Ashoka
श्री कृष्णा शरणं मम
I wanted to share a little bit of my experience with this Goddess with you all.
The Cailleach is an Irish hag goddess of winter. She is sometimes thought to be simply another face of the fire Goddess Brigid, but others see them as separate. The Cailleach brings the snow and the winter, and is seen as a kind of ancestral deity of sorts. She takes captive the Goddess Brigid, who is the Goddess of Spring. She is said to hold her captive until Imbolc, her festival. The Cailleach will sometimes prolong the winter, and search for firewood. It is said that if you see a crane over Scotland (she is also a Scottish deity) with branches in its mouth around the time of Imbolc, there will be more winter. This is because she is planning on a cold, longer winter, so she is gathering wood to build a fire. On those days, she makes the weather fair. So fair weather on Imbolc indicates a longer winter. But, if she plans for a shorter winter and wishes to go back to hibernating, she will cause bad weather on Imbolc.
La Na Cailleach is another day associated with her, observed on March 25th. This is the day she goes back into hibernation, until Lughnasadh (August 1) when the colder weather starts to (slowly) approach.
She's one of my favorite Goddesses, and is not actually (in my experience) fierce or cruel. She is lonely and a poem was written about her. Cailleach Bheur, or Cailleach of the Isle of Beara, is mentioned in a poem named Mise Éire. In it, the land of Ireland is said to be lonelier than she. She loves affection and is very tenderhearted.
(Artwork by the amazing Thalia Took).
The Cailleach is an Irish hag goddess of winter. She is sometimes thought to be simply another face of the fire Goddess Brigid, but others see them as separate. The Cailleach brings the snow and the winter, and is seen as a kind of ancestral deity of sorts. She takes captive the Goddess Brigid, who is the Goddess of Spring. She is said to hold her captive until Imbolc, her festival. The Cailleach will sometimes prolong the winter, and search for firewood. It is said that if you see a crane over Scotland (she is also a Scottish deity) with branches in its mouth around the time of Imbolc, there will be more winter. This is because she is planning on a cold, longer winter, so she is gathering wood to build a fire. On those days, she makes the weather fair. So fair weather on Imbolc indicates a longer winter. But, if she plans for a shorter winter and wishes to go back to hibernating, she will cause bad weather on Imbolc.
La Na Cailleach is another day associated with her, observed on March 25th. This is the day she goes back into hibernation, until Lughnasadh (August 1) when the colder weather starts to (slowly) approach.
She's one of my favorite Goddesses, and is not actually (in my experience) fierce or cruel. She is lonely and a poem was written about her. Cailleach Bheur, or Cailleach of the Isle of Beara, is mentioned in a poem named Mise Éire. In it, the land of Ireland is said to be lonelier than she. She loves affection and is very tenderhearted.
(Artwork by the amazing Thalia Took).
