If you dive deep into the heart of winter in Celtic and Scottish folktales, you may face the witch they call the Cailleach.
In different translations, her name means old woman, hag, veiled one, and woolen cloak. She is depicted as a divine hag, a goddess of creative endeavors, weather, and ancestors. She is also known as Beira, the Queen of Winter, in Scottish folklore.
She is often shown as having blue skin, red teeth adorned by skulls, and the talent of leaping across mountains and riding the winter storms that she calls. The Cailleach is known for crafting many of the mountains and large hills around the countryside. Myth says that as she traveled across the land, rocks would fall out of the basket she carried, creating great indentations in the ground.
As a Winter Witch, she herds deer, embraces the cold, and carries a staff that freezes the earth whenever she walks.
The Cailleach is known to be in partnership with the Goddess Brigid, and some believe that they are two faces of the same goddess. Some of these tales suggest that the Cailleach rules the days between Samhain and Beltane, while Brigid commands the land Beltane to Samhain. Depending on where the tale originates, this power transfer between the goddesses has different dates. However, on the day of the Goddess Brigid, February 1st is significant for both of these goddesses.
Legend says that if the Cailleach wishes for the winter to continue, she will ensure it is sunny on February 1st to gather firewood to keep her warm. If it rains on February 1st, Cailleach will not be able to gather firewood and will continue to sleep; therefore, winter will subside sooner rather than later. On this day, she is often depicted as a large bird carrying twigs within her beak.
She is not known to be good or evil, as her intentions shift depending on the tale and her intentions. As she is the bringer of winter, she is also the goddess of grain, which is a key component for surviving a long winter. She is a goddess of sovereignty, and anyone who wants to work the land must be approved by the Cailleach first.
How to Work with the Energy of Cailleach:
The Divine Hag and Creator Energy
Connect with your inner creativity in the spirit of winter. What lies dormant? What can be tapped into? As we celebrate the winter, what does the image of the divine hag mean to you in your own life and practice? Can you write about it in your journal? Paint a picture? Craft a song?
Gather Firewood
In the metaphorical sense, what does gathering firewood mean? What are we actually doing when we burn little fires to stay warm in the winter? What can we illuminate when we light a candle? Burn incense? Or start a winter bonfire (safely) outside? What can the energy of flame teach us?
Celebrate a Winter Storm
As the bringer of storms, the Cailleach rides the storms. How can you celebrate a winter storm? What do its winds show up to teach?
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