Cailleach
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In Irish and Scottish mythology, The Cailleach (plural, Caillich) (also called The Cailleach Bheur) is generally seen as a divine hag, a creator, and possibly an ancestral deity or deified ancestor. The word simply means 'old woman' in modern Scottish Gaelic, and has been applied to numerous mythological figures in both Scotland and Ireland. In Scotland, she is credited with making numerous mountains and large hills, which are said to have been formed when she was striding across the land and accidentally dropped rocks from her apron.
In partnership with the goddess Brìde, the Cailleach is seen as a seasonal deity or spirit, with The Cailleach Bheur ruling the winter months between Samhuinn and Bealltainn, and Brìde ruling the summer months between Bealltainn and Samhuinn. Depending on local climate, the change in 'rulership' is celebrated any time between Latha Fhèill Brìghde (February 1) at the earliest, Latha na Cailleach (March 25), or Bealltain at the latest. Some interpretations have the Cailleach and Brìde as two faces of the same goddess.[1]
In Scotland, The Cailleachan (lit. 'old women') are also known as The Storm Hags, and seen as personifications of the elemental powers of nature, especially in a destructive aspect. They are said to be particularly active in raising the windstorms of spring, during the period known as A Chailleach.[2] [3]
One legend describes The Cailleach as turning to stone on Beltane and reverting back to humanoid form on Samhain in time to rule over the winter months. In Scotland, she ushers in winter by washing her plaid in the Whirlpool of Coire Bhreacain. This process is said to take three days, during which the roar of the coming tempest is heard as far away as twenty miles inland. When she is finished, her plaid is white and snow covers the land.[4]
In Scotland and Ireland, the first farmer to finish the grain harvest made a corn dolly, representing The Cailleach, from the last sheaf of the crop. The last farmer to finish had the responsibility to take in and care for the corn dolly for the next year. Competition was fierce to avoid having to take in the Old Woman. [5]
The word cailleach (Scottish Gaelic) comes from a root meaning 'veiled one', originally referring to nuns, and is related to caileag which means 'girl'. The Lowland Scots word for "hag" is carline which has evolved to mean witch. Another word for hag is the Irish Sile, which has led some to speculate on a connection between the Cailleach and the stonecarvings of Sheela na Gigs. Some scholars believe the Old Irish poem, 'The Lament of the Old Woman of Beare' is about the Cailleach; Kuno Meyer states, '...she had fifty foster-children in Beare. She had seven periods of youth one after another, so that every man who had lived with her came to die of old age, and her grandsons and great-grandsons were tribes and races.' [6] [7]
The Cailleach Bheur has been described in some sources as having blue-black skin, like a corpse. In later tales she is also known as Cailleach nan Cruachan, the witch of Ben Cruachan; tea-towels and postcards of her are sold in the visitor shop for the Hollow Mountain. She is also credited with creating Loch Awe.
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[edit] Notes
- ^ McNeill, F. Marian (1959). The Silver Bough, Vol.2: A Calendar of Scottish National Festivals, Candlemas to Harvest Home. Glasgow: William MacLellan, 20-1. ISBN 0-85335-162-7.
- ^ McNeill, F. Marian (1959). The Silver Bough, Vol.1: Scottish Folklore and Folk-Belief. Glasgow: William MacLellan, 119. ISBN 0-85335-161-9.
- ^ McNeill, F. Marian (1959). The Silver Bough, Vol.2: A Calendar of Scottish National Festivals, Candlemas to Harvest Home. Glasgow: William MacLellan, 20-1. ISBN 0-85335-162-7.
- ^ McNeill, F. Marian (1959). The Silver Bough, Vol.2: A Calendar of Scottish National Festivals, Candlemas to Harvest Home. Glasgow: William MacLellan, 20-1. ISBN 0-85335-162-7.
- ^ McNeill, F. Marian (1959). The Silver Bough, Vol.2: A Calendar of Scottish National Festivals, Candlemas to Harvest Home. Glasgow: William MacLellan, 119-124. ISBN 0-85335-162-7.
- ^ Meyer, Kuno (1994 (orig. 1913)). Ancient Irish Poetry. London: Constable and Co., 90-3. ISBN 0-09-16-473380-5.
- ^ Ó Crualaoich, Gearóid (2003). The Book of the Cailleach: Stories of the Wise-Woman Healer. Cork: Cork University Press, 48-52. ISBN 1-85918-372-7.
[edit] Bibliography
- Carmichael, Alexander (1992). Carmina Gadelica. Lindisfarne Press. ISBN 0-940262-50-9.
- Danaher, Kevin (1962). The Year in Ireland. Irish Books & Media. ISBN 0-937702-13-7.
- MacKillop, James (1998). Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-280120-1.
- McNeill, F. Marian (1959). The Silver Bough, Vol. 1 -4. William MacLellan, Glasgow.
- Ó Crualaoich, Gearóid (2003). The Book of the Cailleach: Stories of the Wise-Woman Healer. Cork University Press. ISBN 1-85918-372-7,
