She was one of the patron saints of Ireland, and was regarded with such devotion, both there and in Scotland, that children were baptized as her servants, Maol Brighde, Giollabrid; and to the present day, hers is the favourite name in Ireland.
St. Bride’s churches are common, both in England and Scotland, and the village of Llanaffraid, in Wales, records her in her Welsh form of Ffraid. Bridewell was once the palace of St. Bride, and after its conversion into a prison, spread its sinister name to other like buildings. The Portuguese believe themselves to possess the head of St. Bridget at Lisbon, and have accordingly more than one Doña Brites among their historical ladies.
Sweden has also a St. Bridget, or rather Brigitta; but her name is in her own tongue Bergljot, shortened to Berglit, and then confounded with the Irish Bridget. It unfortunately means mountain-fright, or guardian defect, though German antiquaries have twisted both Bridgets into Beraht Gifu, bright gift. Be that as it may, the Swedish Brigitta was a lady of very high birth, who, in her widowhood, founded an order of Brigittin nuns, somewhere about 1363, made a pilgrimage to Rome, and was greatly revered for her sanctity. She named the very large class of Norwegian, German, and Swedish Bridgets or Berets, who are almost as numerous as the Irish.
| English. | Irish. | Scotch. | French. |
| Bridget | Brighid | Bride | Brigitta |
| Bride | Biddy | ||
| Italian. | Portuguese. | Swedish. | German. |
| Brigida | Brites | Brigitta | Brigitta |
| Brigita | Brita | Esth. | |
| Begga | Pirrit | ||
| Bergliot | |||
| Beret | |||
| Lusatian. | Lettish. | Lith. | Lapp. |
| Brischia | Britte | Berge | Pirket |
| Brischa | Birte | Berzske | Pikka |
| Pirre | Pikke |
Section IV.—Fear, Gwr, Vir.
The free days of the Kelt were fast ending. He fell before Roman discipline, though not without a worthy struggle.
In Cisalpine Gaul, Marcellus and Scipio themselves found Britomartus, or Viridomarus, king of the Boii, so worthy an antagonist that Marcellus, having slain him in single fight, dedicated his spolia opima in the temple of Jupiter Feretrius. In Spain, a Lusitanian hunter or shepherd, named Viriathus, carried on a guerilla warfare with the Roman legions for fourteen years. In Gaul, Cæsar mentions Virdumarus among his allies the Æduans, and says that their chief magistrate was termed vergobretus, and among his enemies, the Unelli and Arverni, he records Viridovix, Vergosillanus, and Vercingetorix.
The last chieftain was one of the most gallant men who struggled in vain against the eagles.
However, our concern is chiefly with his name. In fact, these Virs of Cæsar might have been placed in our preceding division, for they are from the same root, bri, or force, and still more resemble the Sanscrit virja, as well as the Latin virtus and vir. Exactly answering to vir, though coming in an independent stream from the same source, the Gaelic man is fear, plural fir; the Cymric is gwr, gen. gyr, plural wyr. Again, valour or virtue is in Welsh gwyrth, and gwr is the adjective for excelling.
Thus there can be no reasonable doubt, that the ver or vir of the Latin version of these Keltic heroes was a rendering of the fear of the Gael, or of the gwr of the Cymry, both not infrequent commencements; and the double name of the hero of Cisalpine Gaul, Viridomarus, or Britomartus, brings us back to the original root. It may be that Britomartus referred to his great strength.