![]() ![]() The old Celtic calendar recognised two suns: the big sun that shone from Beltane until Halloween, and the little sun that shone from All Hallows to Beltane Eve. Beira was the daughter of Grianan, the winter sun. Īccording to the folklorist Donald Alexander Mackenzie, Beira was not only a goddess of winter, but also the “mother of all the gods and goddesses in Scotland” He describes her as having only one eye, a dull blue complexion, teeth as red as rust, and long white hair. The folklorist Katharine Briggs has suggested that she may predate the Celtic entity bearing her name. The Cailleach Bheur, or Beira, of the Scottish Highlands is a blue-faced hag, the spirit of winter, also known as the Gyre-Carline in Lowland Scotland. ![]() ![]() Source: Wonder Tales from Scottish Myth and Legend, p. Biera with her magic hammer, drawing by John Duncan ![]()
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