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There is a request, submitted by MarsInSVG ( talk), for an audio version of this article to be created. For further information, see WikiProject Spoken Wikipedia. The rationale behind the request is: "Pronunciation of many words in Gaelic". |
In much of Southern Germany & neighboring places, they preserved this weird, confusing tradition in their folklore about an old troll/ witch that seems to have an extreme similarity to Freya. What I've just noticed, however, is three extreme deviations from Freya folklore that I only just realized correspond to the Cailleach- the name Perchta, sometimes written Berchta, is similar to Beira, she is portrayed as an old woman instead of a young one & she can cause it to snow- specifically when she makes her bed in the spirit realm.
It occurs to me that they combined aspects of Beira into Freya & that is what accounts for several of the odd additions. My best guess is that, whatever religious practices Freya & Beira were attached to both came to he deemed heretical witchcraft & that is why the two became so strongly associated with one another. It's usually just one, odd thing that links two deities from two different cultures together, rather than them being a 1 for 1.
Also- I found out from a food history channel that pre-Industrial Revolution people would try to only eat the old chickens who had stopped producing eggs, which is probably why Cailleach is also the word for chicken. Lol
Once again the neo pagans subvert celtic mythology for their own purposes. This article reads just like the new agey, neo-pagan claptrap you can buy at your local wiccan bookstore. There is little reference to authoritative work to support any of what is written. The section about "the Cailleach" in folklore reads as if people in Ireland and Scotland still believe this. Please add a disclaimer that the "folklore" section is really just a neo-pagan revision of a very thinly attested aspect of celtic mythology. -- 12.181.190.99 ( talk) 17:02, 24 May 2008 (UTC)
OK, I'm going to be bold and attempt to clean up the dodgier bits here. -- Kathryn NicDhàna 20:38, 11 May 2006 (UTC)
I did a fairly major rewrite. It could still use some work. Still need to thoroughly vet the links posted by previous editors, and possibly footnote the folkloric bits, though I did include sources in the bibliography. I think there's more Wikifying to do, such as linkage on the festivals. -- Kathryn NicDhàna 21:54, 11 May 2006 (UTC)
I've done a major overhaul. Deleted the dodgy bits no one else was able to source, and fleshed out the stuff I have good sources for. I might expand this more later, but I figure this was enough of a change to remove the flags. And hey, look at that date above. Perhaps I was unable to resume work on this till the shift to Samhuinntide ;-) -- Kathryn NicDhàna 04:07, 24 October 2006 (UTC)
I was looking at my family tree and there was a guy called Cailleach Bheur who was a king of Ireland from 642 to 654. I've been trying to find some sources but i've not had much luck yet. - 80.47.123.193 20:39, 21 May 2007 (UTC)
No one mentioned yet that the name Galicia derives from Cailleach. In more detail, the Roman name for this land was originally Callaecia, meaning 'Land of Cailleach'. This is due to the fact that one of the biggest Celtic tribes Romans fought when first entered the country called themselves 'worshippers of Cailleach' (according to Roman chronicles). Callaecia was eventually transformed (by local phonetics) into Gallaecia > Galecia > Galicia / Galiza. There is an internet reference on this (in Portuguese) at http://agal-gz.org/portugaliza/numero0/boletim00nova05.htm There are plenty of references in books and articles, i.e. it's pretty well documented. I'll try to compile the most relevant info on the issue and document it properly, before adding anything to the main article. Still, I think it's important to mention that, in a strange way, there's a People out there whose homeland's name could be roughly translated as 'the land of the worshippers of Cailleach'. --Milesio, 21:36, 2 September 2007 (GMT)
After boldly rewriting, sourcing, and adding pictures to this, I decided to be bold and nominate it for Good Article status in the category of Mythology. If anyone who hasn't contributed substantially to the article would like to participate in the review process, that would be helpful. Or if you think you can further improve the article, that would be great, too.
I vacillate on whether this should be longer. It could conceivably be expanded, and the legends split into Irish and Scottish sections, but I actually like it the way it is now. I think it's a nice little article. If we were to go for Feature status, we'd want to expand it, imho, but for now, I'm interested to see if people think it at least merits a GA. - Kathryn NicDhàna ♫♦ ♫ 23:18, 21 November 2007 (UTC)
Hello! I am Rudget, and will be carrying out this GA review. I lived in Ireland until I was 9, and I'd heard about the Cailleach, but this has enlightened me more. But getting back to the review (!), it looks great on first appearances. Regards, Rudget. talk 16:12, 20 November 2007 (UTC)
This is my assessment of the ( current revision) article. Below the assessment are some tips that will help the page even further.
Here is a greater analysis of my review:
There's a few problems that have been described above, like the lack of more sources and some patchy prose, but everything else is good and I am willing to pass this article on the assumption that as Kathryn is the sole editor, these problems will be easily and swiftly recognised and corrected. Congratulations to the Kathryn and all the other editors invovled with the article. Rudget. talk 13:10, 24 November 2007 (UTC)
While I'm glad to finally see sourcing for these claims, I wish more were in English. Also, compared to the rest of the section(s), the Galicia section is too long and detailed. Detailed about Galicia, that is, not about A Chailleach. I think some of the section should be compressed. - Kathryn NicDhàna ♫♦ ♫ 17:34, 1 October 2008 (UTC)
The (tiny) Galician section has been deleted, disregarding all the sources and evidence linking Galicia to the Cailleach. Thus, putting into context the so-called Latin etymology - maybe that's why Roman chronicles, and Greeks before them! - unequivocally mention that the Callaeci were "Worshipers of the Cailleach" (and one wonders why Galicia and Ireland share so many place-names, in sequential chronology). I actually had logged in to add some more sources :P Also, the Sheela na gig info is fun to follow on too, since the oldest Sheela na gig representation in Europe has been discovered in Galicia ( google translate can help)... Oh well. Up to ye all. I won't "undo" because it'd be deleted again; what's the point of sources and research anyway. Swamp Greetings ( talk) 15:55, 13 September 2011 (UTC)
In regard to Marian McNeill's reference in her work "The Silver Bough" that Cailleach becomes Bride. I also noticed similar tradition with corn dollies.
From “The Red-Haired Girl from the Bog: The Landscape of Celtic Myth and Spirit” by Patricia Monaghan (writing about Ireland): “Once cut, the Cailleach sheaf was treated reverently. Dressed as an old woman or plaited into a cross, it hung in house or barn until replaced by the next year’s sheaf. In many areas, the Cailleach sheaf provided material for spring’s Brigit crosses – the same hag-into-virgin motif we encounter in our tales of Niall visiting the well.”
An analogy can be found in “Celtic Christianity and nature: early Irish and Hebridean traditions" by Mary Low; for the Caillach was typical made from the last sheaf. “Then at the beginning of February, at the festival of Bride or Brigit, it was the custom in the Hebrides to take a sheaf from the previous year's harvest, form it into a female figure, and carry it from house to house. This effigy was known as the Bride or little Bride. Insome places, the older women of the townland would make her a cradle. These were similar in Ireland.” However I find that in some districts in Scotland the dolly was not called the Cailleach, but instead calling it the Maiden. Muireagain ( talk) 19:28, 9 March 2011 (UTC)
Here is another story (as opposed to the tales of Loch Ba, Isle of Mull) from Scotland that has the Cailleach visiting a well to renew here youth:
From "The white wife; with other stories, collected by Cuthbert Bede" (1865) "THE PRATTLING OLD WIFE. MANY years ago, there lived in Kildavee, Cantire, a Chailleach bhearo, or prattling old wife, who possessed wonderful gifts. She had discovered a medicinal well, to which she repaired every seventh year, in order that she might get her youth renewed; and many a time search has been made for this well, but it has not yet been discovered. But this might arise from the circumstance, that, whenever the old Wife paid her visit to the well for the purpose of renewing her youth, she was very careful not to meet with any person on the road: for, if she did, it would deprive the waters of the well of their medicinal charm. ..." http://books.google.com/books?pg=PA124&dq=Cantire%20%22seventh%20year%22%20renew&ei=b9Z3Te7iGoqcgQftqO3TBQ&ct=result&id=ZtoBAAAAQAAJ&output=text
The seven year cycle reminds me of seven periods of youth in 'The Lament of the Old Woman of Beare'.
Revue celtique for 1879-1880 in regard to the tale of 'The Prattling Old Wife' tells of a "fine well at Oranmore [Co. Galway], which runs wine every seventh year, is called from her, Tobar-na-Caillíghe Béaraighe." http://www.archive.org/stream/revueceltique04gaid/revueceltique04gaid_djvu.txt Muireagain ( talk) 19:56, 9 March 2011 (UTC)
1792 "Curious Stones, l£c.—On a high part of that ridge of hills which separates Stralachlan from Glendaruel, there is a very large stone, remarkable for its situation. There is a descent from it on every side. The prospect from it is very extensive. It is called Cailieach-vear or vera. In the dark ages of superstition, it was personisied, and said to have a considerable property in cattle. Cailieach-vear makes a conspicuous figure in the marvellous tales of the country people, over a great great part of the West Highlands. Her residence was said to be on the highest mountains ; that she could step with ease, and in a moment, from one district to another; when offended, that she caused a flood to come from the mountains, which destroyed the corns, and laid the low grounds under water; that one of these floods was the origin of Lochow, in Lom, of Locheck, in this parish, and of manyother lakes; that the people paid her a superstitious veneration, and were under dreadful apprehensions of her anger." From "The statistical account of Scotland: Volume 4" edited by Sir John Sinclair
1793 "Bera the aged dwelt in the cave of the rock. She was the daughter of Griannan the sage: long was the line of her father, and she was the last of her race. Large and fertile were her possessions; hers the beautiful vale below, and hers the cattle which roamed on the hills around. To Bera was committed the charge of that awful spring, which, by the appointment of fate, was to prove so fatal to the inheritance of her fathers, and to her father's race. Before the sun should withdraw his beams, she was to cover the spring with a stone, on which sacred and mysterious characters were impressed. One night this was forgotten by the unhappy Bera. Overcome with the heat and chase of the day, she was seized with sleep before the usual time of rest. The confined waters of the mountain burst forth into the plain below, and covered that large expanse, now known by the name of the Lake of Aw. The third morning, Bera awaked from her sleep; she went to remove the stone from the spring; but behold no stone was there! She looked to the inheritance of her tribe: she shrieked! The mountain shook from its base! Her spirit retired to the ghosts of her fathers, in their light and airy halls." Ossian. From "The statistical account of Scotland: Volume 8" edited by Sir John Sinclair
1862 "according to Mr Macgregor, and the cailleach, (kayll-ech) carlin, is represented as sitting on the ground, beating it with a mell, to keep down the grass; and when, in defiance of her grim and vigorous exertions, the grass sprung up all around her, she threw away the mell in despair, and vanished into air." From "A treatise on the language, poetry and music of the Highland clans" by Donald Campbell (lieut.), Page 51. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.196.44.146 ( talk) 02:17, 5 December 2011 (UTC)
The sacred Text referenced says, "In the days when rivers broke loose and lochs were made, Beira set herself to build the mountains of Scotland. When at work she carried on her back a great creel filled with rocks and earth. Sometimes as she leapt from hill to hill her creel tilted sideways, and rocks and earth fell from it into lochs and formed islands. Many islands are spoken of as "spillings from the creel of the big old woman"" and therefore I changed apron to basket. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.92.32.180 ( talk) 05:45, 10 October 2013 (UTC)
Requesting a spoken version of this article to help with pronunciation. -- MarsInSVG ( talk) 11:00, 17 January 2015 (UTC)
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Hello @ Akerbeltz:. You corrected the translation of the Gaelic to plural instead of singular. I am no Gaelic scholar, but felt that the word "bodach" suddenly appeared in the article with no explanation for those without even a smattering of Gaelic. I therefore tried to give an explanation. Given that words are plural there is a problem here in that in the context they ought to be singular: there is only one old woman in the shrine. The OS map gives "Tigh nam Bodach" (despite his wife being the main character!), as do most references, although some also give Tigh nan Cailleach. How do we square this singular/plural issue? Exbrum ( talk) 22:57, 11 March 2020 (UTC)
I think your PS is the most likely explanation. Re Canmore, I note that it also gives the "masculine" version as Taigh-nam-Bodach so retaining the plural. Your suggestion of pointing out the confusion is a good one. Both names ought to be in the singular. Could I suggest you make the change. Thanks. Exbrum ( talk) 15:29, 12 March 2020 (UTC)
Not quite. My understanding is that the largest stones are the old man (singular) and the old woman (singular), and the smaller ones are their children, the smallest one being her baby. [1] In fact McKerracher, perhaps the best source, does not mention the old man at all, just the old woman and her family. He says that the old woman's house is "Tigh nam Bodach". Exbrum ( talk) 17:53, 16 March 2020 (UTC)
We might want to merge the Beira article into this one. I'm not a folklore expert, but as far as I can tell Beira and Cailleach are just two names for the same figure. The Beira page is a stub anyways, and this article is of a reasonable size that the merging of Beira will not cause any problems as far as article size is concerned. I think this makes sense, but I'd like to hear the opinion of someone more knowledgeable on the topic than myself before anything gets changed. Aquaticonions ( talk) 19:00, 26 November 2020 (UTC)
I don't see what makes the name variant Beira notable on its own. Merging it here might be best. -- Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus| reply here 10:13, 25 December 2020 (UTC)
JK Rowling has opened a sexual-violence support center in Edinburgh, as announced 12 December 2022, as per Julie Bindel, JK Rowling works her magic again, https://unherd.com/2022/12/jk-rowling-works-her-magic-again/:
"Situated in the heart of Edinburgh, it is a service for women who have been subjected to men’s violence. It is named after the Scottish goddess of Winter, as Rowling explained: 'Beira rules over the dark part of the year, handing over to her sister, Bride, when summer comes again. Beira represents female wisdom, power, and regeneration. Hers is a strength that endures during the difficult times, but her myth contains the promise that they will not last for ever.'
I'll expect some more attention to this article shortly. Rorybowman ( talk) 04:25, 13 December 2022 (UTC)
This article is rated GA-class on Wikipedia's
content assessment scale. It is of interest to the following WikiProjects: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Cailleach has been listed as one of the Philosophy and religion good articles under the good article criteria. If you can improve it further, please do so. If it no longer meets these criteria, you can reassess it. | ||||||||||
|
There is a request, submitted by MarsInSVG ( talk), for an audio version of this article to be created. For further information, see WikiProject Spoken Wikipedia. The rationale behind the request is: "Pronunciation of many words in Gaelic". |
In much of Southern Germany & neighboring places, they preserved this weird, confusing tradition in their folklore about an old troll/ witch that seems to have an extreme similarity to Freya. What I've just noticed, however, is three extreme deviations from Freya folklore that I only just realized correspond to the Cailleach- the name Perchta, sometimes written Berchta, is similar to Beira, she is portrayed as an old woman instead of a young one & she can cause it to snow- specifically when she makes her bed in the spirit realm.
It occurs to me that they combined aspects of Beira into Freya & that is what accounts for several of the odd additions. My best guess is that, whatever religious practices Freya & Beira were attached to both came to he deemed heretical witchcraft & that is why the two became so strongly associated with one another. It's usually just one, odd thing that links two deities from two different cultures together, rather than them being a 1 for 1.
Also- I found out from a food history channel that pre-Industrial Revolution people would try to only eat the old chickens who had stopped producing eggs, which is probably why Cailleach is also the word for chicken. Lol
Once again the neo pagans subvert celtic mythology for their own purposes. This article reads just like the new agey, neo-pagan claptrap you can buy at your local wiccan bookstore. There is little reference to authoritative work to support any of what is written. The section about "the Cailleach" in folklore reads as if people in Ireland and Scotland still believe this. Please add a disclaimer that the "folklore" section is really just a neo-pagan revision of a very thinly attested aspect of celtic mythology. -- 12.181.190.99 ( talk) 17:02, 24 May 2008 (UTC)
OK, I'm going to be bold and attempt to clean up the dodgier bits here. -- Kathryn NicDhàna 20:38, 11 May 2006 (UTC)
I did a fairly major rewrite. It could still use some work. Still need to thoroughly vet the links posted by previous editors, and possibly footnote the folkloric bits, though I did include sources in the bibliography. I think there's more Wikifying to do, such as linkage on the festivals. -- Kathryn NicDhàna 21:54, 11 May 2006 (UTC)
I've done a major overhaul. Deleted the dodgy bits no one else was able to source, and fleshed out the stuff I have good sources for. I might expand this more later, but I figure this was enough of a change to remove the flags. And hey, look at that date above. Perhaps I was unable to resume work on this till the shift to Samhuinntide ;-) -- Kathryn NicDhàna 04:07, 24 October 2006 (UTC)
I was looking at my family tree and there was a guy called Cailleach Bheur who was a king of Ireland from 642 to 654. I've been trying to find some sources but i've not had much luck yet. - 80.47.123.193 20:39, 21 May 2007 (UTC)
No one mentioned yet that the name Galicia derives from Cailleach. In more detail, the Roman name for this land was originally Callaecia, meaning 'Land of Cailleach'. This is due to the fact that one of the biggest Celtic tribes Romans fought when first entered the country called themselves 'worshippers of Cailleach' (according to Roman chronicles). Callaecia was eventually transformed (by local phonetics) into Gallaecia > Galecia > Galicia / Galiza. There is an internet reference on this (in Portuguese) at http://agal-gz.org/portugaliza/numero0/boletim00nova05.htm There are plenty of references in books and articles, i.e. it's pretty well documented. I'll try to compile the most relevant info on the issue and document it properly, before adding anything to the main article. Still, I think it's important to mention that, in a strange way, there's a People out there whose homeland's name could be roughly translated as 'the land of the worshippers of Cailleach'. --Milesio, 21:36, 2 September 2007 (GMT)
After boldly rewriting, sourcing, and adding pictures to this, I decided to be bold and nominate it for Good Article status in the category of Mythology. If anyone who hasn't contributed substantially to the article would like to participate in the review process, that would be helpful. Or if you think you can further improve the article, that would be great, too.
I vacillate on whether this should be longer. It could conceivably be expanded, and the legends split into Irish and Scottish sections, but I actually like it the way it is now. I think it's a nice little article. If we were to go for Feature status, we'd want to expand it, imho, but for now, I'm interested to see if people think it at least merits a GA. - Kathryn NicDhàna ♫♦ ♫ 23:18, 21 November 2007 (UTC)
Hello! I am Rudget, and will be carrying out this GA review. I lived in Ireland until I was 9, and I'd heard about the Cailleach, but this has enlightened me more. But getting back to the review (!), it looks great on first appearances. Regards, Rudget. talk 16:12, 20 November 2007 (UTC)
This is my assessment of the ( current revision) article. Below the assessment are some tips that will help the page even further.
Here is a greater analysis of my review:
There's a few problems that have been described above, like the lack of more sources and some patchy prose, but everything else is good and I am willing to pass this article on the assumption that as Kathryn is the sole editor, these problems will be easily and swiftly recognised and corrected. Congratulations to the Kathryn and all the other editors invovled with the article. Rudget. talk 13:10, 24 November 2007 (UTC)
While I'm glad to finally see sourcing for these claims, I wish more were in English. Also, compared to the rest of the section(s), the Galicia section is too long and detailed. Detailed about Galicia, that is, not about A Chailleach. I think some of the section should be compressed. - Kathryn NicDhàna ♫♦ ♫ 17:34, 1 October 2008 (UTC)
The (tiny) Galician section has been deleted, disregarding all the sources and evidence linking Galicia to the Cailleach. Thus, putting into context the so-called Latin etymology - maybe that's why Roman chronicles, and Greeks before them! - unequivocally mention that the Callaeci were "Worshipers of the Cailleach" (and one wonders why Galicia and Ireland share so many place-names, in sequential chronology). I actually had logged in to add some more sources :P Also, the Sheela na gig info is fun to follow on too, since the oldest Sheela na gig representation in Europe has been discovered in Galicia ( google translate can help)... Oh well. Up to ye all. I won't "undo" because it'd be deleted again; what's the point of sources and research anyway. Swamp Greetings ( talk) 15:55, 13 September 2011 (UTC)
In regard to Marian McNeill's reference in her work "The Silver Bough" that Cailleach becomes Bride. I also noticed similar tradition with corn dollies.
From “The Red-Haired Girl from the Bog: The Landscape of Celtic Myth and Spirit” by Patricia Monaghan (writing about Ireland): “Once cut, the Cailleach sheaf was treated reverently. Dressed as an old woman or plaited into a cross, it hung in house or barn until replaced by the next year’s sheaf. In many areas, the Cailleach sheaf provided material for spring’s Brigit crosses – the same hag-into-virgin motif we encounter in our tales of Niall visiting the well.”
An analogy can be found in “Celtic Christianity and nature: early Irish and Hebridean traditions" by Mary Low; for the Caillach was typical made from the last sheaf. “Then at the beginning of February, at the festival of Bride or Brigit, it was the custom in the Hebrides to take a sheaf from the previous year's harvest, form it into a female figure, and carry it from house to house. This effigy was known as the Bride or little Bride. Insome places, the older women of the townland would make her a cradle. These were similar in Ireland.” However I find that in some districts in Scotland the dolly was not called the Cailleach, but instead calling it the Maiden. Muireagain ( talk) 19:28, 9 March 2011 (UTC)
Here is another story (as opposed to the tales of Loch Ba, Isle of Mull) from Scotland that has the Cailleach visiting a well to renew here youth:
From "The white wife; with other stories, collected by Cuthbert Bede" (1865) "THE PRATTLING OLD WIFE. MANY years ago, there lived in Kildavee, Cantire, a Chailleach bhearo, or prattling old wife, who possessed wonderful gifts. She had discovered a medicinal well, to which she repaired every seventh year, in order that she might get her youth renewed; and many a time search has been made for this well, but it has not yet been discovered. But this might arise from the circumstance, that, whenever the old Wife paid her visit to the well for the purpose of renewing her youth, she was very careful not to meet with any person on the road: for, if she did, it would deprive the waters of the well of their medicinal charm. ..." http://books.google.com/books?pg=PA124&dq=Cantire%20%22seventh%20year%22%20renew&ei=b9Z3Te7iGoqcgQftqO3TBQ&ct=result&id=ZtoBAAAAQAAJ&output=text
The seven year cycle reminds me of seven periods of youth in 'The Lament of the Old Woman of Beare'.
Revue celtique for 1879-1880 in regard to the tale of 'The Prattling Old Wife' tells of a "fine well at Oranmore [Co. Galway], which runs wine every seventh year, is called from her, Tobar-na-Caillíghe Béaraighe." http://www.archive.org/stream/revueceltique04gaid/revueceltique04gaid_djvu.txt Muireagain ( talk) 19:56, 9 March 2011 (UTC)
1792 "Curious Stones, l£c.—On a high part of that ridge of hills which separates Stralachlan from Glendaruel, there is a very large stone, remarkable for its situation. There is a descent from it on every side. The prospect from it is very extensive. It is called Cailieach-vear or vera. In the dark ages of superstition, it was personisied, and said to have a considerable property in cattle. Cailieach-vear makes a conspicuous figure in the marvellous tales of the country people, over a great great part of the West Highlands. Her residence was said to be on the highest mountains ; that she could step with ease, and in a moment, from one district to another; when offended, that she caused a flood to come from the mountains, which destroyed the corns, and laid the low grounds under water; that one of these floods was the origin of Lochow, in Lom, of Locheck, in this parish, and of manyother lakes; that the people paid her a superstitious veneration, and were under dreadful apprehensions of her anger." From "The statistical account of Scotland: Volume 4" edited by Sir John Sinclair
1793 "Bera the aged dwelt in the cave of the rock. She was the daughter of Griannan the sage: long was the line of her father, and she was the last of her race. Large and fertile were her possessions; hers the beautiful vale below, and hers the cattle which roamed on the hills around. To Bera was committed the charge of that awful spring, which, by the appointment of fate, was to prove so fatal to the inheritance of her fathers, and to her father's race. Before the sun should withdraw his beams, she was to cover the spring with a stone, on which sacred and mysterious characters were impressed. One night this was forgotten by the unhappy Bera. Overcome with the heat and chase of the day, she was seized with sleep before the usual time of rest. The confined waters of the mountain burst forth into the plain below, and covered that large expanse, now known by the name of the Lake of Aw. The third morning, Bera awaked from her sleep; she went to remove the stone from the spring; but behold no stone was there! She looked to the inheritance of her tribe: she shrieked! The mountain shook from its base! Her spirit retired to the ghosts of her fathers, in their light and airy halls." Ossian. From "The statistical account of Scotland: Volume 8" edited by Sir John Sinclair
1862 "according to Mr Macgregor, and the cailleach, (kayll-ech) carlin, is represented as sitting on the ground, beating it with a mell, to keep down the grass; and when, in defiance of her grim and vigorous exertions, the grass sprung up all around her, she threw away the mell in despair, and vanished into air." From "A treatise on the language, poetry and music of the Highland clans" by Donald Campbell (lieut.), Page 51. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.196.44.146 ( talk) 02:17, 5 December 2011 (UTC)
The sacred Text referenced says, "In the days when rivers broke loose and lochs were made, Beira set herself to build the mountains of Scotland. When at work she carried on her back a great creel filled with rocks and earth. Sometimes as she leapt from hill to hill her creel tilted sideways, and rocks and earth fell from it into lochs and formed islands. Many islands are spoken of as "spillings from the creel of the big old woman"" and therefore I changed apron to basket. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.92.32.180 ( talk) 05:45, 10 October 2013 (UTC)
Requesting a spoken version of this article to help with pronunciation. -- MarsInSVG ( talk) 11:00, 17 January 2015 (UTC)
Hello fellow Wikipedians,
I have just modified 3 external links on Cailleach. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
When you have finished reviewing my changes, you may follow the instructions on the template below to fix any issues with the URLs.
This message was posted before February 2018.
After February 2018, "External links modified" talk page sections are no longer generated or monitored by InternetArchiveBot. No special action is required regarding these talk page notices, other than
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have permission to delete these "External links modified" talk page sections if they want to de-clutter talk pages, but see the
RfC before doing mass systematic removals. This message is updated dynamically through the template {{
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(last update: 5 June 2024).
Cheers.— InternetArchiveBot ( Report bug) 08:57, 6 December 2017 (UTC)
Hello @ Akerbeltz:. You corrected the translation of the Gaelic to plural instead of singular. I am no Gaelic scholar, but felt that the word "bodach" suddenly appeared in the article with no explanation for those without even a smattering of Gaelic. I therefore tried to give an explanation. Given that words are plural there is a problem here in that in the context they ought to be singular: there is only one old woman in the shrine. The OS map gives "Tigh nam Bodach" (despite his wife being the main character!), as do most references, although some also give Tigh nan Cailleach. How do we square this singular/plural issue? Exbrum ( talk) 22:57, 11 March 2020 (UTC)
I think your PS is the most likely explanation. Re Canmore, I note that it also gives the "masculine" version as Taigh-nam-Bodach so retaining the plural. Your suggestion of pointing out the confusion is a good one. Both names ought to be in the singular. Could I suggest you make the change. Thanks. Exbrum ( talk) 15:29, 12 March 2020 (UTC)
Not quite. My understanding is that the largest stones are the old man (singular) and the old woman (singular), and the smaller ones are their children, the smallest one being her baby. [1] In fact McKerracher, perhaps the best source, does not mention the old man at all, just the old woman and her family. He says that the old woman's house is "Tigh nam Bodach". Exbrum ( talk) 17:53, 16 March 2020 (UTC)
We might want to merge the Beira article into this one. I'm not a folklore expert, but as far as I can tell Beira and Cailleach are just two names for the same figure. The Beira page is a stub anyways, and this article is of a reasonable size that the merging of Beira will not cause any problems as far as article size is concerned. I think this makes sense, but I'd like to hear the opinion of someone more knowledgeable on the topic than myself before anything gets changed. Aquaticonions ( talk) 19:00, 26 November 2020 (UTC)
I don't see what makes the name variant Beira notable on its own. Merging it here might be best. -- Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus| reply here 10:13, 25 December 2020 (UTC)
JK Rowling has opened a sexual-violence support center in Edinburgh, as announced 12 December 2022, as per Julie Bindel, JK Rowling works her magic again, https://unherd.com/2022/12/jk-rowling-works-her-magic-again/:
"Situated in the heart of Edinburgh, it is a service for women who have been subjected to men’s violence. It is named after the Scottish goddess of Winter, as Rowling explained: 'Beira rules over the dark part of the year, handing over to her sister, Bride, when summer comes again. Beira represents female wisdom, power, and regeneration. Hers is a strength that endures during the difficult times, but her myth contains the promise that they will not last for ever.'
I'll expect some more attention to this article shortly. Rorybowman ( talk) 04:25, 13 December 2022 (UTC)