#brigid devotion

[the-purvashadha]

Dedicate a piece of craft to Brigid. It could be origami, crocheted, knitted or even metal work if that is your area of interest. You can even dedicate a recipe that you've created. It could be anything. If it is made with love, it'll please Brigid.

#brigid #brigit #brigid deity #brigid devotion #goddess brigid #goddess brighid #brighid #brigid devotee #brigid worship #mother brigid #mother brigid ❤️❤️❤️ #pagan polytheism #celtic paganism #paganism #celtic pantheon #celtic polytheism #celtic goddesses #celtic gods #celtic deities

[tea-with-trees]

Anyone noticed a correlation between the deities they're drawn to and their zodiac??

I have Sagittarius sun, cancer moon, and Taurus rising. The main deity I work with and have the closest bond with is Brighid who is associated with fire, water, and cattle (all of which correlate with my zodiac)

Anyone else experienced this?

#celtic paganism #druid #brighid #deity #witchcraft #brigid #deity devotion #zodiac #astrology #witchblr #upg

[virgil-upinthestars]

~ an interpretation of what was probably going on in heaven when I was trying to be christian as a kid ~

baby me: hi god I hope I'm doing this prayer thing right anyway I lost my stuffed animal can you help me find it?

the christian god:

the christian god: whose pagan baby is that

the christian god: *glancing around heaven* wHOSE PAGAN BABY IS THAT

the christian god: uhh

st. jude: *brought forward by my catholic family history* hey god, do you want me to-

the christian god: pLEASE

stuffed animal: *is found*

baby me: yaaayy!! thank you god, 10/10 will pray again! hooray am good christian!!

the christian god:

the christian god:

brigid: i mean, they're a little confused but they got the spirit

#made with reverence #pagan #pagan memes #raised catholic #tumblr posting as an act of devotion #st. jude #brigid #goddess brigid

[crimsonsongbird]

I am Here: A Message from Brigid

“You may be blind to my face And deaf to my voice, But know this, my child, I am here, I am here. When your world seems As though it is crumbling, My hands are on your shoulders, Holding you steady and upright Because I will not let you fall. When you feel cold and alone, Without a soul to care, Know that I have placed you by my fires To warm your frigid bones Because I will not let you freeze. When you feel like everything You do is not good enough, I am whispering sweet praise For you are perfect as you are And I will not let you think otherwise. When you are shaking with pain And you hurt too much to move, Know that I am down on my knees, Tending to your wounds, Because I will not let you suffer. You may be blind to my face And deaf to my voice, But know this, my child, I am here, I am here.”

Commission for (discord user) imbeccable_taste

#devotional poetry #devotional writing #devotional commission #my poetry #my work #my writing #my poems #brigid deity #brigid #imbeccable_taste

[polyteleology]

Grief Blessing

Brighid of Keening, let me feel the waves of emotions. comfort me when my heart aches, join me when recalling happy memories. Brighid of the Seasons, sow seeds of hope when I need light, aid me in growing a bright future, help me to take stock of the things I harvest, give me rest when I tire in the darkest of days. Brighid of Healing, ease my mind and my soul. Brighid of Smithcraft, strengthen my mind to persevere. Brighid of Poetry, inspire me to beauty when I may not see it. As it was, as it is, as it shall ever be.

--Ashli Hall

#poetry #devotional poetry #prayers #Brighid #Brigid #Bríd #Brigit #Brighidine paganism #Celtic goddesses #Irish goddesses #Gaelic goddesses #healing #grief #Brighid of Keening #Brighid of the Seasons #Brighid of Healing #Brighid of Smithcraft #Brighid of Poetry

[embervoices]

As it is Brighid’s day, I’ll also share these ones:

#brighid #brigid #imbolc #brighidsmas #secondlife #second life #devotional art

[angelamontoo]

I just finished listening to the radio version of The Maltese falcon and it sucks my ass, for a plethora of reasons(How in the name of christ did they take out every scene where Cairo gets hit and still manage to do him so fucking dirty??) but! There are two things I like about it

1:Wilmer shooting Gutman, but not Cairo is great. Presumably it's just cause the police intervened, but I'm a fan of Wilmer having every intention of killing Cairo aswell, but finding himself just unable to do it either cause he still feels too attached to Cairo or can't see him as equally responsible for the betrayal as Gutman. Either way Kaspers dead af, but Cairos alive(explicitly being sent to prison cause someone who hates fun and also me in particular wrote this shows script, but alive)

2:O Shaughnessy referring to Cairo as Joel more than once. I love this! Especially since he, on the other hand exclusively refers to her as Miss o Shaughnessy. It could be interpreted as Cairo making more of an effort to seem respectful even to people he doesn't like while o Shaughnessy does not respect him at all and wants him to know it, but for me personally its fuel to my headcanon that Brig and Joel are very intense frenemies who are just more enemy than fren during the events of TMF(I'm definitely going more into this idea in future)

#the maltese falcon #joel cairo #sam spade #brigid o shaughnessy #kasper gutman #wilmer cook #radio #also when i say wilmer feels attached to cairo i dont mean romantically #ik some people ship them and i wont knock it if you like them but if anything i see it as more of a dependency thing #similar to his devotion to gutman but while i think he probably more wants gutmans approval maybe with cairo its more about his tenderness #idk either way i think in the movies canon wilmer and joel are implied to know eachother less than fanon tends to assume #i made a big post complaining about this film that tumblr ate cause its a lil wonky for me rn #but my least favourite moment besides cairo getting caught was spades #'maybe i do uwu' line

[poeticnorth]

Something something Brigantia

#north sea poet #poetry #my poetry #nico solheim-davidson #brittonic polytheism #britpol #gaulish polytheism #gaulpol #brigantia #nymphae brigantia #Deae Nymphae Brigantia #brigantia not brigid #brigantia not brigit #devotional poetry

[neonaltarofthedraoi]

Your Names

Your name travels on the cool wind that blows from ancient Alps to the modern streets of Eire. Your name has evolved and changed, but you remain constant. Goddess of the Alps, keeper of the flame, exalted one, bright one.

In the tertiary mountains that stand high across the European landscape, you are a great uniter. High, middle, low. All seek your guidance and your aid. Your name the very essence of transcendence. The spine of Europe spreads your name. From Austria to Hungary, back again to France and Spain. Your name, embedded in the landscape. Embedded in time and history. I can hear your name on the light afternoon wind, High Goddess Briganti.  

In Anglia too your name was well known, before the painful march of history divided us. The Moors of Yorkshire and the Northern lands of the Humber bare your name, Celesti Briganti. Inscriptions in your honor travel the Tyne to Hadrien’s Wall, where even the Romans couldn’t pass. But your name and your memory remain deep inside the very bones of the people. By virtue of birth we can feel your name. Heavenly Briganti.

The wind passes Hadrien’s wall and spreads out across the highlands of Alba. In these wild lands your name did evolve once again. Here you danced, a dangerous ritual with the Queen of Winter. Bringing balance to nature itself. A battle, no an exchange, between cold and warmth. Your name that marks the end of the cold and rebirth of the warmth, Brìghde.

Now, in Ireland, the Brigantes settled on Leinster’s shore. Here your burning flame remained in Kildare, As it has done before your name changed again. Keening woman, mother of poets, healer, smith. Brigid, Saint and Goddess. You have remained eternal in the minds of the people. Your stories and tales changed and developed, but your name remains hidden within us. In our very bones and all. A declaration being held in. Even if we don’t remember, the land does. The sky and sea hold your memories. The deep twisting roots burrowing down through history, unearthing eternal names.

Briganti. Celesti Briganti. Brìghde. Brid, Brigid.

#devotional work for brigid #your names

[cogentsummoner]

thinking so hard abt my ocs ive got steam coming out of my ears

#brigid's messy devotion and anger and jealousy. i love them #bee.txt

[greenwitchcrafts]

February 2024 witch guide

Full moon: February 24th

New moon: February 9th

Sabbats: Imbolc-February 1st

February Snow Moon

Known as: Eagle Moon, Horning Moon, Solmonath Moon, Bear moon, Ice Moon, Wild Moon, Raccoon Moon, Big Winter Moon, Groundhog Moon, Quickening Moon, Storm Moon, Goose Moon, Hungry Moon & Red/Cleansing Moon

Element: Fire

Zodiac: Aquarius & Pisces

Nature spirits: House Faeries

Deities: Aphrodite, Brigid & Nut

Animals: Otter & Unicorn

Birds: Chickadee & Eagle

Trees: Cedar, laurel, myrtle & rowan

Herbs: Balm of Gilead, hyssop, myrrh, sage & spikenard

Flowers: Primrose

Scents: Heliotrope & wisteria

Stones: Amethyst, jasper, moonstone, obsidian, onyx , rose quartz, topaz & red zircon

Colors: Light blue & violet

Energy:  Astral travel, banishing, beginnings, breaking bad habits, creativity expressiveness, empowerment, energy working to the surface, fertility, forgiveness, freedom, friendships, future plans, growth, healing, problem solving, purification, responsibility & science

February’s full Moon is a “Micromoon” this year. Think of this term as the opposite of a “Supermoon.” It simply means that the full Moon is at its farthest point from Earth (not the nearest point).

The explanation behind February’s full Moon name is a fairly straightforward one: it’s known as the Snow Moon due to the typically heavy snowfall that occurs in February. On average, February is the United States’ snowiest month, according to data from the National Weather Service. In the 1760s, Captain Jonathan Carver, who had visited with the Naudowessie(Dakota), wrote that the name used for this period was the Snow Moon, “because more snow commonly falls during this month than any other in the winter.” 

Imbolc

Known as: Feast of Torches, Feast of Waxing Light, Oimele & Brigid's Day

Season: Winter

Symbols: Besoms, Brighid's crosses, candles, candle wheels, fertility symbols, fire, ploughs, priapic wands & white flowers

Colors: Black, brown, Earth tones, lavender, light green, orange, pink, red, white & yellow

Oils/Incense: Apricot, basil, bay, carnation, chamomile, cinnamon, dragon's blood, frankincense, heather, jasmine, myrrh, neroli, red sandalwood, sage, vanilla, violet & wisteria

Animals: Badger, cow, deer,groudhog, robin, sheep, snake, & swan

Mythical: Dragon

Stones: Amethyst, bloodstone, citrine, clear quartz, garnet, green tourmaline, hematite, iron, lodestone, onyx, red zircon, rose quartz, ruby, turquoise, yellow tourmaline

Food: Breads, chives, curries, dairy products, grains, garlic, herbal teas, honey cakes, lamb, muffins, onions, peppers, poppy seed cakes, pork, poultry, pumpkin seeds, raisins, scones, spiced wines & sunflower seeeds

Herbs/Plants: Angelica, ashleaf, balsam, basil, bay laurel, benzoin, blackberry, clover, coltsfoot, coriander, dragon's blood, garlic, heather, lemon, myrrh, rosemary, sage, vervain, wheat & witch hazel

Flowers: Celandine, chamomile, iris, rose hips, snowdrop, sunflower, tansy, violets, white flowers & yellow flowers

Goddesses: Anu, Aradia, Arianrhod, Artio, Athena, Branwen, Brigid, Danu, Februa, Gaia, Inanna, Juno, Selene, Sirona & Vesta

Gods: Aegus Mac Og, Bragi, Cupid, Dian Cecht, Dumuzi, Eros, Februus & Pax

Issues, Intentions & Powers: Activation/awakening, animals, beginnings, fertility, healing, hope, illumination, inspiration, light, pregnancy/childbirth, prophecy, transformation, well-being & youth

Spellwork: Air magick, banishings, candle spells, divination, fertility spells, prosperity & purification

Activities:

• Make & light white candles

• Clean/decorate your altar & consecrate your  altar tools

• Go on a walk in nature & look for signs of spring

• Make a Brigid's Cross

• Have a feast with your family/friends

• Give thanks & leave offerings to the Earth

• Set intentions, reflect & look deeper into your goals for spring

• Start a bonfire

• Find Imboloc prayers & devotionals that bid farewell to the winter months, honor the goddess Brigid, as well as seasonal blessings for your meals, hearth, & home.

• Pepare plans for your upcoming garden

• Craft a priapic wand

• Spend time with children celebrating Imbolc by making crafts & or baking

• Practice divination & fire scrying

• Draw a cleansing ritual bath for yourself

• Meditate, reflect & say your farewells to winter

• Cleanse & clean your house to prepare for spring

• Create a Brídeóg: a doll of Brigid made of straw

• Make Bride's bouquet satchets & exchange as symbols of good luck and fertility

• Set aside food & or drinks as an offering to Brigid to invite her in your home

Imbolc is a Gaelic festival marking the beginning of spring. Most commonly it is held on January 31 – February 1, or halfway between the winter solstice & the spring equinox. The holiday is a festival of the hearth, home, a celebration of the lengthening days & the early signs of spring. 

The word "imbolc" means "in the belly" and refers to the pregnancy of ewes at this time of year. The term "oimelc" means ewe's milk. Around this time of year, many herd animals give birth to their first offspring of the year or are heavily pregnant & as a result, they are producing milk. This creation of life’s milk is a part of the symbolic hope for spring.

Imbolc is mentioned in some of the earliest Irish literature and it is associated with important events in Irish mythology. It has been suggested that it was originally a pagan festival associated with the goddess Brigid and that it was Christianized as a festival of Saint Brigid, who herself is thought to be a Christianization of the goddess.

Some use Imbolc to celebrate the longer days which herald the return of Spring & The Goddess's recovery from giving birth to The Sun (The God) at Yule. The God & The Goddess are children symbolizing new life, new beginnings & new resurrections.

Related festivals:

• Groundhog Day-  Is a tradition observed in the United States & Canada on February 2 of every year. It derives from the Pennsylvania Dutch superstition that if a groundhog emerges from its burrow on this day & sees its shadow, it will retreat to its den & winter will go on for six more weeks; if it does not see its shadow, spring will arrive early.

While the tradition remains popular in the 21st century, studies have found no consistent association between a groundhog seeing its shadow & the subsequent arrival time of spring-like weather.

•St. Brigid's Day- 1 February. It was originally Imbolc, the first day of spring in Irish tradition. Because Saint Brigid has been theorised as linked to the goddess Brigid, some associate the festival of Imbolc with the goddess. St. Brigid is the patroness saint (or 'mother saint') of Ireland. She is patroness of many things, including poetry, learning, healing, protection, blacksmithing, livestock & dairy production. In her honour, a perpetual fire was kept burning at Kildare for centuries.

A recent campaign successfully established her feast day as a national holiday in 2023.

• Chinese New Year- (February 10th) the festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar. In Chinese, the festival is commonly referred to as the Spring Festival,- marking the end of winter and the beginning of the spring season. Observances traditionally take place from Chinese New Year's Eve, the evening preceding the first day of the year, to the Lantern Festival, held on the 15th day of the year. The first day of Chinese New Year begins on the new moon that appears between January 21st & February 20th.

The Chinese New Year is associated with several myths and customs. The festival was traditionally a time to honour deities as well as ancestors. Within China, regional customs and traditions concerning the celebration of the New Year vary widely & the evening preceding the New Year's Day is frequently regarded as an occasion for Chinese families to gather for the annual reunion dinner.

It is also a tradition for every family to thoroughly clean their house, in order to sweep away any ill fortune & to make way for incoming good luck. Another custom is the decoration of windows & doors with red paper-cuts and couplets. Popular themes among these paper-cuts and couplets include good fortune or happiness, wealth & longevity. Other activities include lighting firecrackers  & giving money in red envelopes.

•  Candlemas- is a Christian feast day on February 2nd commemorating the presentation of Jesus at the Temple. It is based upon the account of the presentation of Jesus in Luke 2:22-40. 

While it is customary for Christians in some countries to remove their Christmas decorations on Twelfth Night, those in other Christian countries historically remove them after Candlemas.On Candlemas, many Christians also take their candles to their local church, where they are blessed and then used for the rest of the year.

•Setsubun- (February 3rd) Is the day before the beginning of spring in the old calendar in Japan. The name literally means 'seasonal division', referring to the day just before the first day of spring.

Both Setsubun & Risshun are celebrated yearly as part of the Spring Festival (Haru matsuri ) in Japan. In its association with the Lunar New Year, Setsubun, though not the official New Year, was thought of as similar in its ritual & cultural associations of 'cleansing' the previous year as the beginning of the new season of spring. Setsubun was accompanied by a number of rituals & traditions held at various levels to drive away the previous year's bad fortunes & evil spirits for the year to come.

Other Celebrations:

• Lupercalia-

In ancient Rome, this festival was conducted annually on February 13th through 15th under the superintendence of a corporation of priests called Luperci. The origins of the festival are obscure, although the likely derivation of its name from lupus (Latin: “wolf”) has variously suggested connection with an ancient deity who protected herds from wolves and with the legendary she-wolf who nursed Romulus and Remus. As a fertility rite, the festival is also associated with the god Faunus.

to purify the city, promoting health & fertility.

Each Lupercalia began with the sacrifice by the Luperci of goats and a dog, after which two of the Luperci were led to the altar, their foreheads were touched with a bloody knife & the blood was wiped off with wool dipped in milk; the ritual required that the two young men laugh. The sacrificial feast followed, after which the Luperci cut thongs from the skins of the sacrificial animals & ran in two bands around the Palatine hill, striking with the thongs at any woman who came near them. A blow from the thong was supposed to render a woman fertile.

In 494 CE the Christian church under Pope Gelasius I forbade participation in the festival. Tradition holds that he appropriated the form of the rite as the Feast of the Purification (Candlemas), celebrated on February 2, but it is likely that the Christian feast was established in the previous century. It has also been alternately suggested that Pope Gelasius I replaced Lupercalia with St. Valentine’s Day, celebrated on February 14th, but the origin of that holiday was likely much later.

Sources:

Farmersalmanac .com

Llewellyn's Complete Book of Correspondences by Sandra Kines

Wikipedia

A Witch's Book of Correspondences by Viktorija Briggs

Encyclopedia britannica

Llewellyn 2024 magical almanac Practical magic for everyday living

#witchblr #wiccablr #paganblr #witchcraft #witch guide #February 2024 #snow moon #Imbolc #witch community #witches of tumblr #tumblr witches #correspondences #grimoire #book of shadows #spellbook #traditional witchcraft #spellwork #witch tips #witch tumblr #beginner witch #baby witch #witchcore #Lupercalia #full moon #moon magic #GreenWitchcrafts #pagan #wicca #witch #witchy things

[tea-with-trees]

Some art of my beloved Brighid.

Wanted to bring forward her strength and intensity. Sometimes tough love is necessary to forge us into our truest selves.

#brighid #celtic paganism #druid #art #sketch #deity #devotion #witchcraft #druidry #brigid

[marsprincess889]

NAKSHATRAS AS GODDESSES

3/27

🔪KRITTIKA🔥

DISCLAIMER: This is based solely on my research and the patterns that I saw. I can't promise that I'm gonna be sure in all the coorelations, but I'm going to attribute each nakshatra a goddess that I think fits it the closest. If you're dissapointed, to make up for it, I'm going to list some other deities in the end that I think also fit the nakshatra. Don't come for me if you think I'm wrong, be respectful in the comments if you think so and have fun 🤍

This was easy and almost immidiate. The associations between this goddess and Krittika are so apparent I didn't hesitate for a second. Look out for other deities similar to her in the end.

Brigid

Pantheon: Celtic (Irish)

Name meaning: "the exalted one", "strength"

Associations: fire, spring, poetry and inspiration, healing and herbalism, smithcraft, agriculture, cattle and sheep.

Symbols: Brigid's cross, holy wells, eternal flame.

Brigid is one of the most highly- revered and widely worshipped Celtic goddesses. She'a triple goddess, representing the maiden, the mother and the crone. As a Maiden, she rules over poetry, music and ispiration. As a Mother, she's presiding over healing. As a Crone, she's the goddess of fire and smithcraft.

Frequently depicted with fiery red hair, she is no simple goddess, also ruling over waters and serenity. She's a protector of women and children, presiding over childbirth and motherhood. Also frequengly depicted with lambs and sheep (krittika's yoni animal) and swans. She's closely connected to agriculture and farm animals.

Brigid, also being connected to wells and rivers, has many landmarks in Ireland with a body of water. The most famous one is a well in Kildare, Ireland. Water from that well is said to have healing properties.

Her father was Dagda (good, great god), leader of the Irish tribe Tuatha Dé Danann ("people of goddess Danu"), which consisted of Irish deities who lived there before the ancestors of the modern Irish had arrived. Dagda was a wise man, an all-father and a Druid. Brigid married Bres, another member of that tribe and together they had three children. One of them, Ruadán, died and Brigid mourned him with profound and painful sadness. She's very devoted to protecting children and this might be a reason why.

In honor of her, there's a sacred fire lit in Kildare and is guarded by the Sisters of St. Brigid. There has been a fire in Kildare since the time Brigid was worshipped. It has been put out several times, but has been re-lit and is still burning. This suggests that the worship of Brigid has endured as she she survived and was made a Catholic saint when Christianity came to Europe.

I want to talk about why I chose her for Krittika while comparing her to very similar goddesses.

First one is the Roman Vesta. Virgins were chosen to keep the fire of vesta burning and it was said that if even one of them gave their virginity, the fire would burn out. In those instances when fire burned out by itself, the poor Vestal Virgins were to blame. Vesta is also the Roman Equivalent of the Greek Hestia, both being goddesses of the hearth, fire and home.

Krittika is the nakshatra that burns impurities through being precise and cutting away all that is not nessecary, hence a sharp object and a flame being its symbols. Bridging the signs of Aries and Taurus, it's often fiery and passionate but also feminine and nurturing.

An Indian deity ruling over Krittika is Agni_ God of fire. An Indian goddess that is coorelated to Krittika (and also Purva Phalguni) is Tripura Sundari, meaning "the most beautiful in three worlds". This three world- triple goddess coorelation is apparent to me, besides the obvious fire associations, as well as nurturing, fertility and agriculture.

In the lunar mansion of Krittika, there's a constellation called the Pleiades, often called "the seven sisters". This is another confirmation of Krittika's very feminine nature, despite also representing the birth of the cosmic man and being very fiery and passionate in general.

Some other deities that I'd coorelate with Krittika:

Hestia- another virginal goddess of fire, also associated with home and hearth

Tripura Sundari- Indian goddess, "the most beautiful in the worlds"

Vesta- Roman goddess of fire and virgins

Bel- Celtic sun and fire god, also associated with healing, thunder and purification.

That's it! I hope you enjoyed reading about Brigid. This is a very condensed post but I said pretty much everything I wanted to say. I hope you understood Brigid's energy and made the coorelation between her and Krittika. If you're Krittika, even if you're not, COMMENT, like and reblog. Love u, take care ❤🔥

#krittika #krittika nakshatra #nakshatras #vedic astrology #astrology #astrology observations #vedic astrology observations #brigid #celtic mythology #irish mythology #ireland #celtic #goddess #goddess brigid

[crimsonsongbird]

Keeper of the Flame

Lady Brigid, O’ Divine Keeper of the Flame, Goddess of the Hearth, Hear my prayer as I hail your name! May your warmth Spread through my home Like the scent of fresh baked bread; May your eternal light Shine bright in every dark corner And illuminate the truth. Ignite within us a flame of inspiration And allow us to create in your name! Grant us your healing touch, Let it tend to our injuries And cure us of our pain and sorrows; Grant us the comforting embrace Of a Mother's love and passion And may it reflect in my own actions!

Commission for discord user Devalixx

#devotional poetry #devotional writing #devotional commission #my poetry #my work #my writing #my poems #brigid deity #brigid #devalixx

[polyteleology]

Irish musician Claire Roche performs "Gabhaim Molta Bride" (I praise Brighid) at the National Concert Hall in Dublin, Ireland, circa 2010.

Gaol Naofa has a good translation of the lyrics, and a pronunciation guide, here.

#music #video #Gabhaim Molta Bride #Brighid #Brigid #Brigit #Bríd #devotional music #Brighidine paganism #Youtube

[stergeon]

at some point i will figure out how to write the post-canon, post-empire edelgard autonomy fic of my dreams. it just feels like a very big task and maybe like with playing the dane, i’m simply not old and traumatized enough to manage it yet.

but my vision is thus: it’s set years (realistically, decades) after the end of crimson flower, when everything has gone as right as it can possibly go. fódlan is thriving. the social reforms have taken effect. the nobility system is nearly eliminated, if not entirely so, with titles made merely symbolic. social mobility, welfare, and prosperity are high. there’s an explosion in arts and culture and technology. brigid and duscur have gained independence; relations with sreng and almyra are much improved; heck, maybe they've even figured it out with dagda. in my most idealistic version, leicester and faerghus would eventually be ceded back to become autonomous regions, essentially disbanding the adrestian empire. rule is no longer hereditary, but merit-based. there's a roadmap for the future, and everything is on track—and more than that, people at all points on the power spectrum have already seen it bear fruit. with or without edelgard, it will be pursued. there's buy-in. they believe.

of course, it's not perfect—nothing can be—but edelgard's vision has been fulfilled. the people are empowered. humanity is free. fódlan has healed.

and somehow, she's had enough time to resolve her goals outside of politics, too. those who slither in the dark have been eradicated. edelgard and lysithea's second crests have been successfully removed, allowing them to live if not full lives, then substantially longer ones than they would have with their twin crests intact. who knows—maybe she finally gets around to having that wedding.

point for point, every item listed in edelgard's manifesto has been checked off. the ghosts of her past have been laid to rest. she can finally take off her crown. she can finally pursue the quiet, humble life she's wanted for so long. she can finally breathe.

... but can she?

edelgard is nothing if not driven. her intelligence, vision, and sheer willpower allowed her to plan and execute a revolution against two countries and the most powerful institution on the continent, all while she was still a teenager. as royalty, her life was never truly hers even before she became heir to the adrestian throne, with all the additional baggage of survivor's guilt and the desire for vengeance and her need to ensure nothing that happened to her can ever happen to anyone else, ever again.

so what happens when that drive has no outlet? what happens when someone who has been constantly in motion, constantly working and planning and preparing every spare second of every day since she was fourteen years old, suddenly has to stand still? what happens when someone whose hands have been bound for so long—first literally in the dungeons of enbarr, then by the weight and responsibilities of her crown—is set free?

being edelgard, she would step away from the throne, no matter how hard it was for her to give up control. she's always been focused on the endgame, and she knows that if she doesn't let go, she'll be setting the wrong tone for fódlan's future. she's too devoted to that endgame to cling to power much longer than she needs to, though i could see her making some excuses and trying to iron out just a few more things to buy herself some more time to mentally prepare before she's done for good.

but who would she be then? who is the woman without the crown? what becomes of a machine once it is no longer needed, when it has made itself obsolete? what about when that machine is a person with legs and arms and an innate unwillingness to gather dust on a shelf?

what happens when you get everything you want? what happens when all your wanting has been for others to thrive, and now you have to want only for yourself? how do you discover who you are when you've spent decades being everything for everyone else? how do you find meaning again? how do you find purpose?

after a lifetime of devotion and passion and movement, how do you learn to sit with yourself, and be quiet, and be still?

gosh, i would love to meet her. i would love to pick her brain. but boy, i do not envy the work that girl has to do.

#sterge.rtf #fire emblem #fe3h #edelgard von hresvelg #realistically edelgard is not getting all of this done in her lifetime. but that wouldn't keep her from stepping away anyway #'cause a funny thing happened to edelgard during the crimson flower route: she learned to have faith again. #so even if she couldn't check every box and fix every societal ill she'd still be able to pass the crown to the next ruler. #maybe not without fear. but with confidence. with optimism. with the belief that she's leaving the world better than she found it. #she'd have faith in her people. faith in the future. faith in the groundwork she's laid. faith in the systems she's put in place. #faith that her vision will be carried out with or without her. #and that faith would allow her to eventually let go. #i so love edelgard pulling a george washington and saying nah i'm good on power. peace #though unfortunately i could also see her pulling a teddy roosevelt #and saying nah i'm good on power. peace. wait what are you doing. you're ruining it. you're bungling everything. i can't believe this #and making several (failed and increasingly insane) attempts to get back into politics #who is the taft to edelgard's ted tho. i don't want to do ferdinand the disservice of saying it's him even though i think it's very funny. #it's literally the opposite of his character as taft notoriously sniffed roosevelt's farts for a long time #until he finally pulled his head out of the guy's ass and realized there are other smells. such as the sewer. and garbage. #smells which he pursued quite happily much to ol ted's chagrin #meanwhile ferdinand does not think anything of edelgard's ass except that his is definitely better-looking than hers #(he's wrong on so many levels but you try telling the guy that) #in fact ferdinand has always taken great joy in pointing out all the things that smell better than edelgard does #which gives him an instant up on mr Take-Advice-From-Theodore #all this to say i think ferdinand von aegir would have been a much better president than william howard taft. that's just my opinion. #i'm getting off the rails in these tags idk what's wrong with me #sorry for equating your blorbos to long-dead american politicians everyone. i know this is a cardinal sin #also please don't take this to mean i think positively of washington or roosevelt or taft or whatever. #i hate all dead old white guys who ever held a modicum of power #i just had a hyperfixation on american presidents when i was in grade school and unfortunately now my brain works like this