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Betha Brigte ‘The Life of (St) Brigit’

  • Middle Irish
  • prose
  • Irish hagiography
A Middle Irish version of the Life of St Brigit.
First words (prose)
  • Híí sunt qui sequntur agnum quocunque ierit .i. is iat-so in lucht lenait in n-uan nemhelnide cipé conair dech
Author
anonymous
Manuscripts
Language
  • Middle Irish
  • Secondary language(s): Hiberno-Latin
Date
11th or 12th century (?)
Form
prose (primary)
verse (secondary)
Textual relationships

According to Kenney, the text is “apparently a translation of an abridged version of Colgan’s third life”, i.e. the Vita prima sanctae Brigitae. He suggests that “[i]t possibly testifies to an earlier stratum of the legend ... Several of the legends are incorporated into the notes of the Calendar of Oengus on February 1, her [Brigit's] feast-day”.(1)n. 1 James F. Kenney, The sources for the early history of Ireland: an introduction and guide. Volume 1: ecclesiastical (1966): 363 and note.

(Possible) sources: Vita prima sanctae BrigitaeVita prima sanctae BrigitaeLatin Life of St Brigit. BHL 1455-1456.
Related: Commentary to Félire ÓengussoCommentary to Félire ÓengussoThe Middle Irish commentary which accompanies manuscript texts of the Félire Óengusso.
Associated items
Ultan’s hymnUltan’s hymn

Classification

Irish hagiographyIrish hagiography
...

Subjects

Brigit of Kildare
Brigit of Kildare
(c. 439/452–c. 524/526)
patron saint of Kildare, whose cult spread both within and outside of Ireland.
See more

Sources

Notes

1.
James F. Kenney, The sources for the early history of Ireland: an introduction and guide. Volume 1: ecclesiastical (1966): 363 and note.

Primary sources Text editions and/or modern translations – in whole or in part – along with publications containing additions and corrections, if known. Diplomatic editions, facsimiles and digital image reproductions of the manuscripts are not always listed here but may be found in entries for the relevant manuscripts. For historical purposes, early editions, transcriptions and translations are not excluded, even if their reliability does not meet modern standards.

[ed.] [tr.] Stokes, Whitley [ed. and tr.], “Betha Brigte: On the Life of Saint Brigit”, in: Whitley Stokes, Three Middle-Irish homilies on the Lives of saints Patrick, Brigit and Columba, Calcutta, 1877. 49–87, 138–140.
CELT – edition: <link> CELT – translation: <link> Internet Archive: <link>
[ed.] [tr.] Stokes, Whitley [ed. and tr.], Lives of saints from the Book of Lismore, Anecdota Oxoniensia, Mediaeval and Modern Series, 5, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1890.
CELT: <link> Internet Archive: <link> Internet Archive: <link>, <link> Internet Archive: <link>
34–53, 182–200, 318–336 From the Book of Lismore
[ed.] Meyer, Kuno [ed.], “Mitteilungen aus irischen Handschriften: Sancta Brigita”, Zeitschrift für celtische Philologie 12 (1918): 293–294.
Internet Archive: <link>
Episode from the Book of Lecan
[ed.] Stokes, Whitley, “Mélanges: A parallel”, Revue Celtique 3 (1876–1878): 443–444.
Internet Archive: <link>, <link>, <link> Internet Archive – originally from Google Books: <link>
Episode edited from the Leabhar Breac
[ed.] Dottin, Georges, Manuel d’irlandais moyen, 2 vols, vol. 2, Paris, 1913.
Internet Archive: <link> Internet Archive: <link>
124–127 [id. 26. ‘Le miracle de Beurre’] Extract from LB.
[ed.] Dottin, Georges, Manuel d’irlandais moyen, 2 vols, vol. 2, Paris, 1913.
Internet Archive: <link> Internet Archive: <link>
128 [id. 27. ‘Sainte Brigitte et saint Brendan’] Extract from LB, with variant from Rennes MS (footnote).

Secondary sources (select)

Kenney, James F., “Chapter IV: The monastic churches, their founders and traditions: I. The primitive foundations”, in: James F. Kenney, The sources for the early history of Ireland: an introduction and guide. Volume 1: ecclesiastical, Revised ed., 11, New York: Octagon, 1966. 288–371.
362–363 (§ 152.i) [id. 152.1.]
web page identifiers
Contributors
Dennis Groenewegen
Page created
June 2012, last updated: February 2025
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