Cailleach

Cailleach
Cailleach
landscape, storms and winter
	Illustration by John Duncan in Wonder Tales from Scottish Myth and Legend (1917)
Other names	Cailleach Bhéara (Irish); Cailleach Bheurra (Scottish Gaelic); Caillagh (Manx); The Hag of Beara; Beira, Queen of Winter;
Abodes	Labbacallee wedge tomb;
Texts	The Lament of the Old Woman; The Hunt of Slieve Cuilinn; Glas Gaibhnenn; The Hag of Beara;
Consorts	Mug Ruith; Bodach;

In Gaelic (Irish, Scottish and Manx) myth, the Cailleach (Irish: [ˈkal̠ʲəx, kəˈl̠ʲax], Scottish Gaelic: [ˈkʰaʎəx]) is a divine hag and ancestor, 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.

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