The Sacred Flame
By: Aisling Bronach of House Shadow Drake
Isolated from the rest of the continent, Ireland has long remained
distinct
among the many countries of Western Europe. It has undergone a series
of radical changes in its landscape, and survived the invasions of
various cultures. Sometimes it would seem as if Ireland has never been
without conflict, for even in its moments of peace, the land itself
would bring forth new challenges which had to be faced.
Some of the earlier inhabitants were probably refugees from the
tribe of the
Brigantes who inhabited parts of Northern England and Southwest
Scotland. Their
queen, Cartimandua, chose to support the Roman invasion instead of
joining with the nearby Icenii who strived against them. A year later,
the South-Western portion of the Brigantians rebelled against her. To
make matters worse, Cartimandua divorced her consort, Venutius, and
eloped with his armor-bearer, Vellocatus. History identifies a great
struggle between the two powers, with Venutius finally overpowering
her. Tacitus recorded that the majority of Brigantia was in conflict.
This is probably the result of continued rebellion against the Romans.
It would be at this time that the Brigantes could have fled to Ireland.
Although there is no hard core evidence to support this, a map devised
by Ptolemy illustrates the inhabitation of the southern portion of
Ireland by the Brigantes.
Other evidence also supports this theory, such as the worship of the
goddess
Brigit. This goddess was probably Gaulish in origin, and was then
introduced to
Britain during the early migration of the Roman and Gaulish cultures.
It is
recorded that the Gauls had knowledge of the Celtic legends concerning
the goddess Brigit and probably relayed them to the Romans. Brigit is
seen to somewhat personify Roman goddesses Minerva, Juno, and Vesta. It
is also shown that the Irish Brigit had a second name, Dana. This was
the same as the Welsh goddess Don
whose name was derived from Dannuia, the original name for the Danube
River that flows through much of Europe. The Gaulish equivalent for
this deity was Sucellos, or "Good Strike." This could also help to
explain the cult which appeared in Britain that worshipped the goddess
Sulis or Suleauiae, which translates as the feminine word for "Sun."
Within Roman Britain, this same goddess was called Dea Brigantia. Her
name translates vaguely as "High One," meaning one who was strong and
in a place of authority.
Although the name may have changed many times, the goddess remained
the same.
She personified agriculture and creative thought. In this way she
became acquainted first with fire and the mystery of iron, and later
with the corn maiden.
Unfortunately, at this time worship was probably considered to be
more of a
private affair, and thus results in a lack of major archaeological
evidence. Most of the information that is found concerning Dea
Brigantia and results from shrines and personal dedications. Research
is still inconclusive from Samothrace, the Seat of the Mysteries of the
Mother of the Gods, which was located in former Phrygia. The Brigantes
of Britain originated in Gaul, under the name of the Brigians. It was
only until the time of Midas and Orpheus that they finally took the
name of the Phrygians. By the time they reached Britain, they were
called the Brigantes.
In Ireland, the legends tell of a Brigit who was the mother of the gods
themselves, the Tuatha de Danann. She had three sons by the names of Brian,
Iucharba, and Iuchair which formed the triad of Day, Light, and Life. These three
gods together form a single god called Brian, which had a son by the name of Ecne,
or Knowledge. They were called the Dei Dana, or the sons of the goddess Dana. Her
father was the Dagda, or "Good God," the leader of the Tuatha de Danann.
Eventually, she was married to a king by the name of Bress.
Although King Bress was raised by the Tuatha de Danann, he was by birth a
Fomorian. The Fomorii were said to be the gods of the evil and the dead. They
inhabited Connaught, the Western coast of Ireland which was nicknamed Hell. In
legend, they were said to be of a gigantic stature and to have come to Ireland
about two hundred years before the coming of the Partholonians. It was only by the
Tuatha de Danann that they were finally banished from the land to live in the sea
forever. Later, the Tuatha de Danann would be driven to live underneath the hills
by the Milesians.
In its own time, Christianity slowly enveloped the land and integrated itself
fully into the Irish culture. The followers of Brigit became sacred kelles who kept
an undying flame at Kildare. It was also said that there were female druids
that had performed the same duties prior to the coming of the Church. Brigit was
transformed into a Catholic saint, who was the daughter of a druid by the name of
Dubhthach. According to legend, she performed a miracle concerning the making of
butter, and by it converted her father to Christianity. There are other such
legends involving Brigit as a child helping her mother to make the woad dye, and
finally getting the perfect mixture that her mother was not able to achieve. She
could be seen riding upon a red cow and giving food to the poor. In contrast, her
husband Bress was said to be stingy. They often quarreled about Brigit's
overwhelming charity.
At the nunnery of St. Brigit there were 19 virgins who kept the fire. They were
called the Daughters of the Flame, or Inghean au Dagha in Gaelic. The actual
maidens that tended the fire itself were named the Breochwidh. At Oimlec, which
corresponds to roughly February 1 of our calendar, was the day at which the fire
was extinguished and rekindled. The fuel used to make and maintain the sacred flame
was hawthorn. It was said that the ashes never increased no matter how much wood
was placed on the fire. The area which housed to flame was 20 square foot with a
stone roof.
The worship of St. Brigit retained much of the pagan influence which did not go
unnoticed by the Church. Twice in history a king has ordered that flame to be
extinguish and the nunnery disbanded. The first time occurred in 1220 by the
Archbishop of Dublin who thought that the worship of fire was only disguised
under Christianity and thus should be eliminated immediately. The second time was
during the reign of Henry the VIII. Each time the fire was rekindled as soon as
possible. Even today the worship of St. Brigit is alive. She is still referred to
as the Mary of the Gaels, Muime Chriosda.
During the Middle Ages, the Corn Maiden and the mystery of the corn became a
predominate theme in the worship of Brigit. Within this particular belief system,
there are two opposing forces the Cailleach Bheara and the golden-haired Brigit.
Brigit ruled the light part of the year, while the Cailleach reigned the 3 months
of winter. It is said that she made the mountains, and turned the rivers from their
courses, and even swung her mighty hammer over the green grasses. Brigit was
concerned to be the goddess of new beginnings and birth, being represented by the
lamb and the sheering of sheep in the spring. There was a game called Sibyl that
placed Cailleach against Brigit, the Dragon against the Lamb. At Samhain, Cailleach
Bheara would triumph over Brigit, but at Oimlec that reverse would be true.
Depending upon the region, farmers would race to see who would be the first and
the last to complete the harvest at the time of Samhain, or harvest's end, which
was around the first of November. The first to finish would make a dolly out of the
last remains of the corn, and dress it like a woman with a white apron. This dolly
would have to be kept by the last harvester until spring. The corn dolly was called
the Cailleach Bheara, and it was considered that she was the one who had helped to
fertilize and harvest the crops. The unlucky farmer who had to keep her was also in
charge of making sure she was fed and kept warm during the winter.
Cailleach means "Old Wife." The historical figure of Bheara was actually a Spanish princess who married an
Irish man by the name of Eoghan Mo'r of Magh Nuadat. She was placed under geis that she would marry the
man who came to the River Eiibhear on a special night, when she would find a salmon adorned in colorful
garments. When this happened, she eloped with him to Ireland where they eventually came to land on the
North side of Bantry Bay on the Dingle Peninsula. To honor his wife, Eoghan named the Bheara Peninsula after
her. Later, this area became known as Hag's Head, on the Cliffs of Moher. Here she is called by the name of
Bronach.
In the Book of Lecan, it says that she is the wife of Lugh. Here her name
changes yet again, and the Cailleach is called Bui'. In her life, she had seven
youthful periods during which she married seven husbands and raised fifty foster
children. These fifty children were the founders of the many diverse nations and
tribes of the Celtic peoples.
Other legends say she is the mother of the "Young Son," which can be seen either as the god Angus Mac Og
or Mabon, who she chased in an endless hunt across the land.
Brigit also had a male consort, but he is not mentioned as extensively. Under
the Brigantes, her counterpart was seen as Vinotonus, the equivalent of the god
Silvanus. From all evidence that has been found, he is determined to be a god of
the forest and the hunt. A shrine was found in Weardale that a commander set up to
glorify a particularly good hunt where he slaughtered a boar that others had
previously failed to kill.
Earlier finds support the worship a horned god. They seem to reflect an emphasis
on the hunt and animal husbandry. A bronze figurine of the bust of a horned god was
found at Aldborough in the Brigantian territory. The horns have been interpreted to
belong to that of a bovine, and thus represent some form of religious group that
dealt with fertility and cattle. In Ireland there have been many sites containing
small, horned, human figurines with large phalluses.
The worship of the gods occurred on very special days, and involved complex
rituals. There were four high holy days which correspond to the lunar positions in
the sky, these being: Samhain, Oimlec, Beltaine, and Lughnasdah. Each was
celebrated at a designated site where a ritual bonfire was lit. In later period
times, these festivals were maintained by an individual village or family. There
were other such festivals that were celebrated, such as Eostara, but these varied
from area to area.
Samhain designated the end of the year, and the beginning of the next. It was
held on the evening preceding November first. As the sun sets, all the fires in
Ireland are mandatory extinguished and re-lit from a main fire, called the
Samhnagan, which was located at Tlachtga in Co. Meath. The opposite side of the year
was characterized by another festival called Beltaine which occurred on May first.
This was a major fertility ritual, often characterized by the dancing of the
maypole and other similar activities. This was the time when the cattle were passed
through the smoke of two fires to purify them from disease. People would also jump
the fires to ensure fertility. The young woman of the village or tribe would also
jump the fire in hopes that they would become impregnated by the gods through the
fire. This could be related to the idea of immaculate conception that is also
portrayed in the Catholic Church. These festivals were also considered to be the
times when the faeries would ride throughout the land.
The faeries were called the Sidhe by the Celtic people. They were the deceased
ancestors which still lived under the hills. The Celtic religion was based on a
form of ancestor worship which can be easily identified through close examination
of the various legends. When The Milesians come, they drive the Tuatha de Danann
under the hills, where they become the Sidhe. As time passed and new cultures
became integrated with those already present in Ireland, the Tuatha de Danann
became venerated as gods where they had only been seen as ancestors previously.
As generations passed, those who died went to live with them and became deified in
their own right through perpetuated legends which were sung by bards and traveling
minstrels.
There were two main divisions: the Seelie Court, and the Unseelie Court. The Seelie Court was in charge of
the light half of the year, from Beltaine to Samhain, and the Unseelie Court roamed the earth during the dark
part of the year.
The Unseelie Court was feared by most of the culture. These were the faeries of
the Wild Hunt, the Sluagh Sidhe. At the Cave of Cruachan in Connaught stands the
Hell Gate of Ireland. At Samhain every year the gate opens and the Wild Hunt rides
forth accompanied by a flock of copper red birds who ruin crops and kill animals
using their poisonous breath.
The Cu Sidhe are called the hell dogs, and are said to be completely white with
pink ears and red eye. These were the faeries who stole the children to replace
them with changelings and such. To travel the nights alone at this time was
considered to be extremely dangerous, and one had to be careful to protect
themselves against such monstrosities which might try to assault them.
Ireland has long been a land ruled by powerful religious beliefs.
Many people
have sought its shores for refuge from foreign conquers, and thus have
added an
interesting mixture of culture. Even the Romans remarked on how similar
the religion of the Druids resembled that of the Jews. This is little
wonder when one considers the migration patterns that moved through
Gaul, Spain, Rome, Egypt, Scandinavia, and Britain to somehow
conglomerate together in Ireland. Examination of the archaeological
record illustrates this as well, and gives a somewhat more visual
reference of this fact. There is also some scant evidence that supports
the hypothesis that the Celts were interacting in some way with the
Eastern continent of North America.
Evidence will be demonstrated within both theory, legend, and actual site
findings. Although no conclusions are possible, the information presented should
enable us to somewhat understand what influenced the worship of the goddess Brigit
and also to help us realize the structure of ideas that influenced how these people
lived.
Continue to Part Two: Early Immigrations
