range of sources to explore the traditions, folklore and enduring legacy of Brighid, in a way that allows readers to utilise the information and work with Brighid for themselves.

The Brighid Oracle is easy enough to use straightaway; it requires no previous knowledge or experience and will, I hope, enrich the work of those drawn to work with Brighid, whatever your personal faith.

Welcome! Eye of my eye!

I went to St Andrew's Church Supply here in Vancouver today to pick up refills for the votive candles I use for my flame-tending shift. As I like to do, I noodled around looking at the statuary and cards and surplices and such. To my surprise there were two St Brigit statues--there have never been St Brigit statues there before. These two statues were nearly identical, except for the painting of the eyes. The one had perfectly symmetrical, belladona-widened eyes, giving her a pretty face. The other had one eye lower than the other, its pupil wider than its mate's, and the brow of that eye was arched.

She was not, of course, typically pretty. She was unique, and her face was a little startling. As I looked longer at it, I began to get a sense of a life behind these eyes, a history, wisdom perhaps, and pain.

It of course made me think of the story in Leabhar Breac of St Brigit's self-mutilation in order to avoid being married off when she wanted to be a monastic. It's a tad horrifying: be warned.

Shortly after that came a certain man of good kin unto Dubthach to ask for his daughter (in marriage). Dubthach and his sons were willing, but Brigit refused. Said a brother of her brethren named Beccán unto her: ‘Idle is the fair eye that is in thy head not be on a pillow near a husband.’ ‘The Son of the Virign knoweth,’ says Brigit, ‘it is not lively for us if it brings harm upon us.’ Then Brigit put her finger under her eye, and drew it out of her head until it was on her cheek, and she said: ‘Lo, here for thee is thy delightful eye, O Beccán!’ Then his eye burst forthwith. When Dubthach and her brethern beheld that, they promised that she should never be told to go unto a husband. Then she put her palm to her eye and it was quite whole at once. But Beccán's eye was not whole till his death.

Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition

On the Life of St. Brigit (Leabhar Breac) (Author: Translated by Whitley Stokes)

It will not surprise you which statue I chose. Leaving the perfect one for another Brigidine who may wander in and find her with delight, I brought my new friend to the counter and from there, to my home.

Brigit's Cross in an Unexpected Place

When my father was dying a few years ago, I idly noticed the pattern on his johnny shirt (hospital gown). It was a series of sketched crosses, including Brigit's cross. Somehow the thought that this battered, beleaguered man was wrapped in her mantle so tangibly was a comfort to me, though it would have meant nothing to him.

Goddess Bride: Art by Maggie V. Jones

I first came across the art of Warwickshire, England's  Maggie V. Jones in 2008, and was struck by its vibrancy. I see Maggie has less of an internet presence than she did then--a situation I hope changes. Here are two images she painted of Bride, lush wonders that refer to her link to bees. As this is the season for gathering honey, it is a good time to share Maggie's images.

The Celtic Goddess Bride (Brigid). Medium: Digital. Completed Imbolc 2009.

Copyright Maggie V. Jones

Two versions of this, and I personally prefer the latter. Others may beg to differ.

Maggie says of herself: 

I think I'm boringly normal, but I think my mother thinks otherwise. She's always saying, "I don't know where I got her from!" I have two dogs called Jet and Titch, and a cockatiel called Bella. They rule me. I am partial to both chocolate and lemon puff biscuits,and if I go out for a tipple it's usually a lager with a dash of blackcurrant cordial (I know Im common). My usual order at a restaurant would be a nice fish platter. One of my enduring loves is the tarot which I was introduced to when I was nine years of age (thank-you Janet). They arent just packs of cards, they are old friends. I have three kids and one grandchild. They all never cease to amaze me with all their triumphs, trials and tribulations. Life is never boring, I can tell you. Im going to be with my husband to the death, and beyond. I'm terribly posessive. My favourite thing apart from my tarot cards is my case of Derwent Inktense watercolour pencils. Bloody marvellous things!

The Cloak: A Performance of St Brigid's Life

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  All performances will commence promptly at 8pm. Late arrivals will not be admitted.
  
  Starring Rebecca Storm
• 

St. Brigid of Kildare Gathering Festival September 2013

You are invited to come to Kildare Town this September for the St. Brigid of Kildare Gathering Festival.  There will be a special welcome “Céad Míle Fáilte” to those named Brigid and those who have variations of the name.  We also welcome people from around the world who have an affinity with St. Brigid through parishes, associations, churches and place names, to visitors from Ireland and overseas with an interest in Brigid and her legacy.

Come to Kildare Town, Ireland this September and take part in setting a Guinness Book of Records world record in  weaving St. Brigid’s crosses!

In addition to a Guinness Book of Records challenge at which we hope to involve all visitors in setting the record for the most people to weave St. Brigid’s crosses, there will be a packed programme of music and dance events in addition to walks, pilgrimages, craft demonstrations and craft workshops, each linking to Brigid and her legacy.

The festival is being organised by Solas Bhríde in collaboration with a number of other Kildare based groups and is part of the overall Government supported Gathering Festival 2013.

We are just 1.5 hours drive from Dublin airport and 2 hours from Shannon airport and a range of accommodation options are listed on each of www.intokildare.ie and www.discoverireland.ie.  More information on what to do in Kildare Town is available from www.destinationkildaretown.ie and also http://www.kildare.ie/kildareheritage/.

You are assured of a very warm welcome in Kildare Town this September and a truly memorable experience celebrating the life of St. Brigid.  Please get in touch if you have any questions and we very much hope to see you in September.

Events will include:

• 
• Official Opening & Celebration of St. Brigid *
• Guinness Book of Records Challenge *
• Re-enactment of the Legend of the Cloak of St. Brigid
• Concert in St. Brigid’s Cathedral (€)
• Celtic Music Recital (€)
• Harvest Gathering at St. Brigid’s Well
• Literary Event
• Guided Tour of the Monastic City of Kildare
• Walking in the Footsteps of Brigid of Kildare/ Pilgrimage
• Guided Tour of the Curragh Plains / St. Brigid Pastures
• Weaving of Brigid’s Cross – Craft Workshop
• Craft Workshop: Weaving of Brigid’s Cross
• Craft Participation: Weaving of Wall Hanging
• Craft Exhibitions
• Trad Music / Entertainment in local pubs *

Julie Feeney is performing in St. Brigid’s Cathedral, Kildare Town, Sunday 15th September at 8pm.

Tickets for all events other than those marked * to be booked directly with event hosts

Unless marked (€) events are free of charge

Events marked * are open access, no tickets or charges apply

All events subject to change, additional events to be added

Event listings last updated: 1 May 2013, please check latest information in July for event bookings

Facebook page.

“Becoming Mary of the Gael”: a Note on the Paper (& Other Works) by D.A. Bray

“Becoming Mary of the Gael” was published in MEDIEVALISTS.NET: WHERE THE MIDDLE AGES BEGIN  – APRIL 19, 2013

The Celtic Studies Association of North America Annual Meeting – The University of Toronto, April 18-21, 2013

Dorothy Ann Bray (McGill University)

The second paper of the opening session moved away from archaeology and towards religious devotion and saint’s cults. Dorothy Ann Bray presented a paper on the background of St. Brigit’s association with the Virgin Mary in Ireland. St. Brigit is often represented as the Virgin Mary in Irish worship – this paper explored the reasons behind this phenomenon.

Texts offer a lengthy eulogy of the saint. This term, “Mary of the Gael”, has been firmly attached to St. Brigit. The Middle Irish version is based on an even earlier version and there is long tradition comparing St. Brigit to the Virgin Mary,

‘A fair both, fair dignity which will come to thee thereafter from thy children’s descendants, who shall be called from her great virtues truly pious Brig-eoit; she will be another Mary, mother of the Lord.” (‘The Old Irish Life of Saint Brigit’, Irish Historical Studies 1:2 (1938): 348)

Brigit has had a constant, insistent comparison to Mary but only in vernacular texts. The first instance appears in a ninth century biographical hymn. Naming of Brigit as the Mother of Jesus is bold and audacious but this has not received much mention by scholars. Bray has not found any women outside of Ireland so closely associated with Mary as Brigit. There was nothing heretical or especially devious about it but Bray wondered, ‘How did this arise?’. The assertion of Brigit as the mother of Christ was explained in 1955 as an Irish convention of symbolically sharing in motherhood. However, this doesn’t explain why other Irish saints are not associated with the mother of God. Some saints are associated as a sister but not Mother.

What about the laity? They would be the most likely audience of these hymns. When the cult of Mary in Ireland began is indeterminate but there is an indication that there was worship of Mary as early as the sixth century in Ireland and that a cult was well in place by the seventh century. Devotion to Mary carried Eastern influences; she was often referenced to the Queen of Sheba. Sheba became interpreted as a kind of Mary. In the East, she is celebrated more as the Queen of Heaven, in the West, she is worshipped more as the Mother of Christ. Jerome, Augustine and other theologians reinforced Mary’s role as a mother. Augustine grounded his thoughts on Mary in scripture, and the new “Eve” was the Church, not Mary. Under the influence of Ambrose, Augustine regards Mary as a model disciple. The emphasis on Mary as the Mother of Jesus is in line with earlier medieval views of martyrology. Most hymns to Brigit were heavy on praise and light on biography and in Latin hymns she is described “like” Mary but not taken to the complete level of identification as in Irish texts. Mary as the Mother of Christ was a powerful symbol in Irish devotion.

Related articles of interest by D. A. Bray:

• Bray (Dorothy Ann):, "Secunda Brigida: Saint Ita of Killeedy and Brigidine Tradition." In: Cyril J. Byrne, Margaret Harry, and Pádraig Ó Siadhail (eds.), Celtic Languages and Celtic Peoples: Proceedings of the Second North American Congress of Celtic Studies held in Halifax August 16–19, 1989, 27–38. Halifax 1992.
• Bray (Dorothy Ann): "Saint Brigit and the fire from heaven." In ÉtC 29 (1992), pp. 105-113.
• Bray (Dorothy Ann): "Further on white read-eared cows in fact and fiction." In Peritia 19 (2005), pp. 239-255. On the possible association  of the red-eared fairy cows of the Irish Otherworld and the wild cattle of Chillingham. 
• Bray (Dorothy Ann): "Ireland's other apostle: Cogitosus' St. Brigit." In CMCS 59 (Summer 2010), pp. 55-70
• Bray (Dorothy Ann): "The Vita prima of St. Brigit: a preliminary analysis of its composition." In Narrative in Celtic Tradition (2011), pp. 1-15
• A pithy review of Christina Harrington's Women in a Celtic Church, Oxford University Press, 2002. This review includes reference to other important Brigit papers of recent years. Published in the Medieval Review.
• The full text of "The Image of St Brigit in the Early Irish Church" may be found at the Monastic Matrix site. The Image of St. Brigit in the Early Irish Church in Études celtiques (1987). 24 (1987): 209-215.
• For a fuller list of her publications, click here.