Cailleach

Cailleach
landscape, storms and winter
Print of old woman holding a hammer with a background of mountains
Illustration by John Duncan in Wonder Tales from Scottish Myth and Legend (1917)
Other names
  • Cailleach Bhéara (Irish)
  • Cailleach Bheurra (Scottish Gaelic)
  • Caillagh (Manx)
  • The Hag of Beara
  • Beira, Queen of Winter
Abodes
Texts
Consorts

In Gaelic (Irish, Scottish and Manx) myth, the Cailleach (Irish: [ˈkal̠ʲəx, kəˈl̠ʲax], Scottish Gaelic: [ˈkʰaʎəx]) is a divine hag and ancestor, associated with the creation of the landscape and with the weather, especially storms and winter. The word literally means 'old woman, hag', and is found with this meaning in modern Irish and Scottish Gaelic,[1] and has been applied to numerous mythological and folkloric figures in Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man.[2] In modern Irish folklore studies, she is sometimes known as The Hag of Beara, while in Scotland she is known as Beira, Queen of Winter.

  1. ^ Robertson, Boyd; McDonald, Ian (2004). Gaelic Dictionary. "Teach Yourself" series. Hodder Education. pp. 24–25. ISBN 0-07-142667-1.
  2. ^ Briggs, Katharine M. (1976) An Encyclopedia of Fairies. New York, Pantheon Books. pp. 57-60.