Also called Cailleach Bhéarra, Cailleach Bheur, the Old Woman of Beara, the Hag of Winter.
Their story
The Cailleach is an ancient old woman who appears across Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man. The ninth-century Irish poem The Lament of the Old Woman of Beara has her mourning her lost youth and royal lovers. In Scottish Highland lore she herds deer, drops rocks from her creel to make mountains, and washes her plaid in the whirlpool of Corryvreckan until it turns white with the first snow. Some Highland tales set her against Bride, the winter hag giving way to the spring maiden.
Best times to give to them
- Samhain
- midwinter
- the last sheaf at harvest
- the eve of Imbolc
What they like being given
- oatcakes
- a warm drink shared outdoors
- the last sheaf of the harvest woven into a figure
- a stone added carefully to a path cairn
How to honour them
- Honour her in the dark months by respecting rest and the slow pace of winter.
- Sit with the elders in your life and listen to them.
- Walk in hard weather, safely dressed, and give her thanks for the wildness of it.
How they can help you
- ageing with strength
- endurance through winter
- respect for wild weather
- deep time and the land
Symbols
- the staff or hammer
- deer
- standing stones and cairns
- the whirlpool of Corryvreckan
She is a folklore figure more than a clearly attested goddess, and the name Beira, Queen of Winter, was coined by Donald Mackenzie in 1917.
Sources
- The Lament of the Old Woman of Beara
- Mackenzie, Scottish Folk-Lore and Folk Life
- Carmichael, Carmina Gadelica
- MacKillop, Oxford Dictionary of Celtic Mythology
More Celtic goddesses
- Brigid Keeper of the sacred flame
- The Morrígan Great Queen of battle and prophecy
- Danu Mother of the Tuatha Dé Danann
- Rhiannon The queen on the white horse
- Cerridwen Keeper of the cauldron of inspiration
- Epona Great Mare, protector of horses
- Arianrhod Lady of the silver wheel
- Airmed Keeper of the healing herbs