Cailleach is a witch goddess from Scotland, Ireland and the Isle of Man. She is the Old Woman, the Winter Crone, the Veiled One, the Old Hag, and the Old Crone. Cailleach is the epitome of the “old hag” archetype and has long been honored for her rule over winter weather. When it snows, people say the Cailleach has unleashed her magic on the land. The mountains are the winter witch’s domain, as legend says The Winter Crone made the mountains her stepping stones. Cailleach is seen as an ancestor to many people in Ireland and Scotland as well as a sister to some of the most ancient goddesses of Irish and Scottish lore. She is the embodiment of Winter and all that it brings: snow, ice, cold, death and then eventually rebirth.
