Bride’s Mound
Older Than Iona Abbey
In May 2016, a team led by Richard Brunning of the South West Heritage Trust carried out an archaeological excavation on Bride’s Mound. This was the first excavation at the site since archaeologist Philip Rahtz worked there in the 1960s. Brunning discovered the eastern portion of the chapels erected on the mound and extracted many skeletons from the earth during this excavation. Rahtz had previously excavated 35 skeletons from the same site. At the time, it was believed that they dated back to 700 CE. However, the radiocarbon dating process performed in the 1960s was much less accurate than current methods. Brunning wanted new samples to better understand where these people originated.
These findings have radically altered the entire scenario. The bones have been dated to the fifth century, so they can be said to belong to the Romano-British people. The Romano-British were the Celtic peoples of Britain during and after the Roman occupation. All but one of the remains were male. According to Mr. Brunning, the imbalance of men to women, along with scientific discoveries, virtually leaves no doubt that this place was used as a monastic cemetery. This makes it older than Iona Abbey in Scotland, which was built at the end of the sixth century, and Glastonbury Abbey, which was built in the seventh century.
A Quiet Sacred Place
The Bride’s Mound is one of Glastonbury’s lesser-known holy places. Fewer people visit it than the Tor and Chalice Well. It is located on the outskirts of town, next to the former Morland’s factory. Morland’s was a skin factory that had been abandoned for over twenty years before being redeveloped for commercial purposes.
The Mound is one of Glastonbury’s landmarks, so most locals were concerned about its neglect over the years. Most people desired the creation of the Mound as a sanctuary. In 1995, as the land was about to be developed along with the rest of the Morland’s site, the Friends of Bride’s Mound were founded to protect it. Ten years later, in 2005, the group acquired three fields, including Ridgefield, located at the western end of the Mound.
Since then, an avenue of trees has been planted leading to the fields west of the Mound, and two gates have been constructed. There is an abundance of wildlife and vegetation here. Following the path downhill to the river, you will eventually reach the stone marking the location of Bride’s Well. The mound itself is now overgrown with brambles and nettles, but visitors have worn a path to the chapel’s location. Despite the wild surroundings, many people can sense the sacredness of Bride’s Mound.
Beckery and “Little Ireland”
The Mound is located in an area known as Beckery. An island known as Beckery is mentioned in a papal charter from 1168 CE. It was part of an estate owned by Glastonbury Abbey. Other mentioned islands are Avalon, Beckery, Marchey, Godney, Meare, Panborough, and Nyland. The area was later called “Little Ireland” due to the many Irish pilgrims who came to pay tribute to St. Brigid.
Two medieval authors, William of Malmesbury (1135 CE) and John of Glastonbury (1400 CE), wrote about a legend that St. Brigid visited Glastonbury in 488 CE and stayed in Bride’s Mound. They wrote that items belonging to St. Brigid were shown to visitors at the chapel, including her spindle and bell. Both authors indicate that they saw these relics during their lifetimes. John of Glastonbury also wrote about a chapel dedicated to St. Brigid at Beckery with a gap in its southern wall. It was said that anyone who passed through it would be healed.
The Goddess Behind the Name
Bride’s Mound is named after the Celtic Triple Goddess, Brigit or Brighde (“Bree-dah”). She was one of the most popular Celtic goddesses in Britain and was revered as the “Guardian of Wells and Springs.” She was also closely associated with fire and was called the “Keeper of the Flame” and the “Goddess of Fire.” Bride is connected to the Holy Grail because, according to legend, her father Dagda was given a “Cauldron of Inspiration.” The Celts’ devotion to Bride made it impossible for the Roman Catholic Church to simply eradicate her. Instead, she was assimilated into the Christian tradition as St. Brigid, who founded a convent in Kildare, Ireland.
King Arthur’s Vision at Beckery
Beckery has its own place in Arthurian legends as well. The legend says that King Arthur was shown in a dream that he must go to Beckery and visit the Chapel of St. Mary Magdalene. As he was visiting the chapel, he saw the vision of St. Mary holding baby Jesus Christ. St. Mary then offered him a cross of crystal, which he gave to the Abbot of Glastonbury to put it on the High Altar. Nowadays, the crystal cross has become a part of the missing treasure of Glastonbury. According to legend, the vision had such an impact upon King Arthur that he modified his coat of arms. The Pagan red dragon on his coat of arms was replaced by the crystal cross against a green background, accompanied by the picture of the Virgin and Child in the upper left-hand corner of the coat of arms.
Brigid the Goddess
Brigid has many counterparts in other cultures, where she is known by many names. She is believed to have appeared in England as Brigantia, in Scotland as Bride, and in Wales and France as Brigandu. Some even suggest that she was the goddess worshiped at Bath in ancient Britain. She was also the guardian of countless springs and wells throughout Ireland.
Brigid is said to have been born at the very threshold between night and day. As she rose with the sun, a flash of fire used to come out of her forehead. Her birth on a threshold, meaning a place between two states, is extremely significant in her myth. The ancient Celts were intrigued by such places and moments as beaches, sunrises, seasonal changes, doorways, and any other point where one can stand between two places or worlds.
Brigid is traditionally the patroness of fire, metalwork, poetry, and healing. As a sun goddess, she represents inspiration, light, and all things associated with fire. She was known as “The Exalted One” or “The High One,” and she has been referred to by numerous names since ancient times. In fact, she may be the most popular and venerated goddess in all of Celtic mythology. Her association with healing is also linked to water, as evidenced by her Cauldron of Inspiration and the numerous springs and wells named after her. Given her roles as the Goddess of Fire, the Keeper of the Flame, the Goddess of Smithcraft, and the Goddess of the Wells, it is not much of a stretch to consider her the Lady of the Lake and the creator of Excalibur.
Her transformation from goddess into a saint formed a connection between Pagan Celtic faith and Christianity in much the same manner as did the Cauldron of Cerridwen and the Holy Grail in the Arthurian stories. Brigid is the mediator between these two. In contemporary society, Brigid has returned to where she belongs once more, and she is again worshipped as a goddess, retaining all her old traditions.
Alternative names of Brigid: Brigit, Brid, Brigentis, Brighid (Eriu), Bride (Alba), Bridgit, Brig, Brigantia, Brigentis, Brigantis (Briton), Brighid, Brigidu, Briginda, Brigindo, Brigit, Breo Saighead (“fiery arrowhead”), Brigan; Bricta, Brixia, Bricia (Gaul).
Brigid the Saint
St. Brigid’s life was extraordinary, and the sites in Ireland associated with her continue to attract pilgrims throughout the year. She was born when Irish society was still organized according to the old Gaelic social structure and ancient Druid religion. While St. Patrick was already in Ireland making significant reforms, his preaching had reached the court of Dubhtach. Dubhtach was the chieftain of Leinster, an adherent of the old faith, and a devotee of the goddess Brid.
Around 453 CE, Dubhtach had a child with Brocessa, a Christian slave working for him. The two were not married, however, and Brocessa was later sold to a chieftain of Connacht. The child was handed over to a druid, who raised her. The girl came to be known as Brigid, possibly to gain the blessing of the goddess, as it was evident from the start that she was extraordinary. Legend has it that Brigid was born at sunrise while her birthplace caught fire.
Once fosterage was completed, Brigid was back home among her relatives again, but now as a slave. According to tales, Brigid became a vestal virgin for the goddess Brid, and eventually became high priestess of Kil Dara, the “Temple of the Oak,” from which the county of Kildare gets its name. There, Brigid along with others attended a sacred fire that should never be extinguished in honor of Brid.
There is no record as to how Brigid converted to Christianity. Some say that she met Saint Patrick. This may have happened because Brigid was about ten years old at the time of the death of Patrick, but there is no way to prove this claim. In whichever manner it happened, Brigid and other women who were working with her for Brid converted to Christianity, thus forming the first community of Christian women in Ireland. It is said that Brigid, on taking her vow of chastity, was seen with a flame above her head.
Brigid transformed the pagan sanctuary of Kil Dara into a Christian one. She put an end to the sacred flame used by the Druids and lit a new flame in honor of Christ. Her followers maintained this flame for many years until Henry VIII ordered its extinction. Brigid lived until 525, and she was buried in her own abbey. In 835, her bones were removed to save them from Viking plunderers. According to tradition, they were buried with St. Patrick and St. Columcille in Downpatrick.
Brigid’s Flame Today
The notion of Brigid’s Flame has never ceased to exist. She is still viewed as someone who can bring warmth and inspiration to the hearts of Christians and pagans who have a special attitude toward her. Her feast day is celebrated on February 1, which is precisely when Imbolc occurs. Imbolc is an ancient Celtic celebration associated with the awakening of nature and the beginning of spring. Visitors to Bride’s Mound can still take a walk, sit by the river, and honor her, thereby connecting Ireland and Glastonbury by more than fifteen hundred years.
Finding Bride’s Mound
Finding Bride’s Mound can prove quite difficult. Should you require assistance, contact the Glastonbury Information Centre for directions, as they would be more than willing to guide you.