In response to the vitriol regarding Saint/Goddess Brigit, I believe it is safe to say the following about her. (And contrary to another writer, I do not believe it fair to criticize spelling of this name. The variants are many, and very widely used.)

"Brigit was the ancient Celtic goddess of ther poetic arts, crafts, prophecy, and divination; she was the equivalent of the Roman goddess Minerva (Greek Athena). In Ireland she was one of three goddesses of the same name, daughters of the Dagda, the great god of that country. Her two sisters were connected with healing and with the craft of the smith. Brigit was taken over by Christianity as St. Brigit, but she retained strong pastoral associations. Brigantia, patron goddess of the Brigantes of north Britain, is substantially the same goddess."

This brief description is from the Encyclopedia Britannica, not known as a hotbed of neopagan revisionist thinking. It may serve to call to mind how a number of pagan deities (as well as practices) from many lands were subsumed into mainstream christian doctrine. The line of criticism in this thread is particularly odd to me with respect to an Irish goddess, as Ireland appears to be the one land where the blend of old and new religions is the most transparent. Please remember that pagan belief, as well documented in anceint sources, changed greatly over a thousand years of recorded history, evolving, adopting, adapting, and blending. (Example, there seems to be consensus among mainstream authorities that many of Europe's major waterways are named for ancient river goddesses? And what of the obvious christian usurpation of pagan holidays? People simply kept using the old names and practicing old ways even as their beliefs changed. Many fundamentalists in my neck of the woods no longer celebrate "Easter", because someone told them that name is derived from "Ishtar" -- they celebrate "the Resurrection" instead. And they're getting skittish about Santa Claus and Valentine's Day, too.)

It is fascinating how threatening the existence of goddesses continues to be to so many people. Part of it is simply (and understandably, given the persistent nature of pagan belief) the threat to one's own beliefs, but part of it has not changed a whit in over a thousand years: as society becomes more settled, more urban, less an integral part of the natural world, patriarchal bureaucrats (and their patriarchal deities) find their niche and for the next few thousand years do whatever it takes to stay in office.

Oh, well... thanks for the intellectual exercise. Living in Jesse Helms' home state I am used to narrow-minded, patriarchal authoritarian figures, and it is nice to be reminded that there are SOME of you out there who are willing to consider the possibilities.

chullainn