The Cailleach and the Hag of Beara
In Irish and Scottish legend, an old woman shaped the mountains and rules the winter, and she's said to stand turned to stone on the Beara Peninsula.
What was reported
The Cailleach, 'the old woman' or 'the veiled one', is a divine hag of Irish and Scottish folklore, linked to winter, storms and the shaping of the land; she's said to have dropped rocks from her apron to form mountains. She rules from Samhain until spring returns.
On the Beara Peninsula in County Cork, a rock overlooking the sea at Kilcatherine is said to be the Hag of Beara, turned to stone while waiting for her husband, the sea god Manannán, to return. Visitors leave coins and small offerings on it.
Explanations offered
Scholars see the Cailleach as an ancient goddess of the land and the seasons, surviving in folklore, place names and sayings. In Scotland, if the weather on 1 February is fine, it's said she's gathering firewood for a long winter.
- When
- Told for centuries
- Where
- Kilcatherine, Beara Peninsula, County Cork, Ireland
- Witnesses
- Irish and Scottish tradition
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.