Hell One and All!
One of the oldest goddesses in Celtic mythology was the Cailleach Bheur, or Beira as she is also known in Scotland. Various place names attest to the influence of the deity in the Gaelic speaking world, such as Ceann na Caillí, cliffs located in County Clare, and in Scotland she was credited with the creation of Loch Awe and Loch Ness. She could also be seen as the personification of winter itself, because she exhibits many of the traits of the season. The following story describes some of those aspects.
Cailleach Bheur: The Winter Goddess
Beira reigned as queen of the world each winter, but when spring grew near her subjects rebelled and her power faded. This development always enraged her and she did her utmost to lengthen the period of winter; even during spring she would send storms, so as to send a clear message to foolish humans.
The ruler of winter had lived for centuries upon centuries, and the key to this was the Well of Youth, which was located on the Green Island of the West. Without its magic waters Beira would crumble into dust. As soon as the water touched her lips she appeared as she was in her youth, but as the months passed she aged, so that by winter's first icy kiss she was ancient again.
Beira constructed the mountains of Scotland to serve as houses for her giant sons, each one was called a Fooar. These sons fought often, and to punish them she shut them in their mountain houses, but every morning they escaped and threw boulders at each other from their perches. This is one of the reasons why so many of the valleys became strewn with grey boulders.
When she wandered through mountains she always followed by a long line of animals, such as deer and foxes. If she happened upon a deer that was being hunted she would always save the animal. During winter she frequently milked hinds atop her mountains, and then the fierce wind would blow some of the froth from the pails, and the white substance would freeze and glisten atop the mountain peaks.
In Glen Cailleach, in central Scotland, there still remains a tradition associated with the Celtic winter goddess. In the heart of this Highland glen the only surviving shrine to the Cailleach Bheur is situated, the Tigh nam Bodach. The largest stone at the shrine represents the goddess, whilst the other stones represent her husband, Bodach, and her children. Each spring the stones are placed outside and each winter they are returned to the shrine, and it is believed as long as the stones are cared for the valley would remain fertile.
Thank you for reading!
One of the oldest goddesses in Celtic mythology was the Cailleach Bheur, or Beira as she is also known in Scotland. Various place names attest to the influence of the deity in the Gaelic speaking world, such as Ceann na Caillí, cliffs located in County Clare, and in Scotland she was credited with the creation of Loch Awe and Loch Ness. She could also be seen as the personification of winter itself, because she exhibits many of the traits of the season. The following story describes some of those aspects.
Cailleach Bheur: The Winter Goddess
Beira reigned as queen of the world each winter, but when spring grew near her subjects rebelled and her power faded. This development always enraged her and she did her utmost to lengthen the period of winter; even during spring she would send storms, so as to send a clear message to foolish humans.
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| Cailleach Beira from a drawing by John Duncan. |
The ruler of winter had lived for centuries upon centuries, and the key to this was the Well of Youth, which was located on the Green Island of the West. Without its magic waters Beira would crumble into dust. As soon as the water touched her lips she appeared as she was in her youth, but as the months passed she aged, so that by winter's first icy kiss she was ancient again.
Beira constructed the mountains of Scotland to serve as houses for her giant sons, each one was called a Fooar. These sons fought often, and to punish them she shut them in their mountain houses, but every morning they escaped and threw boulders at each other from their perches. This is one of the reasons why so many of the valleys became strewn with grey boulders.
When she wandered through mountains she always followed by a long line of animals, such as deer and foxes. If she happened upon a deer that was being hunted she would always save the animal. During winter she frequently milked hinds atop her mountains, and then the fierce wind would blow some of the froth from the pails, and the white substance would freeze and glisten atop the mountain peaks.
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| The Tigh na Cailleach near Glen Lyon in Perthshire, Scotland. Photo by Richard Bisset. |
In Glen Cailleach, in central Scotland, there still remains a tradition associated with the Celtic winter goddess. In the heart of this Highland glen the only surviving shrine to the Cailleach Bheur is situated, the Tigh nam Bodach. The largest stone at the shrine represents the goddess, whilst the other stones represent her husband, Bodach, and her children. Each spring the stones are placed outside and each winter they are returned to the shrine, and it is believed as long as the stones are cared for the valley would remain fertile.
Thank you for reading!
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