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The
Birth of Brid
By Skip Ellison © 2002 It was a cold winter morning in the village of Faughart in county Louth, Eire in the year 550 of this common era. Bófhionn, bondmaid of the Druid Dubtaig, walked out to the cowshed at sunrise to milk the cows and check on the ewes. The cows would be full of milk this morning, as were the ewes, for it was near the time when the calves and the lambs would be born. And it was a time for humans to give birth as well. Bófhionn was near her own time to deliver, nearer than she though. As the rays of the morning sun fell upon her, Bófhionn stepped through the door of the cowshed. She felt the full pangs of labor begin and within instants, her baby was born, right there in the doorway. It was a wonderful baby girl that had so quickly came into this world. The other milkmaids helped Bófhionn to sit down and took the babe from the doorsill. They gently washed her with milk and found her something warm to be wrapped up in. Looking into her eyes, they saw a special shine of old knowledge and knew that she was to be someone special. They gathered fresh milk to nurse her with for Bófhionn's milk hadn't come in yet. After the first taste, the little girl, whom they called Brid, threw it up and would drink no more. The milkmaids went to their master, Brid's father, Dubtaig and told him that his daughter had been born in the doorway of the cowshed and that they couldn't get her to drink any of the milk. He understood that being born at sunrise and in the doorway, neither in nor out of the building, indicated that there was something very special about the little girl. He knew that there were Otherworldly influences in her birth. Dubtaig
called upon his friends among the Sidhe and asked them what should be
done with the little girl. They told him that yes indeed the girl was
very special and would posses many wondrous powers. They told him that
they would send a special cow to him, a cow that would give milk that
Brid would drink. Before the day was half over, a cow appeared from the
woods. People began arrive at the cowshed to see what was going on. They told the milkmaids that from a distance, the shed glowed like it was on fire. They soon realized that the glow came from Brid, a glow as though she was filled with a special fire of her own. And that was not the only miraculous thing that happened. The little girl carried the cloths that had been used to wash her in the milk out of the shed and hung them on the rays of the sun to dry! And they hung in the air for all to see. This little girl, called Brid by the milkmaids, grew up to become the woman known as St. Brigit today. Her birth in 550 of this common era harkens back to another birth, one from a much earlier time. It was just after the Tuatha De Deanna had come to Ireland. It too was during the cold wintertime. Dagda, the Good God, and his wife, Boann, had a little girl that they called Brighid. Now she had two sisters that were also called Brighid. And like the little girl from the year 550 of this common era, they were fed from the milk of a white cow with pink ears. A cow from the Sidhe. These three sisters grew into young women with very different interests. One became expert at smithcraft and could forge anything that was needed. One became expert at poetry and storytelling and could out perform all the other Druids. And the third became an expert healer and could heal any wounds and hurts. Their powers and gifts were used by the Tuatha De Danann in their battle with the Fir Bolg, along with the powers of the rest of the tribe and the stories told of them have come down to us today. And at this time, we celebrate the day dedicated to the wondrous women know as Brid and Brighid and Brigit. And so ends my story. Updated 2/3/02 |