About Bride
Bride(pronounced Breed) is a pre-Christian goddess. Her name means 'exalted one'. Bride was a sovereignty goddess. This means that she was not considered to be from a land but to actually inhabit the land and live within it. To care for the land was to care for the goddess. Some of her other names are Brid, Brigid, Brigantia, Bridie, Brig.
Bride is a goddess of smithworking, divination, healing, motherhood and domestic livestock. She is the daughter of the Dagda, the Father God of the Tuatha De Danann-the legendary original people of Ireland.
She was a warrior and is credited for inventing keening while fighting in the war with the Fomorians during which her son was killed. She is said to have made such a mournful wailing that all battle ceased and an accord was made.
Bride is also credited for the invention of the whistle so that travelers could find one another at night.
Her feast day, Oimelc, is celebrated traditionally on February 1st.
About the Bridie Doll
The Bridie Doll was given to widows in the village. The women of the village would get together and gather cloths, food and other good that the new widow might need for her family. The doll would travel from home to home as necessary and take a place of honor on a mantle or altar to help the family remember that their community thru the goddess would always be there for them.