What is the meaning of Brighid's Cross?

Question

I have a pagan friend that wears one and I would like to know what it symbolizes.

Answer 1

Brighid
Celtic, pronounced "Breed", one of the triple goddesses of the Celtic pantheon of the Tuatha de Danaan, one of the most ancient people of
Northern Europe. She probably began as a sun goddess and as goddess of fire and water, she is immortalized by many wells and springs. At the shrine at Kildare there was a perpetual flame burning for Brigit.

Also known as Brigit, Brigid, Brigindo, Bride.

Answer 2

The cross is a derivative of the sunwheel which is possibly the oldest Pagan/Religious symbol that still exists today. There are many interpretations of it. Modern belief may say it symbolizes the four seasons (though there were only two back in the day, summer and winter) and others say the four elements (though this was a Greek and not a Celtic concept) and others the four directions (possible, not likely) Either way, there it is. It's certainly solar. Mostly, it represents Brighid and everything associated with Her. The name Brighid means Exaulted Female Spirit, or, to put it plainly, Great Goddess. She presides over many things, Fire, crafts, healing, the hearth, family, childbirth, womens affairs, raising children, etc.

I make a Brighid's cross at Imbolc in a ritual manner and hang it in my home to invite Her blessings. Creating it is somewhat involved and can be a very mediative exercise. I burn the old one when I hang the new one (all as part of the ritual) in order to leave the past behind and forge on into the future. It is also said to protect the home from fires.

Answer 3

Brigid's cross, Brighid's cross, or Brigit's cross, or Crosóg Brigde(in Irish) is an old Irish symbol, probably derivative of the pagan sunwheel. It is usually made entirely out of rushes, less often straw. It contains a woven square in the centre and four radials which are tied at the ends.

Many rituals are associated with the making of the crosses. These are often still carried out today and many Irish homes still feature Brigid's crosses. It is a common belief throughout Ireland that a Brigid's Cross protects the house from fire.

Brigid's crosses are associated with the Irish saint Brigid (who was given the name of the Celtic fire-goddess by her pagan father) and are constructed on the saint's feast day (1 February, Lá Fhéile Bhríde/Imbolc).

Answer 4

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RE:
What is the meaning of Brighid's Cross?
I have a pagan friend that wears one and I would like to know what it symbolizes.

Answer 5

Brighid (Brigid) is the name of an Irish saint. It is also the name of a pre-Christian goddes in Ireland. Probably Saint Brigid, a convert to Christianity, was originally named after the goddess. The "Brigid's cross" is a woven equal-armed cross used by Christians, and probably it was used by pre-Christian pagans there. It is a nice example of the union of Christian and pre-Christian spirituality.

Answer 6

Imbolc, or Imbolg as it is also know, is the midway point through Winter. It marks that winter is halfway over and Spring approaches. In Celtic tradition, Imbolc was sacred to the Goddess Bride (pronounced Bree) who was the patron Goddess of poets, smiths, and healers. Traditionally, a lot of us make Bride dolls out of wheat and lay them in a bed. Since Bride is the patron Goddess of smiths, this is also the time we "bless the plow" for the coming planting season. We also celebrate the coming Spring with lots of candles to show how the days are getting noticeably longer. Additionally, Bride is the only pagan Goddess who's worship was so widespread that a little island was named after her, Briton, and She lives on in the Catholic faith as Saint Bridget. Blessed Be )O(

Answer 7

St. Brid (or Brigid). The cross is made out of reeds because she was too poor to afford wood so she mad them out of reeds.