Sunday 16 October 2016

The Cailleach - Hag of the Mill & Mother of the Herd.


Cailleach an Mhuilinn, The Hag of the Mill.


For much of last winter and earlier this year I have kept company with the Cailleach, the Old Woman, the Hag, who appears in many guises in folklore, landscape and myth. 
Her great age, her ability to fly, to shape shift into animal form, her role as a Sovereignty goddess and her links to wild animals marks the Cailleach as a supernatural being, an ancient goddess. 

As Hag of the Mill she is associated with grinding corn and the harvest.


In many places the last uncut stalks of corn were plaited, cut and hung above the door at home as protection. 
This action was known as ‘cutting the cailleach’. 
In others areas it was believed she took the form of a hare who sheltered in an uncut corner of a field to avoid the scythe.

I painted her in her guise of The Hag of the Mill as she appears in Buile Suibne,
‘The Frenzy of Sweeney’, a tale recorded in the 1670’s. 
Rather than illustrate her part in the tale literally, I wanted to portray her energy and wildness. 




You can read the text of Buile Suibhne, translated by JG. O’Keefe HERE


Briefly Suibhne is described as the king of Dal Araidhe in the north east of Ireland. 
When news reached him that St. Ronan Finn was building a Christian church on his land and chanting psalms the pagan Suibhne, having no time to dress, left his home naked and expelled the cleric.

After throwing the psalter into a nearby lake Suibhne is cursed by Ronan to constantly wander Ireland, flying naked throughout the land until killed by a spear.

So he spends seven years leaping from hill to hill, living amongst trees and existing only on watercress. Suibhne appears to lose his sanity but he is eventually caught and left in the care of his kinsman, the miller Loingseachan.  

Suibhne is locked in a bedroom at the miller’s hostel until one day, during the busy harvest when all hands are needed, he is entrusted to the care of Lonnog, The Hag of the Mill. 

She is ordered not to speak to the captive but Lonnog has her own plans. 

She teases the king about his madness and he responds with tales of his freedom and the great leaps he once took across the hill tops of Ireland. 
Finally the Cailleach challenges him to make one more leap, this time through the skylight of the room. Suibhne does so and pursued by the Hag, is free once more. 



Detail - Teach Duinn, Donn’s House of the Dead, identified as Bull Rock, off the coast of  Co. Cork.

They visit Teach Duinn in the west, then travel across the landscape, with the Mill Hag driving him on, revealing to him his past life as a ‘madman’.



Detail - The Cailleach as bringer of winter, mother of the herd.


During their time together Suibhne recounts his meetings with the famous stags of Ireland, remembering his great adventures in the wild and although the king despises the Hag for bringing him back to his old ‘madness’, he recognises Lonnog as an ancient one, the progenitor, Mother of the great herds of deer.

“ O mother of this herd
thy coat has become grey,
there is no stag after thee
without two score antler-points.”


Finally, to be rid of the Hag, Suibhne leaps to Dunseverick on the Antrim coast where he jumps again, followed by the Hag of the Mill.


Detail - cliffs at Dunseverick, Co. Antrim.

The king survives by falling into the sea but the Cailleach lands on a cliff, her body broken, 
she falls into the water. 

After many more adventures St. Ronan’s curse descends upon Suibhne, he is killed by a spear wound and at death the pagan king is given the Christian sacraments.

But what of the ancient Cailleach ?



Later her body washes up on a beach and at that liminal place, between sea and land, 
she is carried away by her Otherworld kin, “the devil’s crew”. 


To this day the Hag, The Old Woman, is remembered and honoured at wild, lonely places across Ireland and at this time, when the harvest is over and winter is almost upon us, perhaps she haunts those places still.



Harvest offerings to the stone Cailleach, The Old Woman of Beara, who looks out to sea from the Beara Peninsula.

17 comments:

  1. A great tale and good to see that the Cailleach is honoured still.

    Beautiful painting - I love the story telling in it!

    Paul Brady

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  2. Yes it's a good story & much longer than this. Glad you like Her Paul.
    Oh yes She's still honoured across Ireland in many ways.

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  3. Wonderful post! Was working on my Samhain altar tonight. The Cailleach and Donn are at the center, so this was perfect <3
    Your new pieces are beautiful.
    -Cathy

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  4. Thank you Cathy - glad you like Her. Great timing for this post then :)
    Samhain blessings Jane

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  5. Such wonderful knees are they yours

    and

    if not can you introduce me to her ?

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  6. I love the honouring of the Cailleach. We need to honour her more. This is wonderful Jane

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  7. Cheeky Heron - I have a penchant for boney knees ;)

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  8. Many thanks Jim - glad you like her!

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  9. Yes Gill - I completely agree with you though after spending 6 months painting her I think we need a break from each other ;)

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    1. Jane, it appears that she had, continues to have, other ideas :)

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  10. Hi Jane, Love this blog so much! I am wo9ndering if you have a print of the painting of Cailleach in this blog? I would love to buy one! Katherine

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  12. Hi Katherine - glad you enjoy the blog! Yes I have prints of Her to order - please click on the SHOP button in the sidebar to see details. Many thanks.

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  13. Thanks for sharing all your knowledge Jane. Another fabulous painting. X

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  14. Thank you Ita - good to hear from you! xx

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