Happy Imbolc!

A Scottish story tells how the young Brigit (or Bride) is imprisoned in the icy fortress of the Cailleach through the cold winter until she escapes with the help of the Cailleach’s son, with whom she elopes. In another version, the Cailleach herself drinks from a magic well on the first day of spring and is transformed into Brigit. In either case, it is the return of Brigit that ushers in the promise of spring.

The myth of the descent and return of the Goddess is central to the religion and experience of Wicca, so much so that Gardner called it simply “The Myth of the Goddess.” Told and retold in many forms throughout history, the story is an ancient one -- already old when it was recorded in Sumeria.

My version of the story is available onlne at http://www.freewebs.com/eclecticcoven/Mythology.html#imbolc