Giraldus walked toward her. The monk held a newly lit torch while the woman opened the book for Giraldus. A Virgin Mary of breathtaking beauty stared up at him from the very first page. As the woman turned the pages, divine images, delicately and exquisitely crafted in brilliant colors, gazed out amid the Words of the Lord. He had never seen anything like it. It seemed a miracle, the work of angels, not man.
“We understand that you will accompany England’s Prince John on his tour through his new lands.” She paused, as if awaiting his confirmation.
“I will.”
“We also understand that you will be at his side as he fashions his policies toward the Irish Church.”
“I hope to assist him in that regard.”
“Then we ask this of you. Remember this book and let it remind you of what the men and women of the Irish Church are capable when free from outside rule. And ask yourself what your Welsh Church might have accomplished—might still accomplish—without the yoke of England.”
A second monk appeared, holding the blindfold in his hand. Before he drew too near, Giraldus asked the woman, “May I know your name?”
“It is the book that is important. I am only the keeper.”
AUTHOR’S NOTE
While I was writing my first two books, The Chrysalis and The Map Thief, I came to realize that what truly intrigued me was the notion that an object—be it a piece of artwork or an artifact, real or imagined—can tell a story, and that the story can resolve a monumental historical mystery as well as divulge something secret about the creator of the object. I became fascinated by the idea that I could answer those historical mysteries through fiction.
So when I began researching my third book, I undertook a voyage through time’s riddles and characters. I’ve always been partial to Irish history, and in my readings, I learned about the lost Book of Kildare. The last recorded sighting of this mysterious, very early medieval Irish illuminated manuscript was by twelfth-century Welsh historian and clergyman Giraldus Cambrensis, during his tour of Saint Brigid’s Abbey of Kildare in Ireland. Giraldus became so entranced by this manuscript—“the work of angelic, and not human skill”—and its legendary creation at the guidance of Saint Brigid herself that he wrote:
Among all the miracles in Kildare, none appears to me more wonderful than that marvelous book which they say was written in the time of the Virgin Saint Brigid at the dictation of an angel…. Aided by divine grace … the book was composed, an angel furnishing the designs, Saint Brigid praying, and the scribe copying.
As I read Giraldus’ description of the book, I became captivated by the idea of the possible rediscovery of this lost masterpiece and the historical questions it might answer. For the Book of Kildare might have possibly contained some of the very first images of the Virgin Mary. The question of how these initial pictures of Mary originated in, and proliferated from, remote Ireland when Mary played a relatively small role in the accepted Biblical canon is a source of debate, particularly in the context of the famous Book of Kells, which seems to bear a striking similiarity to the Book of Kildare.
Placing this legendary book into its historical context, I became even more intrigued by the Book of Kildare and its possible ability to address this question. If one credits Giraldus’ narrative, the book was written and illustrated during the late fifth or early sixth century when the Roman Empire teetered on the edge of destruction at the hands of barbarian tribes. Some of Rome’s outcasts began fleeing the crumbling kingdom to the recently built abbeys, monasteries, and scriptoriums in the newly Christian Ireland. These exiles brought with them many classical and religious texts, and in scriptoriums such as the one found in Brigid’s Abbey of Kildare, the religious folk set to reading, preserving, and copying them. What if the Book of Kildare—and the first Marian portraits—were influenced by the texts flowing in to Ireland’s scriptoriums at this time? Brigid and the scribes of Kildare would have had access to a wide range of ancient manuscripts and in fact might have had familiarity with certain gospels banned by the early Christian church, such as the Protoevangelium of James, which paints the Virgin Mary in a strong, powerful light and offers much detail about her life.
Viewing the Book of Kildare through this historical prism, it seemed that the rediscovery of this lost masterwork might reveal much about why one of the first portraits of the Virgin Mary appears in remote, early medieval Ireland. It also appeared that the manuscript might illuminate just how Mary’s image and persona—indeed the true influential roles of many women of the early church, both Brigid and beyond—were altered and suppressed by society over the centuries. So I delved into the histories and legends of the formidable Mary and Brigid.
Indeed, unearthing the Book of Kildare might answer a more personal question, one raised by the wonderful woman who sparked my interest in this period and place—my late aunt, Sister Therese Coyne: “Why must Mary be so passive?” Perhaps the historical Mary wasn’t passive at all. Perhaps the times and people that followed shaped her so. As they did with Brigid.
Thus, Brigid of Kildare was born.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Brigid of Kildare would be as lost as The Book of Kildare if not for the encouragement of so many people. I want to begin by thanking my indefatigable agent and champion, Laura Dail, who unfailingly provides indispensable advice, tireless brainstorming, and humor. Starting with my talented editor, Paul Taunton, I would like to express my appreciation to the amazing Ballantine team for their constant efforts, support, and enthusiasm: Libby McGuire, Kim Hovey, Christine Cabello, Brian McLendon, Lisa Barnes, Rachel Kind, Jane von Mehren, Scott Shannon, the art department, the promotion and sales departments, and the managing editorial and production departments. And I am so thankful for the Pittsburgh book community, especially Mary Alice Gorman, Richard Goldman, and the many book clubs, libraries, and organizations where I have been invited to speak.
Family and friends offered unremitting optimism, including but by no means limited to: my parents, Coleman and Jeanne Benedict; my siblings, Coley, Liz, Lauren, Sean, Courtney, Christopher, and Meredith, and their wonderful families; my in-laws, particularly Catherine, Alison, and Marilyn; Illana Raia; Ponny Conomos Jahn; the Sewickley Book Club Ladies; the Six; Michael Volpatt; and Patti Vescio. And I reserve a special debt of gratitude to my late Aunt Terry, who is responsible for Brigid of Kildare in more ways than I can begin to express.
Yet, Brigid of Kildare truly belongs to my husband, Jim, and our sons, Jack and Ben. They provided me with such boundless love, unwavering faith, and steadfast support during the writing process that they made Brigid of Kildare possible. Thank you, thank you.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
HEATHER TERRELL is the author of The Chrysalis and The Map Thief. A lawyer with more than ten years’ experience as a litigator at two of the country’s premier law firms and for Fortune 500 companies, Terrell is a graduate of Boston College and the Boston University School of Law. She lives in Pittsburgh with her family.
Brigid of Kildare is a work of historical fiction. Apart from the well-known actual people, events, and locales that figure in the narrative, all names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to current events or locales, or to living persons, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2009 by Heather Terrell
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Ballantine Books, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
BALLANTINE and colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA Terrell, Heather.
Brigid of Kildare : a novel / Heather Terrell.—1st ed.
p. cm.
eISBN: 978-0-345-51529-2
1. Lost books—Fiction. 2. Manuscripts—Fiction. 3. Brigid, of Ireland, Saint, ca. 453–ca. 524—Fiction. 4. Mary, Blessed Virgin, Saint—Theology—Fiction.
5. Romans—Ireland—Fiction. 6. Ireland—Antiquities—Fiction. 7. Ireland—Church history—To 1172—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3620.E75B75 2009
813′.6—dc22 2009038973
www.ballantinebooks.com
v3.0
Table of Contents
Cover
Other Books by this Author
Title Page
Dedication
Chapter i - Rome: A.D. 470
Chapter ii - Gael: A.D. 456
Chapter iii - New York, New York: Present Day
Chapter iv - Dublin and Kildare, Ireland: Present Day
Chapter v - Kildare, Ireland: Present Day
Chapter vi - Gaul and the Irish Sea: A.D. 470
Chapter vii - Gael: A.D. 456
Chapter viii - Gael: A.D. 456
Chapter ix - Gael: A.D. 456
Chapter x - Gael: A.D. 457
Chapter xi - Kildare, Ireland: Present Day
Chapter xii - Kildare, Ireland: Present Day
Chapter xiii - Kildare, Ireland: Present Day
Chapter xiv - Gael: A.D. 470
Chapter xv - Gael: A.D. 457
Chapter xvi - Gael: A.D. 457
Chapter xvii - Gael: A.D. 457–61
Chapter xviii - Gael: A.D. 462
Chapter xix - Dublin, Ireland: Present Day
Chapter xx - Dublin, Ireland: Present Day
Chapter xxi - Gael: A.D. 470
Chapter xxii - Gael: A.D. 467
Chapter xxiiii - Gael: A.D. 467–70
Chapter xxiv - Gael: A.D. 470
Chapter xxv - Dublin, Ireland: Present Day
Chapter xxvi - Dublin, Ireland: Present Day
Chapter xxvii - Dublin, Ireland: Present Day
Chapter xxviii - Gael: A.D. 470
Chapter xxix - Gael: A.D. 470
Chapter xxx - Gael: A.D. 470–71
Chapter xxxi - Dublin, Ireland: Present Day
Chapter xxxii - Dublin, Ireland, and Rome, Italy: Present Day
Chapter xxxiiii - Rome, Italy: Present Day
Chapter xxxiv - Rome, Italy: Present Day
Chapter xxxv - Gael: A.D. 471
Chapter xxxvi - Gael: A.D. 471
Chapter xxxvii - Dublin, Ireland: Present Day
Chapter xxxviii - Kildare, Ireland: Present Day
Chapter xxxix - Gael: A.D. 471
Chapter xi - Kildare, Ireland: Present Day
Chapter xii - Kildare, Ireland: Present Day
Chapter xiii - Kildare, Ireland: Present Day
Chapter xiiii - Gael: A.D. 472
Chapter xiiv - Dublin, Ireland: Present Day
Epilogue: Kildare, Ireland: A.D. 1185
Author’s Note
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Copyright
Brigid of Kildare Page 23