Brigit (exalted one) Origin of name: Celtic [continental European and Irish].
Fertility goddess. Period of worship: Prehistoric times til Christianization (ca.
1100 AD) and after. Synonyms: Brigid, Bride, Banfile (poetess).
A major Celtic pastoral deity, described as a "wise woman, the daughter of the Dagda,"
Brigit became "Christianized" as St. Brigit of Kildare, who lived from 450-523 AD and
founded the first female Christian community in Ireland. She was originally celebrated
on February 1st in the festival of Imbolc, which coincided with the beginning of
lactation in ewes and was regarded in Scotland as the date on which Brigit deposed
the blue-faced hag of winter (see Cailleach Bheur). The Christian calendar adopted
the same date for The Feast of St. Brigit. There is no record that a Christian saint
ever actually existed, but in Irish mythology she became the midwife to the Virgin
Mary. The name can be traced into many Irish and European place names. It is also
akin to Brhati which means "exalted one" in Sanskrit. Source: Encyclopedia of Gods 12-13-97
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