The Cailleach Dark Goddess

From the earliest times, the Cailleach Bheara (or Bheur) has been venerated as a mother Goddess of Ireland. She is often referred to as the Hag, the Crone, the Wise Woman. Her energy is deeply rooted in the late autumnal and winter time of year. Her season begins on October 31st, the Samhain festival. Sometimes known as the “Veiled One” or the “Queen of Winter,” the Cailleach is  said to control the weather and the winds as well as determining the length and harshness of winter.  Her most prominent title was Cailleach Bhéara, revealing her as master of winter and strongly associated with storms and thunder. The “Veiled One” was a creator deity that shaped much of the known landscape. Her tools of creation and destruction included her hammer, with which she was able to control storms and thunder. As both divine hag and creator deity, she remains a popular topic for poets and writers. . (Cailleach is a common word in both Scottish and Irish Gaelic meaning “old woman” or “hag.” This current word was derived from Caillech, a term meaning “veiled one” in Old Gaelic.) 

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I Am The Crone

I am the Oldest of the old, Wisest of the wise, the Power behind power.

I am Hecate, Heqt, Cerridwen, Kali, Caillech, Hel, Cybele, Morrigan, Ala, Mara,

I am the Old Hag of many names.
I am the light in the dark and the dark of the moon.

I am the One behind the veil, the Threshold to be crossed.

I am the dealer of Death, giver of Rebirth.

I am the greatest of Teachers, with the deepest of lessons.

I am Transition and Connection, the spider in the web.

I am Dusk, Midnight, and the dark before Dawn.

I am Surrender when you need to let go.

I am the chill wind in Autumn, the whisper of Winter.

I am the Three-Way Place, the center of the Crossroads.

I am the all-seeing Owl, the Frog under the mud, the flesh-eating Vulture, the Raven and the Wolf.

I am the Destroyer, and your Protector as well.

I am the One to lead you through the Dark, through the Fire, into a new day.

I am the Crone, Oldest of the old, Wisest of the Wise, the Power behind power.

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Cailleach, "The Veiled One"

I am Cailleach, the meager blue hag. 

My face is blue 

My teeth are red 

And I have only one eye.

I am the Winter Queen. 

My name means "dark of the sun".

I am ruler of the "Little sun of winter."

The summer of youth where we were has been spent along with its harvest; winter age that drowns everyone, its beginning has come upon me. 

"The Hag of Beare" (translated by Lady Gregory, 1852-1932)

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"Hag" or "Cailleach" as the leader of the Wild Hunt

Traditionally, the Hag is a wizened old woman, or a kind of fairy or goddess having the appearance of such a woman, often found in folklore and children's tales. Hags are often seen as malevolent, but may also be one of the chosen forms of shapeshifting deities, such as the Celtic figure of Morrígan or Badb, who are seen as neither wholly beneficent nor malevolent. In Irish and Scottish mythology, the "Cailleach" is a hag-goddess concerned with creation, harvest, the weather and sovereignty. In partnership with the goddess Bríd, she is a seasonal goddess, seen as ruling the winter months while Bríd rules the summer. In Scotland, a group of hags, known as "The Cailleachan" (The Storm Hags), are seen as personifications of the elemental powers of nature, especially in a destructive aspect, thus giving rise to the phenomenon of the "Wild Hunt." They are said to be particularly active in raising the windstorms during the period known as "A Chailleach." Hags, as sovereignty figures (e.g., "Sovereignty Goddess" or "Lady Sovereignty," who the king must wed to insure the fertility and adundance of the land), abound in Irish mythology. The most common pattern is that the Hag represents the barren land, who the hero of the tale must approach without fear, and come to love on her own terms. When the hero displays this courage, love, and acceptance of her hideous side, the sovereignty hag then reveals that she is also a young and beautiful goddess.