Celtic Hags 2

Cailleach Bhéara, Beara, Beira (Supreme Veiled One, Wave, Winter Yew) Bereginy (Supreme Ones) Buí (Yellow) Sentainne Bérri (Old Supreme One) Gyre Carline (Queen of Winter) Dige, Deoca (Liquor of Health) Nichneven (Divine, Brilliant) Holda, Habonde, Habondia Abunciada, Abundia (Abundance) Bronac, Brenach, Duineach (Strong) The Fish-Hag

(pron. kill-ogh vayra, BWEE, Hahb-OEN-dee’uh) In the Mabinogion: Tales of Youth Beara: Winter Yew, daughter of Heber-Eibhear, the great King of Castile in Spain guards her husband Eoghan: the eternally young crimson spotted regenerating golden Salmon of Llyn Llyw; the most ancient of creatures at the Eibhear River. Her sons are the Black King: Ailill Olum, who can make himself invisible except for a red spot on his chest, and the White King consort of Face of Light, of the Spey valley. The White King murdered the Black King and she restored him to life with balm. In Midsummer the druids assemble by moonlight to eat the regenerating Salmon of Knowledge with skin that shines like silver and red gills in the pool of Corri- Bui.

Beira is the earth, fertility goddess of the Caledonii. Mother of growing things, represented by a cornucopia. Brings the harvest in threes: grain, fruit, and nuts. She created the Beare Penninsula near Cork by dropping stones from her apron and showed the people how to harvest green corn:grain. She challenged harvest reapers to contests, but always won because she could change herself into a hare. Catching the last sheaf of corn is called driving out the hare.

She and her sisters Cailleach Bolus and Cailleach Corca Duibhne are the daughters of Ruari: Red and Grianan: Little winter sun [Grianan shines from All Hallows to Beltaine Eve. There are two suns in the Celtic calendar. The big sun shines from Beltain to Halloween They are at Beltane.] She lives in the home of the dead with her husbands (they die before her) & as Princess of Munster she was engaged to Laoghaire of Connacht. She asked for the magical swans that were the Children of Lir. Her daughters with Conaran are the Cailleach Càlltuinn: Hags of Hazel

As the Fishwife She binds Fionn with thread and sews his mouth shut so that he will lose the habit of idle speech and listen. Scholar’s Friend are her scissors. Cnogba, Knowth: Cnoc Bua: Hill of Power named after her. She is also known in Denmark. Habundantia is the village of Savoyard Chablais in Switzerland. Beira is in Portugal. In the Icelandic sagas she is the 9-fold goddess, daughter of Aegir / Lir, and her sisters are: Himinglæva (Shining One), Dufa, Blodhughadda (Flower), Hefring (Rising One), Udhr, Hronn, Bylgia (Wave), Kolga (Cold One). (6, 31, 58, 71, 101, 183)