What follows is an extract from my book The Visions of the Cailleach (Sorita d’Este & David Rankine, Avalonia, 2009) in which we bring together the history. folklore and other myths related to the Cailleach, the giant “Crone” of Scotland and Ireland. In the book we trace the origins of the Cailleach to the Iberian peninsula, but we also speculate that the Cailleach might have origins going back to the mysterious “sleeping giantess” of Malta. As our theory seems to be getting quite a bit of attention in some circles at the moment and I am being asked about it repeatedly, I thought it would be apt to reproduce a short extract from the book here for those who are interested in some of our reasoning, though please note that some of it should be read within the context of the book where more of her history is discussed.
———
A Maltese Origin?
(Extract from Visions of the Cailleach, by Sorita d’Este and David Rankine)
If we look back prior to Herodotus in the fifth century BCE, in search of the earliest origins of the Cailleach, we are left with speculating around the similarities in symbols and motifs in order to find clues. Tracing such motifs led us to the legends from Malta regarding the Neolithic megalithic structures there, believed to be the oldest in the world. The Neolithic Ggantija (from the Maltese word meaning giant) temples on the island of Gozo were built between 3600-3000 BCE and legend tells us that the temples were built overnight by a giantess called Sansuna. She was also said to have carried the dolmen at Xaghra (also on Gozo) on her head, whilst carrying the supporting stones in her hands.[i] This dolmen has a long history of use as a delivery stone by expectant mothers.
This motif of megalithic structures being built in a very short period of time by a giantess is found repeatedly in stories of the Cailleach. It is thus likely that in these legends from Gozo that we may be looking at a possible early origin for the Cailleach, at the heart of the building of the first known megalithic temple. The builders of the Maltese temples disappeared without a trace around 2300 BCE, so we can only speculate as to what happened to their knowledge and beliefs subsequently. It is very tempting to suggest that some of the Maltese temple builders may have travelled across the Mediterranean and settled in Spain, taking their legends with them.
[i] Prehistoric Medicine in Malta, Savona-Ventura & Mifsud, 1999.
Out walking this evening by the river Wye here in Wales, I observed a murder of crows in the branches of a dead oak tree. The cawing and shenanigans reminded me of the Morrigan, so I thought I would share this extract from my book The Isles of the Many Gods here as an introduction to the Great Queen of Irish folklore.
Morrígan
Name: — Great Queen, Terrible Queen, Phantom Queen
Place of Origin: — Ireland
Literary References Cath Maige Tuired, Cath Muighe Tuireadh, Dinshenchas, Leabhar Mór Leacain, Lebor Gabála Érenn, Táin Bó Cúailnge
Morrígan can be translated in a number of ways, as “Great Queen”, “Terrible Queen”, “Phantom Queen”, “Fairy Queen”, “Queen of Death”, “Sea Queen” or “Witch Queen”. Great or Terrible Queen are the most commonly used meanings of her name, but as fairy queen, water goddess and earth goddess all the other possibilities are also relevant. As the queen of battle, the Morrígan never fought on the losing side.
The name Morrígan first occurs in Irish literature around 876/7 CE. Her name also found in a glossary to the Books of the Old Testament, referring to Isaiah 34:14. The word lamia is described as “monstrum in femine figura i.e. morigain” (“monster in female form, that is a Morrígan”).
The connection with the Lamia is interesting, as this recalls the carving of three Lamiae at the Roman fort of Benwell in Northern Britain. The Lamiae were beautiful phantom women who seduced men, and killed them for their flesh and blood. That the Lamiae are in triple form and at a military fort suggests a connection to the Morrígan.
The Morrígan is best known for her role in the conflicts in Ireland, and as the tutelary goddess of Cú Chulainn. She is also a magick goddess, described as “Morrígan – source of enchantments.” With Macha and Badb she performed magick to keep the Fir Bolgs in their fortress:
“bringing down enchanted showers of sorcery and mighty showers of fire, and a downpour of red blood upon the warrior’s heads, preventing them from moving for three days and nights.”
She also made love with the Daghda and ensured the Túatha dé Danann win the battle with the Fomorians. This liminal event occurs at Samhain, and the Morrígan has sex with the Daghda astride the ford (i.e. across the magickal waters), with a foot on each bank, before the Second Battle of Moytura.
“He [the Daghda] beheld the woman at Unius in Corann, washing herself, with one of her two feet at Allod Echae, to the south of the water, and the other at Loscuinn, to the north of the water. Nine loosened tresses were on her head. The Daghda conversed with her, and they made a union. ‘The Bed of the Couple’ is the name of the place thenceforward. The woman that is here mentioned is the Morrigu.”
She was equated with a number of other goddesses, including Danu, the Cailleach, Nemain, Badb, and Macha. She also had many roles, including as warrior, oracle, washer at the ford, magician, earth goddess, faery queen, bestower of sovereignty and lady of the beasts. Her powers include prophecy, shape-shifting, her death screech and many others.
“The Morrígan daughter of Ernmas came from the síd and sat on the pillar-stone in Temair Cúlainge, warning the Donn Cúlainge about the men of Ireland.”
Her shape-shifting ability is particularly emphasised in the Táin Bó Cúailnge, where the Morrígan appeared in a wide range of forms, as a maiden and a crone, as a crow, and in the eel, wolf and cow forms which she used to attack Cú Chulainn. This ability is specifically referred to in the Dinshenchas, where it says “The Daghda’s wife found her; the shape-shifting Goddess.”
Her power of prophecy is indicated when she warns the Brown Bull of Cúailnge of forthcoming events, and also particularly in her victory prophecy delivered after the victory of the Túatha dé Danann over the Fomorians.
From the eleventh century CE we see the Morrígan being equated with classical figures whose names are incorporated into the Irish tales. So we see her equated with the Greek Fury Alecto: “Alecto came for a while, that is, the Morrígan, in the form of a bird which perched on the pillar-stone.”
“The Morrígan was the mother of Brian, Iucharba, and Iuchar.”
Although the references are fleeting, they do indicate she had sons, though these three sons are more often called the sons of Danu. The tales in The Great Book of Lecan also mention her son Mechi, who was killed by Mac Cecht at Magh Fertaige, which was subsequently called Magh Mechi. Mechi had three serpents in his three hearts, which would have desolated all of Ireland if they had been allowed to grow.
Gort na Morrígna (the Morrígan’s Field) in Co. Louth is named after her. The Corryvreckan whirlpool, which lies between the northern end of Jura and the isle of Scarba in the Inner Hebrides, as well as being known as Coire-Bhrecain (the cauldron of Brecan) was also known as “The Morrígan’s Cauldron”.
From the Isles of the Many Gods, Sorita d’Este & David Rankine, Avalonia, 2007 All Rights Reserved. (c) 2007
This morning I spent some time walking around the grounds of Brecon Cathedral, here in Mid-Wales. Brecon is our nearest town, about 10 miles from where we live, and so we come here often to do our shopping and experience a bit of Welsh civilisation. The Cathedral itself is stunning, home to some incredibly beautiful carvings on the font which features a Green / Horned Man on all sides, and many other carvings and icons to marvel over, the graveyard is beautifully magical, especially when the light of dawn plays through the leaves and dances on the stones and the neatly kept grass.
As I walked through the grounds my mind moved onto the research David and I did for our book The Cosmic Shekinah (which is about the feminine divine in the Qabalah and the Hebrew Bible; and how this relates to the feminine divine as “Divine Wisdom” throughout the different cultures and religious traditions which both preceded and developed out of it), and how the idea of “salvation” was often very closely tied in with Divine Wisdom. It is of course a subject close to my own heart, as I have a special place for the Goddess Hekate as she is viewed in the Chaldean Oracles, ie. as Soteira (Saviour); as well as for a number of other goddesses who share similar roles, most of all the Gnostic Sophia.
Pondering whether or not there would be a “local” equivalent of Divine Wisdom as a goddess I looked through my notes when I got home and realised that the Roman Goddess Salus was not only known to people in this area of Wales, but that evidence that she had been worshipped in Brecon had been found! The following is an extract from my book with David Rankine, The Isles of the Many Gods, in which we provide an outline of this beautiful Roman Goddess and her connection to Brecon, Wales:
Salus
Name
Salvation
Known Period of Worship
BCE?-5th century CE
Place of Origin
Rome
Place of Worship
Co.Durham, Monmouthshire, Powys, Northumberland
Salus is a Roman goddess whose name means “Salvation”. Altars to her have been at Binchester (Co. Durham), Caerleon (Monmouthshire), Chester, Corbridge (Northumberland), and Ribchester, and five inscriptions have been found. Two of these associate her with Aesculapius, one with Jupiter Dolichenus and the other calls her Regina (“Queen”).[1]
Two engraved gems of her, both with a serpent (her cult animal), have been found, at Brecon (Monmouthshire / Powys) and Chester.[2] The Brecon image dates to 1st century CE, but interestingly theChester image of her on a throne dates to 3rd-1st century BCE, so it was either an antique or came with Caesar in his first sally to Britain.
[2] A Corpus of Roman Engraved Gemstones in the British Isles, Henig, p220.
[Above extract taken from The Isles of the Many Gods, by Sorita d'Este and David Rankine, Avalonia, (c) 2007. All rights reserved.]
What follows is an extract from my book The Visions of the Cailleach (Sorita d’Este & David Rankine, Avalonia, 2009) in which we bring together the history. folklore and other myths related to the Cailleach, the giant “Crone” of Scotland and Ireland. In the book we trace the origins of the Cailleach to the Iberian peninsula, but we also speculate that the Cailleach might have origins going back to the mysterious “sleeping giantess” of Malta. As our theory seems to be getting quite a bit of attention in some circles at the moment and I am being asked about it repeatedly, I thought it would be apt to reproduce a short extract from the book here for those who are interested in some of our reasoning, though please note that some of it should be read within the context of the book where more of her history is discussed.
