Name pronunciation: KAL-yakh BAY-rah (Cailleach = “KAL-yakh” with a guttural “kh”; Beira = “BAY-rah”) General Information: In Scotland, Cailleach Beira is the Goddess of Winter and a Creator Goddess. She shapes mountains, makes lochs, and drives storms. People know...
Scottish Giantesses are formidable! In Scottish mythology, whenever you meet a giant, it is usually a folk memory of a powerful god or goddess. And these giant goddesses? They are stronger than the Gods. Human heroes who fight and overcome the goddesses’ sons and...
Scottish Loch Monsters have long captured the world’s imagination, weaving together misty folklore, eyewitness tales, and the dark, brooding beauty of the Highlands. From the iconic legend of Nessie in Loch Ness to lesser-known tales from Loch Morar and Loch Awe,...
Name pronunciation: [wirry-cow] (Scots: [ˈwɪrɪkʌu̯]) General Information: The wirry-cow is not a single fixed creature but a catch-all omen of fear and bad luck in Scottish folklore. The word itself combines the idea of “to worry” or “to harass” with “cowe” – a...
Name pronunciation: Wool‑ver General Information: The Wulver is a wolf‑headed humanoid said to live on the Shetland Islands in Scotland. It is often described as a kind and generous creature, unlike the violent werewolves common in folklore. Though it resembles a...
The faery tithe is something that is uniquely Scottish. Faeries are found not only in Scottish folklore but in wider Celtic mythology, Norse, German and Slavic mythology. This is part three of our exploration of faeries. In Part One, we looked at the origins of...