About The Brigid's Cross

The most common story I have heard is a Christian slanted story. It tells that Brigid, the woman who became St. Brigid, wove a cross, like I will show you here, at the death bed of either her "pagan". Some say this was at the deathbed of a "pagan" chieftain of the land where she created Cille Dara, Kildare.

The Cill Dara story tells of the "pagan chieftain" being very ill and probably dying. Someone in his household sent for Brigid to come to his bed to attempt to heal him.

When she arrived the chieftain was raving and shouting, yet also delirious. As it was impossible to talk to a person in that state of being Brighid sat down at his bedside and attempted to console him.

Around his bed the floor was covered with rushes, which is what they did in those days for both improving warmth and for cleanliness.

Brighid stooped down, picked up some of the rushes from the floor and started to weave them into a cross, just ike instructed here.

As Brighid wove the cross she explained the prayer she was weaving into it for him along with a call of Christ's healings, so the Christians relate. As Brighid taled and weaved the chieftain's anger quietened and his delelium faded away too.

It is said that by the time she had finished making the cross for him he was fully converted to being a Christian and was even baptized too ... before he closed his eyes for the last time and passed away.

A Christian story extension of this tells of Brighid describing what she was doing rather than placing a prayer in the cross. It is said she told the "pagan" chieftain about the symbolism of the Christian cross and how Jesus had died on the cross to save all people, including him. Overcome with the idea that Christ could love him so much the chieftain was converted to Christianity before he passed away.

A more rural version extends this story to say that the prayer in Brigid placed into the cross was a blessing of safe calm passage for the dying man while also protecting the household from being afflicted by the same illness curse. Some modern witches may well call that a spell, but I like the simple ideas of prayer and faith myself.

Also extended from this story is Brighid's own name.

It is said her name has evolved from the goddess Breo na Saigéad and variations of that to become Bhride or Bride which became Brighid or Brigid.

The former translation was of the fiery arrow, an expression to describe lightning from thunder that would ignite oak trees to serve fire. The word Brig or Brigi was passed down to describe strength and it is said Bhride became Brighid as her protection from the cross became strength. That is all story because we can truly learn so much from such things rather than from facts, sometimes I feel.

Today, I am willing to show anyone, men, women, single, married, with child, had child, never had children yet. I make my own and have done for many years.

I have heard that a much older tradition that may have gone way back into medieval times.

This tells of the women who have never had children collecting funds for the local nunnery. These funds were for the nunnery collections to feed the poor and sick. In return these women would leave bundles of cut rushes outside the generous homes.

After dusk, these women would return, ask to be admitted to the homes where they left the rushes, in the name of Brigid, and would weave the rushes into crosses for the homes of the occupants. For doing so they would be fed too. These women would also carry water from a Brighid Well or local sacred well to bless the crosses after they had made them.

These women would also hang the new crosses,
after the occupants had burned the old ones.

Any leftover rushes would be woven into a Brideog Doll, sometimes called a "girdle" that would be honoured by the women of the household all night. The next day the men of the household would honour the women and would work their household chores for them for the day while they rested.

On that next day the doll, or "girdie" may be hung on the family's most valuable cow to bless it for good milk yield or placed under a bed to bless fertility for more family.

Sometimes a straw bed was made for this doll or girdie and it would be taken to the local Brighid's or other local well to be doused, prayed upon and left there by the well.

Sometimes this doll was left hanging from a sacred tree by the well, an earliest form of the clutie tradition, all those objects we now see hanging from usually holly, hawthorn, rowan, ash, oak or birch trees by a holy well.

Rushes, straw, reeds and any strong grasses are great for making Brighid Crosses. Some people even use pipe cleaners. My favourite is the traditional rush.

It is said the tradition is to pull them rather than cut them, but for many people that would cut their fingers. I suggest cutting the rushes with scissors and then sorting them out according to thicknesses and lengths. You will be using the thicker and longer rushes at the end. I also snip off brown and sharp pointed ends before i start to make my cross ...

Get at least 12 pieces of rush (the best), reed or straw (16 is better).
Take the shortest one and hold upright.

Take a second straw and fold it in the middle.

Wrap the second straw around the first straw
at the center so that it opens to your right.

Pull it tight.

Rotate the assemblage 90 degrees counter-clockwise,
holding it at the center where the straws come together.

Take a third straw and wrap it around the second straw
so that it is opens to your right.

Pull it tight.

Rotate the assemblage 90 degrees counter-clockwise,
holding it at the center where the straws come together.

then click here to Fish Eaters and continue instructions to complete your cross ...

The illustrations of the Brigid Cross contruction does not explain how to lock the cross, so here's how to do that.

Pull that last folded blue straw (on the diagrams) to the left
raise that vertical purple straw to provide a loop
thread that last folded blue straw into the loop

and pull to the right

A tip to make this easier is to trim ends of the last blue straw so they are of equal length when folded. This makes it a lot easier to thread into the loop.

Once you have locked the cross you can tie the four ends with wool, string or elastic bands then trim the ends to make a neat cross.

A more traditional method is to flatten some rushes and make ties, like show in the video below. Its a bit trickier but gives a more rustic finish.

There is a lesser told tale I heard in the Hebrides that is my favourite. I am sure much of this is revived and retold not so long ago. It tells of Brigid's Cross, An Chrosóg Bríde, representing the sun in the center with rays of light coming from it in the shape of the arms of the Cross.

A three armed cross is said to be of the trinity of maiden, mother and crone, or the three main attributes of Bhride being smithcraft, healing and poetry. A four armed cross is said to be the four provinces of Ireland with the sacred fifth province of Midhe in the middle. Some even take this back to say the four arms are the four rivers that formed from Céis Coarran when the Morrigu's water's broke and the spirit of Bhride was first brought onto earth.

Whether representing Midhe, Céis Coarran or any heart place, the centre of the Brighid Cross is said to be the point of healing and reconciliation.

Some people I have met since make five pointed and six pointed Brighid crosses too.

I carry a feeling that these rush made crosses were made well before
St. Brighid was on this earth.

It is very important to not make your Brighid Cross making a craft but rather a flow of prayer.

While making your cross you should never measure up your cross making craft skills with what other people are doing or have done. This making instruction is for guidance and not for command. A most beautifully crafted cross may not carry the most powerful prayer. Your passion and intend is much more important than craft ability.

The cross making, once you have the hang of it, you will notice is quite a rhythmic repeated two step movement.

With confidence this will become an instinct and you will find that when you start making a cross you will move into a prayer, meditation or wish and will keep going until that twilight moment is completed. That is also when your cross is completed and its time to lock in the prayer and tie it up.

I follow tradition and make new crosses for the year and burn my old ones, but the date people choose to do this is very mixed.

Most people, I know, seem to follow the church instructions and the current Roman Gregorian calendar which means February 1st. I see that
some folks burn their old crosses on January 31st and make their new ones on the next day of February 1st.

Some folks burn their old crosses and make new crosses on February 2nd, 3rd or 4th,
for unclear reasons.

What is important is to feel your time when you feel comfortable about replacing your old crosses with your new made crosses.

For me, I observe the time of Imbolc and call that their Brighid time.

During 2012 this is the morning of February 4th all over the Northern hemisphere
and through late morning and early afternoon of August 7th
through Australia and New Zealand.

I will be burning my old crosses and making my new ones through February 4th.

During 2013 this will be from late morning and through the afternoon of Feb. 3rd
all over the Northern Hemisphere
and through later afternoon and early evening of August 7th
through Australia and New Zealand.

you can click here for more accurate times of Celtic season observations times

Traditionally, Brighid Crosses are hung on doors, by doors, indoors in windowsills, hanging indoors over windows, hanging on the walls, hanging over fireplaces and above cooking stoves. All of these choices are in the spirit of protection of health, protection against accidents, protection against the home catching on fire and attract Brighid's healing when it is needed.

Old crosses made the year before must be burned in the main fireplace of the home before the new crosses are hung in their place.