Eriu, Goddess of Ireland Greeting Card

I created this new piece starting with my existing drawing of the Irish Goddess Brigid and turned it into a breastfeeding artwork, after a conversation with someone about the possibility of a more Irish themed breastfeeding piece. In this the connections of the mother and baby's bodies mingle with the connections between the earth and elements, Ireland's fertile green island landscape.

 

There are so many similarities between plant roots and the strong veins of the mother's placenta, and the positioning worked out perfectly for it to represent the mother's body giving nutrients to her baby. The mother is feeding her baby cuddled close in the crook of her arm, providing life, warmth, shelter and nutrients, everything it needs to grow to the very best of their abilities, just like the luscious greenery of landscapes well nurtured by water, rich soil, and warmth from the sun. I will never not be in awe of nature and how it all works together! So I feel these themes work perfectly together.

 

I've also included some Ogham text with a bit of artistic licence, which says "Nature". Ogham was a cryptic written language that linked the ancient beliefs of the Celts to the beauty of trees. The markings are centered around a long vertical reference line, known as the 'stem,' which is then crossed by characters made up of lines or slashes, known as 'twigs,' representing the branches of trees. I used this word in Ogham to reflect that the two themes in this drawing share the same characteristics. Motherhood and breastfeeding are instinctual experiences that pre-date so much of our modern lives, but just like nature and Earth they need to be minded and cared for or they can't succeed. With the right care, support and faith in our bodies and nature, they flourish.

 

My original drawing in a watercolour effect, featured my vision of the Irish pagan goddess, Brigid. She is my representation of Irish women full of strength, natural beauty, connected to our beautiful landscape. This piece celebrates all of our powerful Irish women, be they in Irish mythology, Irish history, or fighting modern day battles in our entirely different present day life landscape. 

 

Brigid, a goddess of pre-Christian Ireland. Brigid, or the Exalted One, was the Irish goddess of spring, fertility, and life. Beloved by poets, she was the master of both healing and smithing. Many of Ireland's wells and waterways were devoted to her. In Irish mythology she is member of the Tuatha Dé Danann, the daughter of the Dagda and wife of Bres, with whom she had a son named Ruadán.

 

She is associated with wisdom, poetry, healing, protection, smithing and domesticated animals. It was said that she had two sisters: Brigid the healer and Brigid the smith. This suggests she may have been a triple deity. Saint Brigid shares many of the goddess's attributes and her feast day, 1 February, was originally a pagan festival called Imbolc, marking the mid point of winter.