IS BRIGHID A FAERY? ©
by Tira Brandon-Evans
Over the years, the question of the difference between the Celtic goddesses/gods and faerys has arisen. The confusion seems to be generated by authors who state the faery faith is a remnant or left-over of the old, pre-Christian religions. The theory is that when we became Christians fifteen hundred years ago we still clung to our ancient goddesses/gods and transformed them into faerys. This transformation involved making our goddesses/gods small, turning them into little nature spirits. A further element to this theory is that 'the church' demonized our goddesses/gods and turned them into evil spirits who delighted in teasing Christians in various ways. They turned the milk sour, kept the butter from forming in the churn, twisted their ankles or even stole them away into their shining realms to be their servants.
When we read these books we need to be careful and examine the information we are being given. The earliest books relaying ideas of these sorts were written by Victorians who were trying to reconstruct—or at least record—ancient beliefs through the study of folklore, myth, and legend. One of these was Sir James George Frazer, author of the Golden Bough. Frazer's monumental work is a definite must read for anyone interested in pre-Christian traditions. In the Golden Bough, Frazer theorizes that all religions come from rituals enacted to ensure the fertility of the earth. According to this theory all religions are based on Earth Mother/Sky Father marriages which produce the Dying God, their son. This Dying God is a god of vegetation. He is the corn god. (1)
Parts of the book, most notably its discussion of the symbolism of magic and its elucidation of the concept of sympathetic magic, remain accepted by scholars today. The larger theme of dying and reviving gods has not fared as well in the world of anthropology and comparative religion; most contemporary anthropologists have concluded that Frazer overinterpreted his evidence to fit it into his system. (2)
Frazer was trying to find the source of all world religions. Having come up with his Mother Earth/Father Sky theory he did not admit into evidence anything tending to show there were also Sky Mothers and Earth Fathers. Frazer greatly influenced his entire generation of anthropologists and others who were interested in comparative religion. Robert Graves incorporated many of Frazer's ideas into his book, the White Goddess, and it is also possible to see these ideas in the work of W.Y. Evans-Wentz. Evans-Wentz authored the Fairy Faith in Celtic Countries, another of those monumental books by Victorian anthropologists.
One of the theories to which these folklorists and anthropologists subscribed was that the gods of yesterday are the faerys of today. The idea is that as new cultures and technologies replace older ones the goddesses/gods of the older and less sophisticated societies become the faerys of the newer and more modern civilizations. This is an interesting theory and many modern neo-Pagan writers have included it in their books. But if we look closely we find facts that contradict this theory.
If the Celtic gods and goddesses became faerys after the Gael and the Gaul were converted to Christianity, why didn't the gods and goddesses of the Romans become faerys after the Romans converted? And why did those same pagan Romans, who had an entire pantheon of gods and goddesses, have little altars in their homes to their own family spirits or faerys? Furthermore, after the Romans converted they not only stopped venerating their gods they also seem to have stopped paying attention to their fae.
If gods and goddesses devolve into faerys why is Thor not really a faery? Or Zeus? Or Isis? If these other gods and goddesses have survived without diminishment, why must we believe Brighid has devolved into faery?
Whenever we find this theory of gods grown small because of Christian influence we need to examine the idea very closely. Is the author a neo-Pagan? If so are they saying our gods and goddesses no longer exist except in downgraded forms? That is a strange claim for any neo-Pagan to make, and not one we should expect our goddesses and gods to appreciate.
Of course, we must always bear in mind when we are dealing with belief and faith that everything is subjective. If some authors want to believe their gods and goddesses have been demoted to faery status, that is fine. That is what they believe and they should believe what they wish.
Bearing in mind my opinion is nothing more then my own subjective opinion, I wish to make my beliefs regarding this question known.
For many years I have been dedicated to the Goddess Brighid. I do not believe She is a faery. I believe She is a full blown goddess. She does not change or grow small simply because some people have forgotten Her.
Think of it this way: Remember when you were in school? Remember you had a very good friend in school? The two of you spent a lot of time together. Your lives were bound up in one another. Then your school days ended. You and your friend went separate ways. Perhaps you drifted so far apart you don't even know where that friend lives now. You don't know if they are married, divorced, have children or grandchildren. But, if you consider the question, you are pretty sure that friend did not shrink and become less of a person simply because you are no longer paying them attention. You are quite certain your friend has not become a faery because you have lost contact with them. The reason you know this has not happened is because you understand your friend was and is a real person. She/he was not a faery and will never be.
So it is with our ancient goddesses and gods. They were not ever faerys. We may have forgotten them. We may no longer contact them. But they still exist as they are, without our paying them any attention at all.
Just so it is with Brighid. She is Herself forever and always. Mother of Smiths, Mother of Bards, Mother of Healers, Lady of the Forge Fire, Lady of the Hearth Fire, Lady of the Fire of Inspiration, She is not a faery. She is a Goddess.
ENDNOTES:
- In Europe corn refers to grains such as wheat, oats, rye and barley. American corn is called sweet corn or maize.
- From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Bough.
Tira Brandon-Evans is the Founder and Moderator of the Society of Celtic Shamans, editor of Earthsongs: Journal of the Society of Celtic Shamans, and is, herself, a Faery Shaman. Her books, The Green and Burning Tree: A Faery Shaman's Handbook, Portals of the Seasons: A Celtic Wheel of the Year, Through the Unremembered Gate: Journeys of Initiation, The Labyrinthine Way: Walking Ancient Paths in a Modern World, and Healing Waters, are all published by Elder Grove Press. She is presently writing a book about the Ogham. You may contact Tira by email at info@faeryshaman.org.
Is Brighid a Faery? copyright © 2010 by Tira Brandon-Evans, all rights reserved. Used with permission. Top of Page
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