Abstract

This study examines how gender is portrayed in the hagiographic tradition surrounding St. Brigit of Kildare. In particular, it provides an in-depth look at how Brigit, as presented in her hagiographies, constantly undergoes gender transformations. These gender transformations are analyzed using material gained from a study of the way women were viewed in the early Medieval period, with an emphasis placed on how they were viewed in Ireland during the same period. A focus on the theology about women of the time, Irish spirituality and the theology behind it, as well as the conventions of hagiography and in particular the special characteristics of Irish hagiography are also offered.