Brigit

/brij"it/; esp. for 1, 2 also /bree"it/, n.

1. Irish Myth. a goddess of fire, fertility, agriculture, household arts, and wisdom, later associated with St. Brigid.

2. Saint. See Brigid, Saint.

3. a female given name.

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In Celtic religion, the goddess of poetry, crafts, prophecy, and divination.

She was equivalent to the Roman Minerva and the Greek Athena and substantially the same as the northern British goddess Brigantia. In Ireland she was worshiped by the filid, a poetic and priestly class. She was one of three daughters of Dagda, all named Brigit, the others being associated with healing and the craft of the smith. Some of the lore surrounding Brigit was transferred to the 5th-century Irish abbess St. Brigid. Her feast day, February 1, is the date of the pagan festival Imbolc, when the ewes came into milk. Her great monastery at Kildare was probably founded on a pagan sanctuary, and many holy wells in the British Isles are dedicated to her.

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▪ Celtic deity

also called  Brigantia (Celtic: High One) 

      in Celtic religion, ancient goddess of the poetic arts, crafts, prophecy, and divination; she was the equivalent of the Roman goddess Minerva (Greek Athena). In Ireland this Brigit was one of three goddesses of the same name, daughters of the Dagda, the great god of that country. Her two sisters were connected with healing and with the craft of the smith. Brigit was worshipped by the semi-sacred poetic class, the filid (fili), who also had certain priestly functions.

      Brigit was taken over into Christianity as St. Brigit, but she retained her strong pastoral associations. Her feast day was February 1, which was also the date of the pagan festival of Imbolc, the season when the ewes came into milk. St. Brigit had a great establishment at Kildare in Ireland that was probably founded on a pagan sanctuary. Her sacred fire there burned continually; it was tended by a series of 19 nuns and by the saint herself every 20th day. Brigit still plays an important role in modern Scottish folk tradition, where she figures as the midwife of the Virgin Mary. Numerous holy wells are dedicated to her.

      Brigantia, patron goddess of the Brigantes of northern Britain, is substantially the same goddess as Brigit. Her connection with water is shown by her invocation in Roman times as “the nymph goddess”; several rivers in Britain and Ireland are named after her.

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