the cailleach
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The Evolution of the Cailleach
The Cailleach features so little in Irish mythology, its almost as if she was deliberately written out of the record. But the stories remain in the oral tradition, and she was POWERFUL! Continue reading
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From Goddess to Grotesque?
The Sheelanagig figure is popularly believed to be a pre-Christian fertility figure, yet she only appears above stone church entrances from the 12th century onwards. So who is this mysterious figure really? Continue reading
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Tailtiu and the HAG
Was the Queen of harvests misunderstood? It seems she cleared the land not for planting crops but for grazing cattle. She also seems to have been a Cailleach figure, rather than a mother. Another cailleach suppressed, who would have thought… Continue reading
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The Sovereignty Goddess
Could the Cailleach and the sovereignty goddess be one and the same? Let’s look at the evidence. Continue reading
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The Veiled Woman
An exploration of female ageing and grey hair in Irish mythology and in modern day culture. Continue reading
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Wise-Woman or Witch?
The demonisation of the wise-woman/ healer/ midwife went hand in hand with the diminishing of the stories of the Cailleach. Continue reading
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Who is the H A G?
The multiple aspects of the Hag in the landscape, and how and why her powers were diminished by the patriarchy and the church. Continue reading
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Surrendering to Winter
The Cailleach as guide for surviving winter and the transition from mother to crone. Continue reading
