You Missed One, St. Patrick

Who is St Patrick?

St Patrick was born in Britian and taken prisoner by Irish pirates who enslaved him for for many years. I've read some accounts that he was actually born pagan, but that seems to have been debunked as well as other long standing beliefs of the patron saint of Ireland. During his time of captivity, he turned to Christianity and it's likely this was the catalyst for his later sainthood. He escaped his enslavement after hearing the word of God and made his way back to Britian. The same angel apparently came down and told him to return to Ireland as a missionary.

Driving Out the Snakes

After 15 years studying, Patrick was ordained and sent to Ireland to preach to the Christians there and convert the rest of the island. While the Christian sources claim he introduced Christianity to the natives, the fact is it was already there and he also wasn't the last to attempt the feat. Since he had spent six years captive, he knew the native traditions and decided to incorporate many into his teachings to convert the Druids. For instance, he used bonfires to celebrate Easter since the Irish already used bonfires at this time to celebrate the new year, the longer, warmer days, and of course, the end of winter (-likely how Ostara began). He also gave birth to the Celtic cross by adding the sun, since most pagan traditions were based on solar worship. The "Snakes" heard about in the overly exaggerated tales, were basically a prejudicial term for Celts, Druids, and other Irish pagans because of the tattooed snakes often found in their priests and followers. In pagan circles, it's suggested he slaughtered more pagans than he converted, but that is not proven or written about either. Needless to say, he barely made a dent in the conversion of those people, as the religion was practiced for a central or so after Patrick's time there. Historians P. Sufenas Virius Lupas and Ronald Hutton both attest that this "miracle" didn't even appear on any texts about St Patrick until the 11th century, while all of his other workings were written about back in the 7th. The most pivotal role was even an entire century before St Patrick was even born. 

Modern Day St Patrick's Day and Pagans

In my personal opinion, given the facts that he didn't actually do much of anything he's given credit for, I would say that this day is not about him personally. The day for me holds more of a poster boy image for everything done in the attempt to eradicate the pagan faith throughout the entire world, and specifically Europe. It's a day of morning and remembrance for things we will never get back due entirely to a people's poor judgement, lack of basic understanding, and complete ignorance. 

What is your take on the Christian holiday for his namesake? Any other folklore or tales you've heard?

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