Cailleach

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A figure from Celtic mythology representing a divine hag or crone associated with winter and destruction
2. A personification of nature’s harshness, often linked to the earth and fertility when transformed
3. A character in folklore symbolizing the duality of life and death, embodying both nurturing and punishing aspects of nature

Etymology: Cailleach is a Scottish Gaelic word, and it is the name of a figure from Highland folklore: a hag of winter who controls the weather and the seasons. In Gaelic the word simply means "old woman" or "hag," and it has been applied to this mythic being in both Gaelic and Scots tradition, so the English noun is a direct borrowing from the Scots form of that Gaelic term. The word is a good example of how a common, everyday term for an elderly woman can take on a supernatural role. Within the folklore, the cailleach is pictured as powerful and ancient, bringing storms and hard frosts in the winter months and then giving way to spring. Her name and character came into English through Scots writing, which is why the spelling and sound preserve a Gaelic shape rather than an English one.