St. Patrick's Misty Armor
Christianity and Otherworldly Power
The story goes like this:
Lóegaire mac Néill was the pagan high king of Ireland who didn’t want St. Patrick and his crew to spread the news that the pagan gods were old and busted and that Christ was the new and everlasting hotness. So the king sent warriors to kill them. But when they encountered Patrick, he prayed a prayer of protection to the High King of Heaven who caused the warriors to see, not Patrick and his fellows, but wild deer. And the Christians passed by the warriors without harm.
We don’t know for sure exactly what prayer Patrick prayed but the medieval editor of the Irish hymnbook, Liber Hymnorum, said it was the prayer we commonly refer to as “St. Patrick’s Breastplate”.1
The editor also said it was called Féth Fíada, which he said meant “Deer’s Cry” for obvious reasons. But féth fíada doesn’t mean “deer’s cry”.
It’s a term that indicates a magic mist.
The helpful eggheads over at Oxford (referencing A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology) say this,
[OIr. féth, mist, fog; fíada, lord, master, possessor].
A magic mist or veil that usually renders those under it invisible; sometimes those under it may take animal form. Also known as ceó druídecta, ceo draoidheachte [druid's fog]. Féth fíada is usually thought to be a power of druids and the Tuatha Dé Danann, given them by Manannán mac Lir after their defeat by the Milesians.
The power was thought to have passed to Christian saints, an attribution persisting in Scottish Gaelic oral tradition until recent times.
The Tuatha Dé Danann are the supernatural beings of Ireland, the old gods and fairies and such. We’re told that they and their druid priests had the ability to shroud themselves in a magic mist.
What I find more interesting is that this misty power was believed to have passed to the Christians. The story of St. Patrick alakazaming himself into a deer being a fine contribution to that idea.
But the smartest and most respectable among us think of all of this as merely myth and symbols. They yawningly say it is a motif transferred from one myth to another, a way for poor idiots to understand cultural and religious upheaval.
They don’t believe in magic mist because they don’t believe in fairies because they don’t believe in supernatural beings because they don’t believe in God. And it’s not just the stuffy atheistic scholars who scoff; a good deal of Christians would like me to change the way I outlined all of that.
Many Christians would be uncomfortable saying that belief in God entails belief in the reality of pagan gods, fairies, and magic.
But this isn’t a Christian problem, it’s a modernity problem. The ancient Christians understood this better because they took the Scriptures seriously.
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (Ephesians 6:11-12)
You don’t believe in pagan gods and wicked fairies? Who do you think we’re at war with?
Too many think that Christianity is just about morals and how to live. And for too many Christians, belief in the supernatural is limited only to the intellect. They reason away or ignore the story of St. Patrick’s féth fíada not realizing they have the same otherworldly magical misty armor in their back pocket.
Still nervous about calling God’s protection of St. Patrick magic? I’ll go farther.
The gospel is God’s magic spell.
What are magic words, but words imbued with otherworldly power? The very term gospel indicates a magic word. The origin of the word gospel is the Old English word gōdspel which means good spell.
For I am not ashamed of the good spell of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth (Romans 1:16)
God has bigger magic, better magic. Much to the chagrin of purple haired neo-witches and their magick with a stupid k at the end, the gospel is real magic.
Back to St. Patrick.
The prayer attributed to him is of a genre of hymns and prayers called a lorica, which is Latin for “breastplate” (a term drawn from Ephesians 6). A lorica is a prayer of protection.
Patrick prayed for protection and God granted it via féth fíada.
Call it magic, call it a miracle, call it providence, call it answered prayer, but don’t fool yourself into thinking we’re not talking about the same thing. We’re talking about otherworldly power.
Christ is King of this world and the otherworld. He gives gifts to men. Through faith in the good spell we are united to Christ who overthrows all pagan gods, crafty druids, and wicked fairies.
The magic that produced a misty veil of protection that once covered the gods of Ireland has been spoiled and given to the Christians, who have access to true power.2
Take some time to read through Ephesians 6, pray through Patrick’s Breastplate, and don your misty armor, for the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and will guard you against the evil one. (2 Thessalonians 3:3).
St Patrick’s Breastplate - Translation by John Carey
Today I gird myself with a mighty power,
Invocation of the Trinity.
Belief in the Threeness, affirmation of the Oneness.
In the Creator’s presence.
Today I gird myself
With the power of Christ’s birth together with his baptism,
With the power of his crucifixion together with his burial,
With the power of his resurrection together with his ascension,
With the power of his descent to pronounce judgment of Doomsday.
Today I gird myself
With the power of the order of the Cherubim,
With the Obedience of angels,
With the ministry of archangels.
With the hope of resurrection,
For the sake of reward,
With the prayers of the patriarchs.
With the predictions of the prophets,
With the precepts of the apostles,
With the faith of confessors,
With the innocence of holy virgins,
With the deeds of righteous people.
Today I gird myself
With the strength of heaven,
Light of the sun.
Brightness of the moon,
Brilliance of fire.
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of wind.
Depth of sea,
Firmness of earth,
Stability of rock.
Today I gird myself
With the strength of God to direct me,
The might of God to exalt me,
The mind of God to lead me,
The eye of God to watch over me,
The ear of God to hear me,
The word of God to speak to me,
The hand of God to defend me,
The path of God to go before me,
The shield of God to guard me,
The help of God to protect me
Against the snares of demons,
Against the temptation of vices,
Against the tendencies of nature,
Against everyone who will wish me ill,
Far and near, Among few and among many.
Today I interpose all these powers between myself
And every harsh pitiless power which may come against my body and my soul,
Against the predictions of false prophets,
Against the black laws of paganism,
Against the crooked laws of heretics,
Against the encirclement of idolatry,
Against the spells of women and smiths and druids,
Against every knowledge which harms a man’s body and soul.
May Christ protect me today
Against poison,
Against burning,
Against drowning,
Against wounding,
That many rewards may come to me.
May Christ be with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ within me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ to my right,
Christ to my left,
Christ where I lie down,
Christ where I sit,
Christ where I stand,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks to me,
Christ in every eye which looks on me,
Christ in every ear which hears me.
Today I gird myself
With a mighty power, Invocation of the Trinity,
Belief in the Threeness, Proclamation of the Oneness,
In the Creator’s presence.
Salvation is of the Lord,
Salvation is of the Lord,
Salvation is of Christ,
May your salvation Lord, be always with us.
Fair warning.
There was a dude named Simon who was a legit sorcerer. When he saw God’s real magic he dropped his so-called ‘great’ magick like a box of rocks. But he only did so because he lusted after that power and he wanted to buy it with something less than his entire life. He didn’t want forgiveness for his iniquity, he was still bound by it. And Peter called him out. You can’t obtain the gift of God by anything other than faith in Christ.