![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Jul. 1st, 2024 08:02 pmhe Hag of Beara, the Cailleach, the Queen of cruel winters. A figure of divinity who appears for half of the year in the form of an old crone as the days become longer and longer, yet it's only as the days grow shorter and the cold season begins to creep in that she regains her youthful appearance. It's said that if in the days leading up to winter the weather is unseasonably warm, it serves as an omen of an extended winter season, as the Cailleach has gathered more firewood than usual.
Serving as part of a duality, she is the other half of the goddess Brigid, queen of spring and summer. Just as the Hag of Beara brings cold and death, a being who brings warmth and life also exists - for 6 months of the year, the two women engage in a cycle of life and death, aging into old crones for their respective "off" season and regaining theit youthful appearance when they're "on". However, while the summertime is welcomed by the people for brighter days and warmer weather, the arrival of winter is met with anxiety and a hope for survival. As a result, she is not seen as a Goddess in the same way her other half is.
Digde is an amalgamation of the Irish and Scottish versions of the Cailleach, known as The Hag of Beara and Beira, Queen of Winter. She is a creator deity, mother goddess and the personfication of the winter season, acting as its Queen for six months of the year. Digde is associated with hills and mountains, as her legend goes she was a "one eyed giantess" with "dark blue skin, white hair and rust coloured teeth". In this version, she intentionally terraformed the earth to make it easier to walk on by swinging her hammer about to shape the land. As her staff was able to freeze the ground and she ushers in the winter months (along with the cold), this is the means by which she is capable of controlling the cold, as this version of Digde possesses 0 aptitude for spellcasting. Being a mother goddess, she's believed to be the mother of all gods and goddesses in celtic mythology - this holds true for this version of Digde, who is also the same figure as Danu.
Most importantly, Digde serves as the "other half" of the goddess Brigid. Just as Digde brings about wintertime, Brigid casts winter away and welcomes the springtime on February 1st - it's important to note that while they are a duality in this regard, they aren't "sisters" since Digde is technically her grandmother, but they do share a very close connection that could fool people into thinking they were. Their relationship as dual goddesses is more about authority and roles, but there is a sense of familial closeness nonetheless.
The festival of Imbolc (St.Brigid's day) is the day Digde goes out to gather firewood for the winter ahead. It's said if the weather is particularly good on this day, it's by the hand of the hag, as she's hoping to gather more firewood than usual in anticipation of a longer and colder winter ahead. While Brigid often went out to meet with others on Imbolc, celebrate the coming of spring and mingle amongst the people, Digde avoided the festival every year claiming she had too much to do, much to Brigid's disappointment.
During the 6 months of good weather, Digde takes the appearance of an old crone and hides away from the world; it's possible people even encountered her in some remote area and didn't think a lonely old woman could have been someone so important, but it suited her just fine. However, as the summer passes Digde ages backwards until she's returned to her prime come the wintertime, giving her the vigor needed to watch over the world during her period of rule. The same happens to Brigid, as she is reduced to a withered old lady during the winter months and returns to her youthful self just in time for the six months her authority is returned. It is through this cycle between the two goddesses that the year progresses smoothly.
In terms of personality, Digde is best described as your stern but well meaning grandmother. While Brigid is a warm, nurturing and motherly figure associated with the joy and warmth of summertime, Digde is lackadaisical and a bit of a wallflower. However, by no means is she shy or meek - Digde is actually stern, sometimes overly so, and while she generally doesn't think too much about her status in casual conversation she has no time for people she sees as rude or disrespectul and will make her annoyance well known. Despite this, she's very dutybound beneath her demeanour and never fails to bring about winter because she knows how important it is. Digde might be your weird grandmother you're afraid to cross, but deep down she's your weird grandmother and at the end of the day she's in your corner. As a mother goddess she can't help but be somewhat maternal towards the people she meets, but her way of showing is best represented by the light of the moon showing you the way home on a particularly dark night, in contrast to Brigid who's always shining bright.
Serving as part of a duality, she is the other half of the goddess Brigid, queen of spring and summer. Just as the Hag of Beara brings cold and death, a being who brings warmth and life also exists - for 6 months of the year, the two women engage in a cycle of life and death, aging into old crones for their respective "off" season and regaining theit youthful appearance when they're "on". However, while the summertime is welcomed by the people for brighter days and warmer weather, the arrival of winter is met with anxiety and a hope for survival. As a result, she is not seen as a Goddess in the same way her other half is.
Digde is an amalgamation of the Irish and Scottish versions of the Cailleach, known as The Hag of Beara and Beira, Queen of Winter. She is a creator deity, mother goddess and the personfication of the winter season, acting as its Queen for six months of the year. Digde is associated with hills and mountains, as her legend goes she was a "one eyed giantess" with "dark blue skin, white hair and rust coloured teeth". In this version, she intentionally terraformed the earth to make it easier to walk on by swinging her hammer about to shape the land. As her staff was able to freeze the ground and she ushers in the winter months (along with the cold), this is the means by which she is capable of controlling the cold, as this version of Digde possesses 0 aptitude for spellcasting. Being a mother goddess, she's believed to be the mother of all gods and goddesses in celtic mythology - this holds true for this version of Digde, who is also the same figure as Danu.
Most importantly, Digde serves as the "other half" of the goddess Brigid. Just as Digde brings about wintertime, Brigid casts winter away and welcomes the springtime on February 1st - it's important to note that while they are a duality in this regard, they aren't "sisters" since Digde is technically her grandmother, but they do share a very close connection that could fool people into thinking they were. Their relationship as dual goddesses is more about authority and roles, but there is a sense of familial closeness nonetheless.
The festival of Imbolc (St.Brigid's day) is the day Digde goes out to gather firewood for the winter ahead. It's said if the weather is particularly good on this day, it's by the hand of the hag, as she's hoping to gather more firewood than usual in anticipation of a longer and colder winter ahead. While Brigid often went out to meet with others on Imbolc, celebrate the coming of spring and mingle amongst the people, Digde avoided the festival every year claiming she had too much to do, much to Brigid's disappointment.
During the 6 months of good weather, Digde takes the appearance of an old crone and hides away from the world; it's possible people even encountered her in some remote area and didn't think a lonely old woman could have been someone so important, but it suited her just fine. However, as the summer passes Digde ages backwards until she's returned to her prime come the wintertime, giving her the vigor needed to watch over the world during her period of rule. The same happens to Brigid, as she is reduced to a withered old lady during the winter months and returns to her youthful self just in time for the six months her authority is returned. It is through this cycle between the two goddesses that the year progresses smoothly.
In terms of personality, Digde is best described as your stern but well meaning grandmother. While Brigid is a warm, nurturing and motherly figure associated with the joy and warmth of summertime, Digde is lackadaisical and a bit of a wallflower. However, by no means is she shy or meek - Digde is actually stern, sometimes overly so, and while she generally doesn't think too much about her status in casual conversation she has no time for people she sees as rude or disrespectul and will make her annoyance well known. Despite this, she's very dutybound beneath her demeanour and never fails to bring about winter because she knows how important it is. Digde might be your weird grandmother you're afraid to cross, but deep down she's your weird grandmother and at the end of the day she's in your corner. As a mother goddess she can't help but be somewhat maternal towards the people she meets, but her way of showing is best represented by the light of the moon showing you the way home on a particularly dark night, in contrast to Brigid who's always shining bright.
