Like many early saints, the historicity and actual existence of saint Brigid is debated, but her stories hold a truth to them.

Brigid started out her life in captivity. Her father’s wife told him to sell Brigid’s mother, and Brigid, into slavery. Ever since she was little, she was known for great acts of kindness, healing and hospitality. One time as a child, she even gave away all her mother’s butter to beggars who asked, and prayed for it to be replenished. And of course, it was.

A lot has been made of Brigid’s purity, as the tired interpretation goes for many women saints. One story goes Brigid asked god to make her ugly so no one would marry her. God did just that, and her beauty was returned to her upon becoming a nun.

Another story goes that Brigid’s brothers became very angry when they learned Brigid had decided to become a nun. They would have made a pretty penny off of her bride price. Beautiful Brigid was walking past a group of men who knew she wanted to become a nun. “The pretty eye in your head” one of them said “will be betrothed whether you like it or not.

So Saint Brigid did the only thing one would do in the situation– literally gauge out her eye out.

“Here’s that beautiful eye for you.” She said.

Maybe Brigid wanted to stay pure for God.

Or maybe, she was just fucking sick of being made into a commodity. Maybe the idea of gouging out an eye was more appealing to her than being married to a man.

(Don’t worry though, she was also an expert healer so it all came out in the wash)

But finally, Saint Brigid became a nun. During her vows, the bishop who was ordaining her became completely overwhelmed with the holy spirit and performed the ceremonial rites for becoming a bishop. The holy spirit saw something a little different in her.

Then, Brigid met Darlughdach.

Darlughdach was a younger nun, and one of Brigid’s student. But the two of them became soul friends, or “anam cara.” The two of them believed that devotion to god was deepened through a deeply intimate bonded friendship with another person.

The two of them loved each other dearly. They even shared a bed.

When Brigid was about to die, Darlughdach said that she wanted to die too. Brigid said that she shouldn’t, that she should stay around long enough to succeed Brigid as an abbess. Darlughdach did, dragging her feet. She stayed around for one more year, to the exact day.

Saint Brigid and Darlughdach, pray for us. May women and femmes see god in their love of one another.