The First Witch of Scotland
Listen in, for I’m about to tell you the tale of the most important goddess in all of Scotland…
Beira (BYE-rah,) Queen of Winter, first Cailleach (KAL-yuch) Goddess, Destroyer, Protector… is as old as time itself. She has skin as blue as a dead man’s corpse, wild hair the color of frost, only one eye, and keeps pet wolves. Ooch, she’s a vengeful old hag, that keeps the wind and snow blowing through the mountains all winter long. She’s the most powerful goddess in all of Scotland, and some people still worship her in secret to this day.
Her rein begins during the fire festival of Samhain (SAH-win), what you might call Halloween. When the sun sets on October 31st, until the sun rises in May, she commands the earth, and the villagers are under her protection.
She created Scotland with her hammer, forming deep craggy glens and steep mountains by pounding on rocks carried from the center of earth. After creating the world, her white plaid became dirty, so she washed it in the sea, which became called the Cauldron of the Plaid, then she laid it across the mountaintops to dry.
(That’s snow.)
You might ask, “She’s a witch, aye?”
That’s one meaning, of Cailleach – witch. The English called her a hag. The Scots called her a wise woman, a healer, a goddess.
At the end of winter, Beira wraps herself in her white plaid as a beautiful maiden named Bride, arrives. Beira, being able to see the future, knows that her son Angus, King of Summer, will one day marry Bride, and Beira’s power will wane. Beira, not ready to give up power, will kidnap Bride to try to prevent the marriage. (Ah, mother-in-laws…). When flowers begin to bud, Beira has been known to strike them dead with frost from her staff.
But eventually Angus finds Bride, and their love brings the warmth, the flowers, and the light.
But Beira always returns in October during Samhain, when the veils thin between the living and the dead.
“So, is Beira good or bad?” ye might ask.
Like all women, Beira has good and bad, ugliness and beauty, weakness and strength, revealed through trials and time. She’s both creator and destroyer. The most important lesson nature teaches us is balance, how life and death are intermingled. Only through death and decay of animals and plants will the ground become fertile enough for seedlings to grow and bear fruit.
Fairy tales often speak of pretty young maidens, but it’s the old crones who carry the most power, and like an unexpected blizzard, refuse to be ignored.
Just as nature has several seasons, the seasons of a women’s life is often expressed through the archetypes of maiden, mother, and crone. A maiden has beauty but lacks confidence. A mother gains confidence but lacks wisdom. A crone is wrinkled but wise. Every season has its merits.
As we approach Samhain, I’ll be sure to tell more tales about witches and ghosts, folk lore and magic.
Lisa 😉
P.S. – If you’re interested in a mix of Celtic folklore, magic, and a gritty 18th century setting, you might like “To Condemn a Witch”
Copyright (c) Lisa A. Traugott 2025. All rights reserved.