Cailleach

  Goddess cold and blue;

She, the bringer of darkness and ice

The word Cailleach itself came to the Gaelic language during the dark ages, based on the Latin root ‘pallium’, meaning ‘a veil’. ‘Cailleach’ as a word has evolved over time and its meaning is now commonly accepted as ‘Old Wife’, but its literal translation is

 ‘Veiled One’.

Cailleach is the Scottish goddess of winter, who is said to manifest as a shadowy crone swathed in a shroud of gray, her shoulders draped with a plaid of muted earth tones. Her visage, ghostly and pallid, bears the chilling hues of the grave. Her hair is long and white, glistening with frost’s embrace. A single eye is set in the center of her forehead, marking her as one who peers through the veil of this world and the next. In some sources she is depicted as riding across the land on the back of a grey wolf rather than walking.

Many stories describe the Cailleach as wearing an apron or as having a creel strapped to her back while carrying a wooden staff. In a few sources the staff is replaced with a wand, and in others, a hammer, the crossover suggesting that this could be a shillelagh, a walking stick and club made from the wood of the blackthorn tree. The blackthorn has long been associated with witches, and with the crone aspect of the goddess.

She is the bearer of storms and bringer of snow and frost. Evoke Cailleach for weather magic or in times of transformation and change. She is also considered a creator goddess, and can 'form' or 'reveal'  new paths for you if you're stuck in a rut.

Her candles are dressed in the herbs linden, yarrow, and mugwort.

Because these candles drip so easily, it's the perfect time to practice some candle divination, also known as Carromancy. Watch how the candle burns. Do you see figures in the wax? Do the flames flicker, grow tall, or hiss? Is there a certain direction in the way the wax is melting? These ritual candles may hold more secrets than you know.


ɪᴛᴇᴍ ᴅᴇsᴄʀɪᴘᴛɪᴏɴ: 6 inch taper candles rolled in locally sourced herbs corresponding to Cailleach such as linden, yarrow, and mugwort. They are sold in pairs of 2.


𝐈𝐌𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐓: These candles melt beautifully and are safe to burn indoors, however, PLEASE be wary of the flame. The more herbs, the bigger and taller the flame will be. Always supervise your candles while burning. These candles have very burnable botanicals. Some herbs may crackle when caught on fire, such as cedar and juniper.