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From Rome to Ireland

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From Rome to Ireland UPPSALA UNIVERSITY Department of Theology History of Religions and Behavioral Sciences of Religion E, 30 credits Spring 2018 Supervisor: Gabriella Beer Examiner: Lena Roos From Rome to Ireland – a comparative analysis of two pagan goddesses and a Christian saint Joanna Pettersson 920811 [email protected] Abstract In Celtic religious studies, it is often difficult to find reliable textual sources if you are working with pre-Christian religion, since all text is written in a Christian context. As a result, Celtic scholars have to look outside of the pre-Christian Celtic context, to search for knowledge elsewhere. For example, one may use texts from Classical writers (such as Caesar) who wrote about Celts they encountered, or look to Christian material (in particular saints’ lives) to search for clues of pagan traditions which may have survived into Christianity. This has resulted in that certain Celtic pagan deities which we do not have a lot of information on, are compared to or even equated with other religious figures from outside of the pagan Celtic context. One such example is the pagan Irish goddess Brigid, who is frequently equated with the Roman goddess Minerva, and also said to be the predecessor of the Christian Saint Brigid. Some also make comparisons between Minerva and the saint. This thesis aims to make an extensive textual analysis where all of these three characters are compared and discussed. Are they actually ‘the same’, and if not, how similar or different are they? Is the equating valid, or do we need to take another approach within the Celtic field? Using discourse theory and a comparative method, the research eventually shows that some of the characters’ most important traits are lost when we do equate them with each other. Keywords: History of Religions, Saint Brigid, Saint Brigit, Celtic religion, Celtic mythology, Minerva, Roman religion, Goddess, Hagiography, Brigid, Brighid 2 Table of contents 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................4 1.1 Background ....................................................................................................................................4 1.2 Purpose ...........................................................................................................................................6 1.3 Research question ...........................................................................................................................8 1.4 Material ..........................................................................................................................................8 1.5 Method..........................................................................................................................................11 1.6 Theoretical framework .................................................................................................................12 1.7 Limitations ....................................................................................................................................14 1.8 The study’s relation to previous literature ....................................................................................15 2. Analysis .............................................................................................................................................19 2.1 Previous literature ........................................................................................................................19 2.2 Comparison – Minerva and Saint Brigid ......................................................................................36 2.2.1 Healing ...................................................................................................................36 2.2.2 Cattle & Milk .........................................................................................................42 2.2.3 Water & Fire ..........................................................................................................46 2.2.4 Art & Craftwork ....................................................................................................52 2.2.5 Mothering / Abundance .........................................................................................55 2.2.6 Wisdom ..................................................................................................................59 2.2.7 Other distinctive traits ............................................................................................62 2.3 Minerva and Saint Brigid’s relationships to the goddess Brigid ..................................................67 2.3.1 Healing ...................................................................................................................69 2.3.2 Cattle & Milk .........................................................................................................70 2.3.3 Water......................................................................................................................71 2.3.4 Fire .........................................................................................................................71 2.3.5 Art & Craftwork ....................................................................................................72 2.3.6 Mothering / Abundance .........................................................................................73 2.3.7 Wisdom ..................................................................................................................73 2.3.8 Other distinctive traits ............................................................................................74 2.4 Comparison pattern and the question of equating .......................................................................76 3. Conclusion .........................................................................................................................................81 4. Appendix ..........................................................................................................................................85 4.1 Table 1: Keywords ......................................................................................................................85 4.2 Table 2: Comparison ...................................................................................................................86 5. Bibliography .....................................................................................................................................87 3 1. Introduction 1.1 Background In Celtic religious studies, we usually find ourselves in a difficult position when it comes to source material. The problem is rooted in the fact that we do not have any native, contemporary written sources from pre-Christian Celtic areas. Because of this, it is almost inevitable that we will have to look for information and answers to our questions about pre- Christian religion in other religious traditions. All our native Celtic literature is medieval, and written in a Christian context.1 There are plenty of mythological tales about pre-Christian times throughout the Insular Celtic areas (mainly from Ireland and the UK), but as they are not contemporary, and written within another religious context, we do not know what in these texts would have been strictly accurate. Of course, we also have archaeological findings, but the interpretations of those objects are inevitably speculative. A lot of these findings which we actually can interpret with more ease are the Romano-Celtic findings, as they often bear readable inscriptions. One main source of textual information about pre-Christian religion, other than the medieval Celtic texts, are texts from Classical writers, such as the Romans who interacted with different Celtic groups of people.2 All of this has led to the situation which I intend to address in this thesis; the equating of religious figures. Because of our lack of sources, it has been common to equate certain deities, both within and outside of the Celtic religious tradition, with each other. First of all, we have the Celtic goddess Brigid. We find her in several medieval sources describing pre-Christian mythology. In order to learn more about her, scholars have used another Celtic goddess, who is often described as either her predecessor or her equal – Brigantia, who we find both on the European continent among the Brigantes (a Celtic group of people), and in the UK.3 Brigantia, in her turn, is commonly equated with the Roman goddess Minerva, based on the writings of Classical authors (for example Julius Caesar), and Romano-Celtic inscriptions.4 And so, we 1 Kissane, Noel. Saint Brigid of Kildare: Life, Legend and Cult. Dublin: Open Air, 2017. p. 85. 2 Mac Cana, Proinsias. Celtic Mythology. London: The Hamlyn Publishing Group Limited, 1970. p. 23. 3 Ross, Anne. Pagan Celtic Britain. Chicago: Academy Chicago Publishers, 1967. p. 289. 4 St. Brigid. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. http://www.unc.edu/celtic/catalogue/stbrigid/essay.html (accessed 29 March, 2018) & Encyclopaedia Britannica. Britannica Encyclopaedia of World religions. Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2006. p. 143. 4 have a pattern of equating connections: Celtic goddess Brigid → Celtic goddess Brigantia → Roman goddess Minerva. In fact, Brigid herself is also commonly equated with Minerva; Brigantia is not considered necessary to make the connection between the two. Continuing, this
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