Cailleach
Sign in to saveIn Gaelic (Irish, Scottish and Manx) myth, the Cailleach (, ) is a divine hag, 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, and has been applied to numerous mythological and folkloric figures in Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. 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.
Key facts
- Deity.type
- Celtic
- Deity.name
- Cailleach
- Deity.image
- Wonder tales from Scottish myth and legend (1917) (14566397697).jpg
- Deity.caption
- Illustration by John Duncan in Wonder Tales from Scottish Myth and Legend (1917)
- Deity.alt
- Print of old woman holding a hammer with a background of mountains
- Deity.god_of
- landscape, storms and winter
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Wikidata facts
- Image
- Wonder tales from Scottish myth and legend (1917) (14566397697).jpg
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- Cailleach
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Article
11 sectionsContents
- Name
- Legends
- Ireland
- Scotland
- In popular culture
- See also
- Notes
- References
- Primary sources
- Further reading
- External links
In Gaelic (Irish, Scottish and Manx) myth, the Cailleach (, ) is a divine hag, 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, and has been applied to numerous mythological and folkloric figures in Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. 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.
==Name== thumb|left| Ceann na Caill, The Hag's Head, on the southernmost tip of the [[Cliffs of Moher in County Clare. One of many locations named for the Cailleach.]]