Legend has it she made the cross from rushes she found on the ground beside
a dying man in order to convert him. It is interesting that this legend does not
appear in any of the oldest sources and to this day its origin remains lost in the
oral tradition. It remains the custom in many houses in Ireland to have a Saint Brigid's
Cross in honour of the saint. The cross takes many forms and is technically classed by
folk crafts experts as a "'plaited corn dolly", although the technologies utilized can
extend beyond plaiting to weaving and other forms.

Many of these forms such as that of
the "God's eye" appear in other cultural contexts. According to tradition a new cross
is made each Saint Brigid's Day (February 1), and the old one is burned to keep fire from
the house, yet customs vary by locality, and family. Many homes have multiple crosses
preserved in the ceiling the oldest blackened by many years of hearth fires.
Some believe that keeping a cross in the ceiling or roof is a good way to preserve
the home from fire which was always a major threat in houses with thatch and wood roofs.