Brigit's Forge Website
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from "Celtic
Gods Celtic Goddesses" by R.J.Stewart,
artwork
Miranda Gray. Copyright worldwide
Brigit i.e. a poetess, daughter of the Dagda. This is Brigit the female sage, or woman of wisdom, i.e. Brigit the goddess whom poets adored, because very great and very famous was her protecting care. It is therefore they call her goddess of poets, by this name. Whose sisters were Brigit the female physician (woman of leech craft), Brigit the female smith (woman of smith work), from whose names with all Irishmen a goddess was called Brigit.
Cormac's Glossary, 9th c
Brigit's Forge
website is inspired by Brigit and dedicated to
her. It represents the actual and virtual place where I
work as a poet and healer and where I research
and write about Brigit, Celtic mythology and
folklore. I believe that healing, inspiration
and creativity are linked, and that the ability
to forge is important for bringing our
creativity into manifestation. I draw my faith
in the Otherworld, my inspiration, and the
strength to cope with the challenges in my life,
from Celtic mythology and religion in general
and Brigit in particular. My method is to read
and learn, to go to sacred places in Ireland and
Wales, to spend time with land, sea and sky and
to let all this inform my spiritual practice.
This website is where I hope to share some of
what I have learned with people who have the
same interests.
The
blacksmith's forge is the place where iron is forged to make useful
and beautiful objects, and at one time it was
also the meeting place for the community, a
place to share stories and information, music
and jesting, a place where the young men would
engage in contests and shows of strength. In
ancient times it also had a deeper and more
magical significance as a place of initiation
and creation.
My aim here is to balance more factual information with nourishment for the spirit and the senses, taking advantage of this medium to use colour, images and sound where possible. Touch, smell and taste are three senses I am unable to provide for! But I have done what I can here to be true to the vision of the fountain and the five streams in the Land of Promise:
"Then he saw in the enclosure a shining fountain, with five streams flowing out of it, and the host in turn drinking its water. Nine hazels of Buan grew over the well. The purple hazels dropped their nuts into the fountain, and the five salmon which were in the fountain severed them and sent their husks floating down the stream. Now the sound of the falling of those streams was more melodious than any music that men could sing... "The fountain which thou sawest [said the warrior], with the five streams out of it, is the Fountain of Knowledge, and the streams are the five senses through which knowledge is obtained. And no one will have knowledge who drinks not a draught out of the fountain itself and out of the streams. The folk of many arts are those who drink of them both."
From Ancient Irish Tales, ed. by Cross and Slover
Hilaire Wood
Aberystwyth, Wales, Imbolc 2001
Last updated June 2010
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