Sarita Spoelstra
Saint Bridget of Ireland. Colour lithograph. Credit: WELLCOME
We all know the powerful Saint Brigid, who was loving, caring, an animal lover and more. Nowadays, a ’dose of Brigid’ is what every woman needs at some point in her life. Saint Brigid and Other Amazing Irish Women by Lorraine Mullholland and beautifully illustrated by the talented young artist Matthew Jackson is full of awe-inspiring stories gathered from different sources. The chapter titled Bountiful Brigid in particular caught our eye. With St Brigid’s Day now recognised as an official bank holiday by the Irish, it’s the perfect time to share five interesting tales of St Brigid!
The Father’s Dreams
Saint Brigid’s mother was a slave and her father was a pagan chieftain. Brigid was born out of wedlock and therefore she was a born slave. Before a name was given to the child, her father had vivid dreams. In these dreams, he saw three Christian clerics baptising her. One of the Christian clerics told him, “Let Brigid be the name of your girl”. Brigid was the name of a known Irish goddess, often depicted as three sisters together: the poet, the healer and the smith. While her father did not know why his newborn daughter deserved such a meaningful name, he understood that this was an important sign. So, he named her Brigid.
The Mother’s Freedom
When Brigid was young, it is said that angels played with her. One day, she was building a little stone altar and an angel appeared to help her finish building it! People saw this as a miracle. Due to all the miraculous things Brigid was witnessed doing, druids converted to Christianity. This also led to Brigid’s mother gaining her freedom from the bonds of slavery.
The Miraculous Bacon
Through many stories, it is well-known that Brigid loved animals. One day, Brigid’s father had a guest coming over. He asked Brigid to boil five pieces of bacon. Suddenly, two hounds came into the kitchen with sad and hungry faces. Brigid couldn’t stop herself and gave two pieces of bacon to the dogs. When her father came into the kitchen, he asked about the bacon and counted them. Brigid prayed to god for there to be five pieces of bacon. Miraculously, there were five pieces of bacon! The guests saw everything and told Brigid’s father about it. In the end, they didn’t eat the bacon and instead, they gave it to the poor.
A Story of Generosity
One day, Brigid was on one of her chariot trips. During this trip, Brigid came across a group of poor people who were suffering because of a drought. A miracle was needed, so Brigid told them to dig at a certain spot in the ground. All of a sudden, fresh water was discovered! But this wasn’t enough for Brigid. She generously handed over her horses to the people as well. A prince just happened to be passing by at the same time, looking for some water for his horses. When he heard the tale, he gave Brigid two of his horses to thank her.
Saved by Oystercatchers
While running from evil men who wanted to kill her, Brigid collapsed on a sandy beach by the sea and prayed for God’s help. Her prayers were heard and God sent oystercatchers who quickly covered her whole body with seaweed. The evil men couldn’t find a trace of her and thus she was saved!
You can purchase Saint Brigid and Other Amazing Irish Women here.