If you haven’t finished season one of “The Mandalorian” on Disney+, fair warning: there will be some slight spoilers below.
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If you’ve been watching the show, you’ve seen the amazing armorer who dwells in the enclave amidst maze-like sewers. We don’t know much about her, but the main protagonist of the show clearly respects her as a leader of sorts. Ever since she wielded her tools in episode one, the unidentified armorer hammered her way into my heart.
When fellow polytheists and Druids refer to Brigid, we most often think of her healing and bardic talents. We often link her to the fire of our hearth and ritual center. Yet in our modern world it’s easy to overlook her association with blacksmiths.
Intellectually, I’ve been aware of this side of her for years, but I’ve always struggled to connect with it, in part because I rarely see female blacksmiths. When I first sat down with my family to enjoy “The Mandalorian,” I was treated to the sight of a woman using her power and talent to create functional art to defend one of her warriors. My heart skipped a beat.
That’s Brigid, I thought. Not literally, of course, but she manifested in that form for me and, no doubt, other Pagans watching.
Fast forward to episode number eight and, my gods, what a masterpiece of a character! Like the goddess Brigid, the armorer is an artisan and keeper of traditions. She remains in the sewers collecting the armor of her fallen kin to preserve their ways. As Brigid would, she works to protect her clansman and the child he has taken in. Their creed demands the protection of children, and she gives the protagonist parting gifts to accomplish his duty as a guardian. Finally, even as she knows Storm Troopers will come after them, she remains at her forge as if meditating before an altar. When the Imperial soldiers arrive, she takes them down… with her tools!
I was floored and moved. This was a side of Brigid I had always sensed but never really saw outside of Ashley Bryner’s art. I’ve read bits about Brigid as a warrior, and I found that spirit in the armorer of “The Mandalorian.”
I now have a new cosplay goal.
Author M. A. Phillips 
That’s awesome. I’ve been meaning to see this show as the Manalorians are probably my favorite culture in star Wars (I have several original characters who are of that culture), but it will probably be a long time indeed before I see any of the episodes as I abhor streaming services and tend to avoid them like they are the black plague.
But I do remember reading something somewhere years ago that the creators of this culture in the Star Wars universe based an aspect of them on one of the Celtic cultures…I need to try and find where I read that from.
I tend to interact with Brighid in her inspirational side the most, as my practice is that of the Bard and Fili, but she reminds me on occasion that she’s is also a smith and warrior. Especially here in the past few days as a friend of my family rebuilt and replaced parts for an old World War II rifle as a Christmas gift for my uncle – The said family friend had to forge some of the few replacement parts for the rifle.
Thank you for sharing this with all of us!
Could be the Brigid for a new age? Fascinating how they appear, isn’t it?
And when you do the cosplay, we demand pics!