Sprites, Naiads, and Nymphs: Exploring Water Spirits in Folklore and Mythology

Across ancient folklore and mythology, water sprites have fascinated cultures as mystical guardians of freshwater realms. Known by many names, they are most famously depicted in Greek mythology as Naiads, the nymphs of streams, rivers, and fountains. These beings were seen not just as protectors but as embodiments of the water’s life-giving and destructive powers. Often revered for their beauty and charm, they played pivotal roles in rituals, myths, and daily life, symbolizing the close bond between humanity and nature’s sacred waters. Whether inspiring ancient offerings or passing into cultural memory as alluring yet unpredictable figures, sprites like Naiads reveal humanity’s timeless respect for the elemental forces that sustain life.

Watch a related video on Naiads and their captivating myths

Understanding Water Sprites in Folklore

Water sprites are fascinating entities that have held a place in folklore for centuries. Representing the duality of water—both life-sustaining and treacherous—these supernatural spirits have captivated human imagination across cultures. Below, we’ll explore what water sprites are, how they’re perceived worldwide, and their symbolic importance in myths.

What Are Water Sprites?

Water sprites are mythical spirits tied to aquatic environments like rivers, lakes, and springs. Often described as ethereal and alluring, these beings are typically portrayed with enchanting beauty and a graceful demeanor. In folklore, sprites are often thought to be immortal, with a strong connection to nature that enables them to influence their surroundings.

While their appearances vary depending on the legend, they are generally regarded as protectors or guardians of water, embodying its purity and unpredictability. Some stories suggest that interacting with these spirits could lead to blessings, while others warn of dangerous, seductive qualities. This dual nature mirrors humanity’s experience with water itself—essential, yet capable of destruction.

For more information on their diverse appearances across myths, check this overview of water sprites and their cultural context.

Water Sprites Across Cultures

Water sprites feature prominently in stories from around the world, though they take on different names and characteristics depending on the region. Below are some notable examples:

• Slavic Folklore: Rusalkas are Slavic water spirits associated with lakes and rivers. These figures are often depicted as the restless souls of women who died near water, oscillating between protective and vengeful roles.
• Irish Mythology: Selkies, found in Celtic tales, are shapeshifting sea creatures that transform from seals into humans. These beings are deeply tied to themes of love, longing, and transformation.
• Japanese Legends: Japanese Kappas are water creatures that embody trickery and danger. Unlike the graceful sprites of Europe, Kappas are mischievous entities with a reptilian appearance.

Each iteration of water sprites reflects the broader cultural values and attitudes toward water, illustrating a universal recognition of its power. Read more about their cultural variations here: Water spirit across cultures.

Symbolic Significance of Water Sprites

Water sprites carry rich symbolic meanings that reveal humanity’s complex relationship with water. Purity is one of the most common associations, as these spirits are often linked to clear, life-giving springs and rivers. Many myths cast them as protectors of fertility, ensuring the well-being of crops, animals, and humans alike.

Interestingly, water sprites also embody danger and mystery. Their allure can lead people into treacherous waters or spiritual lessons. This tension between beauty and peril symbolizes the dual role water plays in human life as both a sustainer and destroyer.

These spirits also carry broader metaphysical implications, illustrating how water links the natural, human, and spiritual worlds. To gain a deeper understanding of their layered symbolism, visit this analysis of water sprites and cultural connections.

Water sprites, in their many forms, are a testament to the enduring connection between myth and the environment. By examining their stories, we glimpse how ancient cultures sought to explain and venerate the life-sustaining forces around them.

The Naiads: Freshwater Nymphs of Greek Mythology

In Greek mythology, Naiads are among the most enchanting figures, embodying the essence of freshwater sources. They’re more than mythical beings; they represent the vitality and perils of natural waters that sustain human existence. Their stories span across rivers, lakes, and springs, linking humanity’s relationship with freshwater to divine reverence.

Origins and Taxonomy of Naiads

The Naiads trace their lineage as daughters of the river gods, often springing from Oceanus, the primordial titan of the seas, or individual river deities. These freshwater nymphs were grouped by the specific bodies of water they governed, leading to classifications like:

• Limnades: Nymphs of lakes and marshes.
• Potameides: Guardians of rivers and streams.
• Pegaeae: Spirits of natural springs.
• Crinaeae: Protectors of small fountains and wells.
• Eleionomae: Nymphs linked to wetlands.

Their classification reflects the varied freshwater ecosystems they inhabited and safeguarded. Understanding this taxonomy helps in viewing how Greeks personified and honored their environment. Find more details on classifications here.

Roles and Attributes of Naiads

Naiads carried roles that extended beyond myth, deeply impacting how ancient Greeks viewed water. As guardians of freshwater sources, they were believed to maintain the vitality of the waters they embodied. Their attributes reflect their semi-divine nature:

• Beauty: Naiads were described as stunningly beautiful, akin to the pristine clarity of the waters they symbolized. Their allure played a significant role in mythological tales, often leading mortals and gods alike into their realm.
• Immortality: While they were ageless, their lives were intrinsically tied to the health of their waters. Polluted or dried-up sources could lead to their demise.
• Healing and Life-Giving Powers: Beyond their physical allure, the Naiads were also considered powerful healers. Their waters were thought to have restorative properties, making them essential to local rituals.

Their attributes cemented their place in both mythology and communal life. Learn more about their divine essence here.

Cultural Importance of Naiads in Greek Society

Naiads were not mere mythological entities; they held a profound place in ancient Greek life. Local communities worshiped them, attributing the health of their freshwater sources and agricultural prosperity to these nymphs. Offerings were made at their springs, particularly during droughts or agricultural festivals.

Their significance extended beyond worship into cultural expressions:

• Town Names: Many ancient Greek towns and cities were named after prominent Naiads, showcasing their esteem. For example, fountains like Arethusa were central to both myth and local identity.
• Art and Literature: Naiads were frequent subjects in sculptures and frescoes, appearing in flowing forms that mirrored the fluidity of water. Poets such as Hesiod and Homer celebrated their beauty and mystique.

Ultimately, the Naiads shaped a unique interplay between myth and ecology. Dive deeper into their cultural prominence by exploring this article.

Enchanting Yet Complex: Naiads’ Dual Nature

The Naiads’ portrayal in mythology goes beyond idealized beauty, dipping into complexity and contrast. They could be generous, offering blessings like fertility, good health, or even hero guidance. However, their connection to water’s volatility made them unpredictable and potentially dangerous.

Their duality stems from the reality of water itself: it sustains life but can also destroy it. Stories, such as those warning against wandering too close to streams at night, highlight this peril. Naiads, while enchanting, were known to drown those who polluted their waters or arrogance that led them to trespass sacred boundaries.

This dual nature made Naiads a vivid symbol of water’s dichotomy—life-giving and life-taking, depending on how humans interacted with it. For more on their intricate character, read this piece.

Each story and attribute of the Naiads weaves together threads of admiration, respect, and caution. Their enduring presence in Greek mythology underscores the ancients’ acknowledgment of water’s invaluable, yet paradoxical, role in life.

Comparison with Other Water Spirits in Greek Mythology

Greek mythology presents a rich tapestry of deities and spirits, with water nymphs forming a captivating subset. Among them, Naiads, Nereids, and Oceanids stand out as prominent water-associated figures, each with distinct roles and habitats. Understanding their differences and examining their connections to river gods, the Potamoi, sheds light on the depth of ancient Greek beliefs.

Naiads versus Nereids and Oceanids: Distinctions in Habitat, Roles, and Mythology

Naiads, Nereids, and Oceanids are collectively categorized as water nymphs, yet their habitats and mythological narratives set them apart. Each spirit is tied to a specific type of aquatic environment, reflecting the Greeks’ nuanced relationship with water.

• Habitats:
  • Naiads: These spirits presided over freshwater sources such as springs, rivers, lakes, and fountains. Their existence was deeply tied to the vitality of their waters; a dried-up spring could signify the demise of its Naiad.
  • Nereids: Dwelling in the Mediterranean Sea, Nereids represented the guardianship and fertility of the ocean. They were seen as benevolent spirits aiding sailors and calming storms, highlighting the Greeks’ reliance on the sea for trade and travel.
  • Oceanids: Oceanids hailed from the vast, primordial ocean, embodying its boundlessness and mystery. They were often considered daughters of Oceanus and Tethys, pivotal figures in Greek cosmology.
• Roles in Myths:
  • Naiads often acted as intermediaries, facilitating interactions between mortals and the divine. In some cases, they were known for their influence on fertility and well-being, especially in agricultural contexts.
  • Nereids were celebrated for aiding heroes in great adventures, such as Thetis’ role as mother to Achilles or Galatea’s enduring mythology.
  • Oceanids, like Styx, the spirit of a boundary river, symbolized deeper, universal allegories linked to the cosmos and oaths between gods.
• Cultural Depictions: Naiads were often depicted as serene yet mischievous figures connected to their local environment. On the other hand, Nereids exuded a serene elegance reflective of maritime beauty, while Oceanids presented a more ethereal, celestial quality.

Their distinctions emphasize the Greeks’ recognition of both the specific and universal significance of water. For further exploration of how nymphs like Naiads, Nereids, and Oceanids intertwine in mythology, read this comprehensive guide to water nymphs in Greek mythology.

Connections to the Potamoi: Familial and Symbolic Relationships

Naiads are frequently described as the daughters of the Potamoi, river gods who personified individual rivers in Greek mythology. These familial ties deepen the symbolic relationship between water nymphs and Greek natural landscapes.

The Potamoi themselves were divine sons of Oceanus and Tethys, positioning them as central figures within the aquatic pantheon. Each Potamos governed a specific river, granting it spiritual significance. Examples include Achelous, considered the largest river of Greece, and Scamander, closely tied to the Trojan War.

• Symbolic Connections:
  • Naiads, as progeny of the Potamoi, represented the life-giving potential of rivers. Their presence symbolized the continuation of life, fertility, and abundance.
  • In myths, these familial links often underscored the interconnectedness of waterways, reflecting how rivers nourished distant lands and unified civilizations.
  • The protective qualities of the Naiads were seen as inherited traits, passed on from their Potamoi fathers who embodied the strength and vitality of rivers.
• Cultural Worship: The Potamoi and their Naiad daughters were frequently revered in local practices. Rituals involving offerings at riverbanks sought to appease these spirits, ensuring bountiful harvests and water clarity.

These nymphs’ direct ties to living waterways mirrored the Greeks’ dependency on rivers for agriculture, trade, and sustenance. Ancient Greeks saw rivers and their spirits as both nurturing and temperamental, a delicate balance that had to be respected. Learn more about the Potamoi and their roles as river gods here.

Naiads’ link to the Potamoi and their differences from other nymphs reflect a broader narrative about the natural environment’s spiritual significance in ancient Greece. This contrast and symbolism forge a vivid picture of how water spirits encapsulate both mythology and ecology.

Water Sprites in Modern Interpretations

Water sprites continue to captivate the imagination, evolving beyond folklore and becoming symbols of nature, ecology, and spirituality in modern culture. From literature and media to environmental awareness, these ethereal spirits reflect humanity’s changing perspective on water and its importance.

Water Sprites in Literature and Popular Media

Water sprites have made their way into books, films, and TV series, often transcending their mythological roots to embody new themes. Perhaps the most iconic modern incarnation is Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid,” which was famously adapted by Disney. While Andersen’s tale features a mermaid rather than a freshwater sprite, it shares characteristics with Naiads through its focus on the relationship between water beings and humanity.

Other works, like Oscar Wilde’s “The Fisherman and His Soul,” put a darker twist on the water-spirit archetype, showcasing the complexities of love and sacrifice. In television, shows like Charmed and The Witcher depict water spirits or nymphs as mystical beings with the power to manipulate water or guide fateful events. These portrayals echo the allure and danger associated with sprites in folklore, drawing obvious parallels with Naiads’ myths.

Modern video games also feature water sprites inspired by mythology, such as the reflective nature spirits found in RPG titles. These interpretations often serve as allegories for environmental wisdom, underscoring the intrinsic link between water and life. Learn more about their role in literature and media here and here.

Environmental Symbolism and Relevance Today

In today’s age of environmental awareness, water sprites have become poignant symbols of humanity’s fragile connection to natural ecosystems. These spirits, rooted in the rivers, springs, and lakes of old folklore, serve as reminders of water’s sacredness—a resource that demands respect and careful stewardship.

Water sprites often embody water’s life-giving and purifying qualities, making them perfect metaphors for ecological balance. They symbolize the interconnectedness of human life and natural cycles, reminding us that pollution or neglect of water sources directly impacts our world. Basia Irland, an environmental artist, even uses water as a central theme in projects addressing water scarcity and ecological preservation. This creative environmental lens transforms the romanticized image of water sprites into a call for action against climate change. Dive deeper into this concept here.

Moreover, water sprites evoke a sense of reverence for the unseen forces in nature, encouraging mindfulness toward how we interact with water sources. By highlighting the dual nature of water—its ability to nurture and destroy—they compel us to develop a sustainable relationship with our environment.

The continued presence of water sprites in modern contexts bridges ancient reverence with present-day ecological consciousness. Explore this intersection of mythology and environmentalism here.

Conclusion

Water sprites, Naiads, and nymphs persist as powerful symbols in folklore, bridging humanity’s ancient reverence for water with modern environmental consciousness. Their mythology captures the dual essence of water—sustainer of life and harbinger of danger—while reflecting cultural values and ecological dependence across eras.

These spirits transcend mythology, resonating through literature, media, and contemporary discussions on conservation. They stand as reminders of our shared responsibility to protect the life-giving waters they embody.

By honoring the lessons embedded in these myths, we both celebrate the cultural heritage they represent and acknowledge the pressing need to safeguard our natural ecosystems.

Brucero Fee a la riviere postcard 2007
https://technotink.net/treasure/?post_type=product&p=10899

Sheela Na Gig: Unveiling the Mystery of These Medieval Stone Carvings

I’ve always been into carvings, especially gargoyles. I’m not sure why it took me so long to notice these relics of Medieval times and lore. Sheela Na Gigs are among the most intriguing figures in architectural history, leaving us with more questions than answers. These mysterious stone carvings of naked women, often displaying exaggerated genitalia, have been found on religious and secular buildings across Europe. Known for their stark and provocative imagery, they challenge modern concepts of modesty, femininity, and morality. But what exactly do these figures represent, and why were they created? Their story is as layered as the stone they were carved from, touching on themes of fertility, protection, and societal taboos.

Historical Origins and Placement

The origins of Sheela Na Gigs are rooted in Romanesque architecture, dating primarily between the 12th and 17th centuries. These carvings are most commonly found in Ireland, though examples have also been discovered in other parts of Europe, including England and France. Their prevalence on churches, castles, and other significant buildings suggests they held a vital cultural or religious purpose during their time.

Many Sheela Na Gigs are prominently placed over doorways, windows, and other entry points. This positioning has led historians to speculate that these carvings served as apotropaic symbols, designed to ward off evil spirits or bad luck. Their placement at thresholds—a symbolic space between worlds—seems to underscore this protective role. To explore further about their history and significance, the Sheela na Gig entry on Wikipedia provides excellent context.

Cultural Context and Symbolism

The symbolic meaning of Sheela Na Gigs is still hotly debated among historians and folklorists. Some theories connect them to the Celtic past, seeing them as remnants of pagan traditions. Others interpret them as fertility symbols, celebrating the power of the female body to create life.

However, another interpretation, rooted in Christian morality, portrays Sheela Na Gigs as warnings against lust and sin. Their grotesque and exaggerated forms may have served as reminders of the dangers of carnal desires, displayed strategically on church walls to deter parishioners. According to Sheela na Gig Theories, this duality—a mix of empowerment and admonition—highlights the layered meanings these figures held.

There is also an argument to be made about their apotropaic function. Similar to gargoyles, Sheela Na Gigs might have acted as guardians, their exaggerated and unsettling forms scaring away malevolent forces. This protective role aligns with their prominent positions near entrances and windows, areas often associated with spiritual vulnerability.

Etymology and Linguistic Significance

The name “Sheela Na Gig” itself is as enigmatic as the figures. Scholars have proposed various translations, with one popular interpretation rendering it as “old hag of the breasts” or “old woman on her haunches.” Both descriptions evoke the image of an aged, otherworldly figure, aligning with the carvings’ often emaciated and wizened forms.

The linguistic roots of the name are thought to intertwine with Gaelic and Old Irish, reflecting the deep cultural heritage of the regions where these carvings are most commonly found. For a deeper dive into Sheela Na Gig’s linguistic background and interpretations, explore this insightful resource on their significance.

Contemporary Interpretations and Reclaiming Symbolism

Sheela Na Gigs are much more than relics of the past. In recent decades, they’ve been embraced as symbols of empowerment, particularly within feminist and artistic circles. Organizations and individuals alike have used these carvings to celebrate female autonomy, sexuality, and strength.

Projects like Project Sheela have integrated Sheela Na Gigs into modern art, using them to address societal issues such as women’s rights and historical injustices. For example, their imagery has been famously used to shed light on abuses linked to the Magdalene Laundries in Ireland. These modern interpretations reclaim what was once a controversial figure and give her a voice in contemporary discourse.

Symbol of Female Empowerment

Many now view Sheela Na Gigs as a bold celebration of femininity and sexuality. Unlike traditional depictions of women in art, which often render the female form as an object of beauty, Sheela Na Gigs present it as raw and unapologetic. This stark portrayal serves as a counter-narrative to societal norms that have long sought to control or censor women’s bodies.

Feminist movements have drawn inspiration from Sheela Na Gigs, using their rebellious imagery to champion conversations around female liberation and sexual autonomy. This intriguing article from The Guardian examines how such symbols have been reinterpreted through a modern lens, highlighting their enduring relevance.

Reviving and Preserving the Sheela Na Gig Legacy

Efforts to preserve Sheela Na Gigs have grown in recent years, spearheaded by cultural organizations like the National Museum of Ireland. Unfortunately, many carvings have been lost to time, either destroyed due to religious objections or eroded by the elements. Still, mapping and documentation projects aim to safeguard the remaining figures, ensuring their stories are not forgotten.

There are still challenges to overcome. For much of history, societal taboos regarding female sexuality kept Sheela Na Gigs in the shadows. Today, advocates work to debunk myths and raise awareness about their historical and cultural importance. Learn more about these preservation efforts through resources like Sheela Na Gig.org, which offers a comprehensive look at their legacy.

Conclusion

Sheela Na Gigs remain a fascinating blend of history, mythology, and modern interpretation. Whether viewed as guardians, fertility symbols, or feminist icons, they continue to provoke thought and spark dialogue. Their ability to traverse boundaries—between past and present, sacred and profane—makes them uniquely captivating.

As we study these figures and their evolving symbolism, we are reminded of the complexity of human culture and belief systems. In a world that often seeks to suppress the unknown or controversial, Sheela Na Gigs stand as timeless reminders of the power and mystery of the human story.

Navajo Spring
Manitou Springs, Colorado, USA

Just off of Main Street in historic Manitou Springs, at the back of the popcorn and candy store in front of the amusement arcade, a natural soda spring comes out of the wall in a decorated font. It is one of eight famous natural springs that put this town on the map. The spring was initially visited by Native American Indians who sought their healing and spiritual powers, which some believed were gifted by the great spirit called Manitou.

They were then frequented by white Euro-American settlers, who pushed the tribes out and commercialized the area. Legend has it that the Utes placed a curse on all whites that the Westerners could never have a successful business in this place because of the commercialization of this particular spring. By the late 1880s, the Westerners built a large bathhouse and spa, as well as a bottling plant, on this former location but did not succeed. The waters, however, were famous throughout America at that time and place.

The spring waters are fissured through rock fractures from the rainwater and snowmelt from Pikes Peak. Water reaching the depths becomes heated and mineralized, flowing up through the Ute Pass fault zone into limestone caverns that carbonate them and are tapped into by natural springs or wells. Each spring in the area has its distinct taste and flavor. This particular spring originally had a bowl-like concretion of calcium carbonate large enough to dip or wash oneself in.

From 1871-1972, Chief Joseph Tafoya – Chief Joe “Little Deer” and his family came to this spot to do authentic Indian dances and songs from the Tewa tribe of the Pueblo Reservation of Santa Clara, New Mexico. In 1889, Jerome Wheeler built a 3 story bottling plant east of the arcade. He used these waters to bottle up to 5,000 gallons of water daily, selling it worldwide as table water for the famous non-alcoholic Giner Champagne. After the collapse of the plant, the spring fell into abuse and was restored in 1991 by Manitou’s residents and donors.

Navajo Spring: “Chief Joseph Tafoya – Chief Joe ‘Little Deer’ 1891-1972: Generations of the Tafoya family have presented authentic Indian dances and songs on this site and at the Manitou Cliff Dwellings Museum since 1925. The Tafoya Family Dancers are members of the Tewa tribe from the Pueblo Reservation of Santa Clara, New Mexico, and descendants of the ancient Puye Cliff Dwellers. For 15 years, Chief Joseph Little Deer served both as governor of the Santa Clara Reservation and Chairman for the All Pueblo Indian Council. He introduced a democratic form of government on the reservation, opened his home to orphaned Indian children, and worked tirelessly to improve the living conditions of his people. Chief Little Deer married Petra Suazo, a great niece of Cheif Manitou so named for his active promotion of Manitou Springs at the turn of the century. Chief Manitou danced for 20 summers at the Cliff Dwellings museum. Navajo Spring is one of the seven natural soda-type springs that led to the settlement of Manitou. The early French trappers named the bordering creek “Fountaine qui Bouille”, the Boiling Water. Mineral deposits containing large amounts of carbonate of lime created a natural basin where the Indians bathed their sick and wounded. The white mineral basin now is hidden under the arcade floor. In 1889, Jerome Wheeler built a 3-story bottling plant east of the arcade and used Navajo Spring for bottling up to 5000 gallons of water a day. The water was sold worldwide as table water of the popular non-alcoholic Ginger Champagne. Navajo Spring was restored in 1991 by generous assistance from various donors” ~ sign outside the Spring.

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Stratton Spring
Manitou Springs, Colorado

From the deep fissures of the Ute Pass Fault, where the rainwater and snowmelt of Pikes Peak meet and become heated and mineralized in the deep limestone caverns where they take thousands of years to make their way to the surface absorbing numerous minerals and nutrients as well as natural carbonation. Stratton Spring was a drilled source by the Stratton Foundation to serve the town where they felt it was located along earlier Native American trails.

_{“Stratton Spring was drilled in 1936 by the Myron Stratton Foundation., The soda-type spring has a controlled flow of two gallons per minute and is drilled to a depth of 167 feet. This site was the junction of early Indian trails and several major mineral springs. Later it became the major access to the Mount Manitou Incline and the Pikes Peak Cog Railway and was the loop were Stratton’s Trolley Line reversed to return to Colorado Springs. Winfield Scott Stratton was a carpenter and a building contractor in Colorado Springs. He tried his hand at prospecting and became the first millionaire from the Cripple Creek Gold Strike. Stratton died in 1902 and bequethed his fortune to the care of the county’s needy children and elderly. The Myron Stratton Foundation, named in honor of Winfield’s father, still continues to serve the public. Stratton Spring was restored in 1989 by a grant from the EL POMAR Foundation and volunteer assistance from citizens of Colorado. “}

_{~ sign outside the Spring. September 6, 2012: Manitou Springs, Colorado.}

The Mountain Ute would come through this pass alongside many other tribes to pay homage and be treated by the magical waters they believe were blessed by the Great Spirit Manitou. In the late 1880s, developers and Westerners pushed the tribes out of the valley. They began commercializing the healing waters with spas, bathhouses, and other commercial ventures, such as bottled water companies. This spring, one of 10 within Manitou Springs, was believed to have healing properties to treat TB and other illnesses.

This spring flows two gallons a minute of naturally carbonated soda-type spring water. The well was drilled to a depth of 167 feet. This Spring being drilled has little folklore besides its more modern healing attributes. It was drilled by Winfield Scott Stratton, a local carpenter and building contractor who lived in the area after trying his hand at prospecting during the Cripple Creek Gold Strike, which led him to become the first millionaire from that Gold Rush. He died in 1902 and willed his fortune to care for the county’s elderly and needy children through the Myron Stratton Foundation. The Spring was restored in 1989 through an EL POMAR Foundation grant and various volunteers and donors from the region.

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The Magical Mineral Springs of Manitou
~ 354 Manitou Ave, Manitou Springs, Colorado ~
Article by Thomas Baurley, Leaf McGowan, Techno Tink Research

The little touristy village of Manitou Springs is most famous for its mineral springs, which well up through eight fonts (previously ten fonts, upwards of 50 springs) peppered throughout the town. These springs are free to visit, and each holds its own variation of minerals, magic, folklore, and healing properties that visitors have sought throughout the ages. Each has its unique flavor, natural carbonation, and effervescence.

This valley was originally heavily frequented by various Native American tribes who visited Fountain Creek and its natural springs for their healing magic, offering homage and great respect to the spiritual powers that dwell here. They believed these magical springs were the gift of the Great Spirit Manitou, after which the town and valley were named. They brought their sick here for healing. The aboriginal inhabitants and visitors of the area called the “Great Spirit” as “Manitou”, and felt these mineral springs was its breath, as the source of the bubbles in the spring water. This made the waters and grounds extremely sacred.

The Ute, Arapaho, Cheyenne, and many other tribes came here to partake of the great spirit’s breath. They would heal their sick here, collect the waters, stay for winters, and share in the waters as an area of peace where no conflict was allowed. There were believed to have been ten natural springs in the valley. The Euro-Americans caused conflicts and skirmishes with the Natives, pushing them out so they could utilize the valley for business, resort, tourism, and commerce. It is said that after the Natives left, they cursed the area for the Whites and that no company would ever succeed there. Some believe Manitou Springs has since been an ever-changing valley with businesses coming and going, failing and closing, and new ones coming in and replacing those that left.

Stephen Harriman Long was one of the first white explorers to record the waters in 1820. The expedition’s botanist and geologist, Edwin James, detailed the healing nature of the waters. The explorer George Frederick Ruxton wrote in his travel about these “boiling waters” as well that “… the basin of the spring was filled with beads and wampum, pieces of red cloth and knives, while the surrounding trees were hung with strips of deer skin, cloth, and moccasins”. Throughout the world, it is a common practice to leave similar objects, items, and cultural artifacts around the world at magical and healing springs, wells, and bodies of water.

Nearly 50 years later, Dr. William Abraham Bell and General William Jackson Palmer made plans to develop a health resort here during the Civil War with “a vision of dreamy summer villas nestled in the mountains with grand hotels and landscaped parks clustered around the springs” that they called “Fountain Colony” and “La Font.” It became Colorado’s first resort town. By 1871, white settlers had begun developing the area for tourism, health care, and profit.

A resort was soon developed here, taking advantage of the waters and incorporating them into medicinal and healing water therapies. This brought great prosperity to the region. By 1873, a developer named Henry McAllister, who worked for Palmer, spread the news about the medicinal benefits of the Springs and pushed for it to become a spa resort with an “incomparable climate and scenery” as its backdrop.

Then came various medicinal practitioners, such as Doctor Edwin Solly, who pushed the area as a resort for healing and therapy. They preached that the combined waters to drink, soak in, and breathe pure air mixed with the sunny climate would be the most effective prescription to treat tuberculosis. The commercial businesses began to claim the various springs, enclosing some of them as the village grew.

The first was the Cheyenne Spring House, established as a red sandstone brick, conical-roof structure. Immediately after, over 50 wells and springs were drilled, many enclosed. Once popularity disappeared and “dried up,” many of these springs were capped, paved, and closed. However, as the fad died, medical centers and hospitals around the United States improved.

Manitou became forgotten and suffered abandonment. The Mineral Springs Foundation was formed in 1987 as an all-volunteer 501(c)3 non-profit to protect, improve, maintain, and manage the springs. It targets the restoration of some springs and promotes their popularity once again. The Foundation hosts walking tours called “Springabouts” every Saturday from Memorial Day to Labor Day, beginning downtown. Tours can be arranged by visiting the Tourist center or calling 719-685-5089.

Upon request, the visitor center will provide maps, brochures, detailed content charts, and sampling cups. They can also be found on their website at http://www.manitoumineralsprings.org. The series of springs has been developed as a National Register of Historic Places district and is located in one of the country’s largest districts of its kind. It was initially called the “Saratoga of the West” and established as a resort community within a spectacular setting at the edge of the Rocky Mountains along the base of Pikes Peak. Numerous bottling companies moved into the area, making a profit on the waters, the most famous of which was “Manitou Springs water” and was sold globally.

Geology: The waters come from two sources in the Rampart Range and Ute Pass: “deep-seated waters” that travel through limestone caverns and drainage systems created by karst aquifers. The water dissolves the limestone and absorbs carbonic acid, carbon dioxide, and other minerals, making it “effervescent” or slightly naturally carbonated. Volcanic and inner core processes heat it. Through time, the waters return to the surface naturally using an artesian process rising to the surface, collecting soda, minerals, and sodium bicarbonate upwards. The other sources of water are Fountain Creek and Williams Canyon, snow melt, rainwater, and surface waters.

The warm water then flows into a limestone cavern, where it becomes carbonated and springs forth to the surface in natural and human-drilled locations. Most of these waters take thousands of years to complete their voyage from the mountain snow-capped peaks down to the inner earth and back up to the surface, freeing their content and solutions from being affected by industry, development, and atmospheric contamination.

The Springs of Manitou:
https://wells.naiads.org/the-magic-and-minerals-of-manitou-springs/

• Cheyenne Spring – This natural sweet soda spring comes from limestone aquifers and is believed to be over 20,000 years old.
• Iron Spring – The Iron Spring is named after its harsh, foul, iron-tasting flavor and content. It was a man-made spring drilled in the 1800s and prescribed to patients for iron deficiency.
• Lithia / Twin Spring – This is a combined location of two man-made drilled springs—Twin Springs and Lithia Springs. It is popular for its Lithium content and sweet taste, calcium, lithium, and potassium content. It’s popular to mix it in lemonade.
• Navajo Spring is a natural soda spring over which commercial development was built. It is now within and beneath the popcorn and candy store. This was the most popular spring, frequented by Native Americans and early Euro-American settlers, and was the founding spring for the village. It originally fed a large bathhouse and bottling plant, bringing fame to the town.
• Old Ute Chief Spring – is a defunct spring outside the old Manitou Springs bottling plant.
• Seven Minute Spring – A man-made spring drilled in 1909 to enhance the neighboring hotel’s tourist attraction. Its unique carbonization caused it to erupt like a geyser every 7 minutes. It became dormant until the 1990s, when it was re-drilled, and the surrounding park was established.
• Shoshone Spring—This natural spring had sulfur content and was prescribed by various physicians for curative powers before modern medicine became popular and effective.
• Soda Spring – located in the spa stores next to the arcade.
• Stratton Spring—The Stratton Foundation created this man-made drilled spring as a service to Manitou Springs village, where tourists could come and partake of its waters. It is dedicated to early Native American Trails.
• Wheeler Spring—This is another man-made drilled spring donated to the city by settler Jerome Wheeler of the New York Macy’s. Wheeler resided and banked in the town during the mining and railroad period. His former home is located where the current post office is today.

References:

• Gazette 2015 “List Manitou Springs”. Website referenced 12/21/16 at http://gazette.com/list-the-springs-of-manitou-springs/article/1565225.
• Harrison, Deborah 2003 “Manitou Springs”. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7385-2856-4.
• Manitou Springs Chamber of Commerce 2012 “The History of Manitou Springs”.
• Mineral Springs Foundation 2013 “Mineral Springs”. Website referenced 12/21/16 at http://www.manitoumineralsprings.org
• Manitou Mineral Springs 2015 “7 Minute Spring”. Website referenced 12/21/16 at http://manitoumineralsprings.org/7-minute-spring.html
• National Register 2013 “American Dreams – National Register of Historic Places in El Paso County, Colorado.
• Visit Colorado Springs 2016 “Manitou Mineral Springs”. Website referenced 12/21/16 at http://www.visitcos.com/manitou-mineral-springs.
• Wikipedia 2016 “Manitou Springs Mineral Springs”. Website referenced 12/21/16 at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manitou_Mineral_Springs

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One of the most common Fae species known in folklore … “Changelings” are faerie creatures that replace stolen human children. These are sometimes called an “auf” or “oaf.” In fairy lore and myth, there are many tales about fairies stealing a human child and substituting it with a misshapen fairy baby known as a “changeling.” Sometimes, they are replaced not by fairies but by demons, trolls, nereids, or spirits. Sometimes, they replace the child with a piece of wood that appears to be alive under a glamour for a short period of time.

Adults have been reportedly taken and replaced as well, especially in Ireland, Scotland, and Scandinavia. There is also the historic-day event of a man murdering his wife, Bridget Cleary, in Ireland. because they believed she was replaced by a changeling.

Throughout world lore, fairies, for some reason, like to kidnap human adults and children. Some claim the abducted human children are given to demons, faeries, or the devil or imbued into faerie races to strengthen their stock. Sometimes, newlywedded wives and mothers are taken. It is believed that some nursing mothers were kidnapped to provide milk to fairy children.

In the United States, there was an attested case of Miss Kittie Crowe who was believed to have been taken from fairies in 1876. It has been rumored that King Charles I of England (1600-1649) was a changeling as a nursemaid claimed a hooded figure appeared at his bedside and cast a cloak over his cradle with him in it.

The most targeted human victims are usually unbaptized babies, blonde-haired children, those with blue eyes, pretty girls, women touched by the fae, those found walking in a fairy ring, those wandering near fairy mounds at night, and anyone who sleeps under a hawthorn bush. In Catholic folklore, there is a widespread belief that infants are susceptible to demonic possession, which is why baptism is very important.

Changeling Traits

When a parent discovers the baby in their crib is not their own, for whatever reason, certain telltale signs signify it is a fairy surrogate. These changelings could have a deformed appearance, a wizened look, appear thin or weak, sickly or ailing, and not stop crying.

Adult changelings appear to have a voracious appetite, are aging, exhibit unfamiliar behavior and trickery, love dancing and frolicking outside when thinking they are alone not being observed by others, and often comment on their own age.

There is a myth in Ireland that a left-handed child is not human but rather a changeling. A child with a caul (remnant amniotic membrane) across their face was a changeling in Scotland.

Changelings are described as creatures that look like the humans they replace but are often sickly, aged, withered, or just “off.” Sometimes, they possess physical features rare in humans, such as an infant having a beard or long teeth. They come off as being more intelligent or gifted than those usual for their physical age appearance.

Sometimes, if a changeling is raised as a human child and is never detected, they will forget they are fae and continue living a human life. Those that do remember may return to their fae families leaving the human family without warning, while the abducted human may never return.

Around the World

While predominantly ascribed to the legends and lore of Celtic countries, their existence is described worldwide. In European folklore, they are seen as deformed or imbecilic offspring of fairies or elves. The Welsh call this fairy race the “cipenapers” (a contraction of kidnappers). In world folklore, there are many creatures similar to the “changeling.” Many of these are described as creatures left by spirits. They are mentioned in African, Asian, Germanic, and Scandinavian folklore.

In Scandinavia during the Medieval period, trolls were believed to trick humans into raising their offspring. They often targeted unbaptized children since those baptized were protected from trolls. In Scotland, it was said the replacement children gave fairy children a tithe to Hell as discussed in the infamous ballad “Tam Lin.” In Germany, they are called Wechselbalg, Wechselkind, Kielkopf, or Dickkopf. They are said to either be the devil, a female dwarf, a water spirit, or a Roggenmuhme (Rye Mother – a demonic woman living in cornfields and stealing human children). In the Anglo-Scottish border region of Scotland, it was believed that the faeries living in the “elf hills” would spirit away children and adults, taking them back to their world, and a simulation of the victim, usually by an adult male elf left to be suckled by the mother. The elves would treat the human baby well and raise it as one of their own.

In Poland, the Boginka or Mamuna was a Slavic spirit that would exchange babies with changelings that often possessed abnormally large abdomens, small or large heads, humps, thin arms/legs, hair body, and/or long claws. In Spain, it is often a nymph called Xana who would appear to travellers to help them. These little female fairies were born with enchanting beauty and would often deliver babies for humans that they’d swap with fairy babies because Xana could not produce milk. The Igbo people of eastern Nigeria believed that women in the tribe who lost numerous children were being tormented by a malicious spirit known as an ogbanje that reincarnated itself over and over.

Social scientists such as folklorist D.L. Ashliman claim that this myth illustrates the aspect of family survival in pre-industrial Europe. Families then relied on the productive labor of each family member to subsist, and there had to be a solution for those family members who drained the resources. Since changeling’s appetites were known to be voracious, they were seen as a threat to the family. Infanticide was sometimes utilized as the solution to this dilemma.

Some scientists claim that the “changeling” accusation would often be used to explain deformed, developmentally disabled, or neurodivergent children. Various legends have claimed those with symptoms of spinal Bifida, cystic fibrosis, PKU, progeria, Down syndrome, homocystinuria, Williams syndrome, Hurler syndrome, Hunter syndrome, autism spectrum disorder, Prader-Willi syndrome, and cerebral palsy were symptoms of a “changeling.”

As parents had higher expectations of childbirth and when children were born with ailments, they preferred to find a demon to blame for the ailment. Regressive autism has been compared to the marks of a changeling child. Before autism was defined and understood, it was very common for children possessing autistic traits to be labeled as elf-children or changelings because of their strange, inexplicable behavior. The obsession that faeries seem to have with an impulse to count things is now a trait found in autistic cases.

A network of humans today, known as “Otherkin” sometimes identify as being “changelings” (or elves, fairies, faeries, aliens, and were-creatures) often because their life experiences exist with feeling out of place in this world so much that they self-identify as being not human.

In movies, music, books, magazines, art, and literature there has been much focus on “changelings” and its phenomena.

Throughout the world, in folklore, there is a method of detecting changelings, such as eggshells. Arranging empty eggshells around a fireplace or hearth, a changeling can’t help but get up and examine them. They will peer into each other, saying, “This is but a windbag; I am so many hundred years old, and I have never seen the like of this.” Another method is for one to pretend that they are brewing water into the halves of eggshells. The changeling is said to jump up and declare, “I have seen the egg before the hen, I have seen the acorn before the oak, but I have never seen brewing in an eggshell before!” thereby revealing its age such as “I’m 1500 years old in the world and I’ve never seen a brewery of eggshells before!” Other methods are causing it pain or making it laugh. Many child abuse cases in Ireland have excuses that it was done only to reveal the changeling inside. In German and Irish lore, a changeling can be revealed by tricking it to believe its being heated or cooked in a oven. Also whipping, hitting, or abusing the changeling will sometimes force it out.

When a changeling reveals itself, lore states it’ll disappear up a chimney, and the real baby will be found alive and well outside the door or sleeping in its cradle.

Many spells and prayers exist to protect a child from a changeling. One method is leaving pieces of iron beneath the cradle, making rowan wood crosses with red thread, using St. John’s wort, or wrapping a child in its father’s shirt. Keeping an inverted coat or open iron scissors near the bed is also said to deter them. A red ribbon tied around the baby’s wrist or wearing a red hat would prevent an abduction in Poland. Not washing diapers after sunset, not turning one’s head away from a sleeping baby, and keeping a baby out of moonlight would also be protective measures.

In Cornwall, the magical stones known as the “Men an Tol” are believed to be guarded by a faerie who can return stolen children when the changeling baby is based through the stone.

The Hag of Beara Stone or An Chailleach Bhéara
by Thomas Baurley, Folklorist and Archaeologist, Techno Tink, LLC
https://technowanderer.com/hag-of-beara-stone/
https://technotink.net/photography/?p=14442
https://archaeologyfinds.com/?p=305

Ring of Beara, County Kerry/County Cork, Ireland

Driving the Ring of Beara in West Cork/County Kerry, Ireland I came across the infamous “Hag of Beara” stone – also known as An Chailleach Bhéara or the White nun of Beara, The Cailleach, “Hag”, “Old Crone”, or Old Woman of Dingle. In Irish lore, she is known as the Cally Berry or Cailleach Bheara.  

This boulder is a fabled petrified stone of the Divine Hag or Cailleach, the Irish Goddess of Winter. The Queen of Winter.  Of course my visit to her was a rainy cold winter day and very tributing to that connutation.

Beara is also connected with the other Goddess/ poetesses: Brigit, Liadan, and Uallach.  She is seen as one of Ireland’s oldest aspects of the Great Goddess trinity, alongside younger incarnations as a maiden and mother. She is sometimes called the second side or winter half of the Goddess Brigid. She is said to rule the months between Samhain (around Nov 1^st) until Beltane (around May 1^st), while Brigid rules the summer months.  She is described to be an old crone who brings winter with her when she appears and wields powers over life and death. She could control the weather and many of her worshippers had a mixture of reverence with fear in tribute and respect for outcomes of their winter crops. She is the bringer of winter, goddess of Destruction, Goddess of Creation, and the weather witch.

Said to have been born on Samhain in the “Teach Mor” or Great House in what is now known as “Tivore” on the  Dingle peninsula in county Kerry. Her house was known as “the house farthest west in Ireland.” Cailleach Bheara was originally named “Boi” a variant of the word for a cow “‘bó’”.  The ‘Oileán Baoi’ (Boi Island), or Dursey Island, was named after her maiden image of “Bo”.  She is known as a Goddess of Creation, nick-named the hag or hooded one, and is a special Deity to the Beara Peninsula of County Cork, Ireland which her Beara name is associated. She is described as having worn a hood or a veil given to her by Saint Cummine for a hundred years. She welcomed the winter weather every winter in this area overlooking the sea. Imprisoned as petrified to stone for centuries past and to come. She holds special attribution to the countryside of County Cork (elder age) and County Kerry (childhood). Rumored to be a mother or foster mother to ancestors of many clans in these counties, including Corca Loighdhe and Corca Dhuibhne.  She has been referenced as either being the wife or daughter of Manannan Mac Lir, the Irish God of the Sea. It is said she had seven periods of youth one after another, that every man that lived with her died of old age and is why her descendants are many, making up entire tribes and races extending from Ireland to Scotland. She was also said to have had many lovers, including the Fenian warrior “Fothad Donainne”.

Originally a Pagan Deity, she was intermingled into Christian mythology with the arrival of Saint Caithighearn, who came to Kilcatherine and the surrounding area preaching Christianity. Caithighearn was seen as a threat to the Hag of Beara.  Cailleach never related to Christian wisdom but was curious about it for its threat to her. It is said that after a day of food gathering on the peninsula, the hag returned to Kilcatherine to find the saint asleep, approached her, and stole her prayer book. A cripple nearby saw this theft and awoke the Saint who saw the Hag running away. As the saint ran after her, caught up with her in Ard na Cailli, she took the prayer book back and turned the hag to stone with her back to the hill and face the sea. This is the “Hag of Beara” stone, which I visited on this rainy day of December 19th, 2023. I could feel the sorrow, the loneliness, the solitude, and the magic surrounding the stone. I could also feel the rumored “warmth” and inner dampness of the stone, which is said to remain moist despite the warmth of summer months because of the life force it contains. In her youth, she was called the “Daughter of the Sun,” and she was powerful during the summer months and weakened towards the winter months.  By spring, she loses her strength, overcome by the powers of the Spring Equinox.   She is said to visit a hidden Well of Youth that she drinks from as the sun rises, and this is how she transforms into the young, beautiful Bride or Brigid Goddess, her other half.

The Scottish also honor and tribute the Cailleach as a mother of all Gods and Goddesses in Scotland, as powerful as most Gaelic myths profess her to be. There, she is often called the Cailleach Bheur, Beira, or Carlin. She is said to predate Celtic Mythology. She has existed “from the long eternity of the world.”   Some have placed her in the realms of the Fomorians and Titans, but that is another tale.  Some have quoted her as a Spanish princess named Beara, and others have attributed her to being a bastardized version of Kali, the great Hindu Goddess brought to Britain by Indian immigrants. She is internationally seen as a crone Goddess, dressed in grey with dun-colored plaid wrapped around her shoulders, with faces wan and blue like a corpse with long white or grey hair speckled with frost. A single eye in the center of her forehead, a being who can see beyond this world and into the next – and likened to the Fomorians because of this depiction. She sometimes appears in myth wearing an apron or a creel strapped to her back and carrying a wooden staff. Other sources describe the staff as a wand or hammer, potentially a shillelagh or walking stick/club made from the wood of the blackthorn tree associated with the crone and witches. Some say we get the modern depiction of the hagly witch in our Halloween imagery as that from the Cailleach. She is well known through the mythology and legends of the British Isles.

The British called her the Black Annis and the Cailleach ny Groamch or Cailleach Groarnagh on the Isle of Man. Other names for her are said to be the Blue Hag of Winter, Bone Mother, Woman of Stones, Cailleach Nollaig (The Christmas old wife), and Cailleach Mhor Nam Fiadh (the great old woman of the deer), and Cailleach Beinne Breac (old woman of the speckled mountain).

One Scottish legend is Cailleach as the winter Goddess ushering in the cold and dark winter months beginning at Samhain, keeping the lands cold until Imbolc (St Brigid Day). It is said on Samhain that she goes to the Corryvreckan whirlpool just north of the Isle of Jura to wash her great plaid. When the plaid emerges from the clean and shining white waters, she uses it to cover Scotland in a blanket of snow. Through winter, she walks the land, striking the ground and trees with her staff, crushing any sign of growth appearing.

In one myth, she imprisons the young virginal Brid, the personification of Spring, inside Ben Nevis on Samhain. Her son Angus, King of Summer, learns about Brid’s imprisonment in a dream and consults the king of the Green Isle for her whereabouts – the king replies, “The fair princess whom you saw is Brid, and in the days when you will be king of summer, she will be your queen. Your mother has full knowledge of this, and she wishes to keep you away from Brid so that her reign may be prolonged.”   He then sets out seeking his beloved and frees her from the confines of the mountain on the eve of Imbolc. Once the Cailleach learns of this, She immediately chases after the couple, and a great fight ensues. The battle continues through the night until Cailleach escapes her son’s potentially fatal blow by turning her into a standing stone – the Hag of Beara. She is to remain in that form until the following Samhain where she will appear again to usher in the winter and imprison Brid within Ben Nevis as an eternal cycle of light and dark, changing of the seasons, and fertility of the land.

In the Carmina Gadelica, Alexander Carmichael refers to Cailleach as “the first week of April, represented as a wild hag with a venomous temper, hurrying about with a magic wand on her withered hand, switching the grass and keeping down the vegetation to the detriment of man and beast. When, however, the grass upborne by the warm sun, the gentle dew, and the fragrant rain overcomes the “Cailleach,” she flies into a terrible temper, throwing her wand into the roots of a whin bush, and disappears in a whirling cloud of angry passion til the beginning of April comes again.”

Another Pagan tale is that she encountered two huntsmen while transformed into a deer. She appears to them as the crone and points them toward the best hunting grounds, and the two young men kill an immense stag they drag home to their father. Upon reaching the cottage, the stag disappears, and the father scolds them for not having the meat as the Cailleach had instructed and let the fairies take it from them. She is associated with various creatures, including birds found in Ireland. She, in particular, is associated with the deer she safeguards, wolves, black cats, wild cattle, and goats.

She is also written as the narrator for “The Lament of the Hag of Beara,” an Irish medieval poem in which she bitterly laments the passing of her youth and her decrepit old age. She is also written about in the collection of stories within the Great Book of Lecan which is dated approximately 1400 C.E. In the 12th century, she is named the White Nun of Beare in the Vision of Mac Conglinne. In the Lament of the Hag of Beara, she narrates a world ruled by the flow and ebb of the sea tide, with the turn of which life will dwindle, as with the coming tide, it waxes to its full powers and energy, according to folklorist Eleanor Hull in the interpretation of the medieval poem. The Hag of Beara somberly reminisces about their youth when she drank mead and wine with kings and now lives a lonely abandoned life amongst the “gloom of a prayer” and “shriveled old hags.”  This is befitting for my journey here this week as I myself embrace the onsets of “old age” still working through my divinity from youth to father to old man. I embrace a solitary Winter Solstice holiday and solitude averse to my younger wild parties and adventurous days. I sat, peering over the Bay from her stone, contemplating my state of being and aging as I feel its effects on my body.

I am the Hag of Beare,
An ever-new smock I used to wear;
Today—such is my mean estate—-
I wear not even a cast-off smock.

The maidens rejoice
When May-day comes to them,
For me, sorrow is meeter,
I am wretched; I am an old hag.

Amen! Woe is me!
Every acorn has to drop.
After feasting by shining candles
To be in the gloom of a prayer.

I had my day with Kings,
Drinking mead and wine;
Today, I drink whey water
Among shriveled old hags.

~ excerpts from a 1919 translation by Lady Augusta Gregory, Trinity College, Dublin.

According to mythology, she dropped or threw stones from her apron as she passed around Ireland through Scotland. Each of these stones grew into rock formations or mountains associated with her, which are recognizable places of worship for her tribute and prayers. Her name, “Boi,” gave rise to the Oilean Baoi or Dursey Island located at the tip of the Beara peninsula, said to be her home.

She has several landmarks attributed to her throughout Ireland, Scotland, and the British Isles, such as the (1) Hag’s Head in County Clair, the Ceann Cailli rock formation on the southernmost point of the Cliffs of Moher, Co. Claire. (2) the “Hag of Beara” Rock chair, a natural boulder in Kilcatherine, Beara, Co. Cork claimed to be her fossilized remains on a chair which she sits overlooking the sea awaiting Manannan mac Lir, the God of the Sea, sometimes defined as her husband or father. (3) Sliabh na Cailli or “The Hag’s Mountain” in County Meath. (4)  This stone here, the “Hag of Beara” – a large rock overlooking Coulagh Bay, close to Eyeries in County Cork, represents her face turned to stone as she stared out to sea, awaiting for Manannan mac Lir to return to her. It’s the (5) Beinn na Caillich on the Isle of Skye in Scotland.  (6) The scarred path down the side of Schiehallion bears her name, Sgriob na Calliach, or “furrows of the Cailleach,” where she lost footing and slid down the mountain. (7) the Ailsa Craig supposed was created from a dropped boulder when a fisherman sailed his boat underneath the Cailleach, and the sail of his boat brushed the inside of her thigh, frightening her and causing her to drop the boulder. (8) the Cailleach stone on Gigha and (9) the Callanais stones on the Isle of Lewis. (10) Loch Awe on the banks of Ben Cruachan was a great well on the summit from which the Cailleach drew her water daily; it was covered by a heavy stone slab; this slab was to be replaced by sunset or the water inside the well would spill out and flood the world – one tiring evening she removed the stone slab to draw her water. She sat down to rest before walking home. Exhausted, she fell into a deep sleep on the hillside, and the water tumbled from the well in vast torrents and streamed down the mountainside – the roar of water awoke her. She quickly replaced the slab in enough time to prevent the world from being flooded, but the once fertile Vale of Tempe got covered and became Loch Awe.

(11) The House of the Cailleach, Taigh na Cailleach at the head of Glen Lyon, is situated by Glen Cailleach and is seen as a shrine to her for hundreds if not thousands of years involving a Beltane rite where the stones stacked at its entrance were removed, roof freshly thatched, and a family of water-worn stones resembling figures of the Cailleach, the Bodach (old man), and the Nighean (daughter) were brought outside for the summer months. Samhain placed the stones back inside the house before the entrance was sealed until the next summer when the rite repeated. Some say that the (12) Megalithic tombs at Carrowmore were created from stones falling from her apron. (13) The same is true of the passage tombs on the Coolera Peninsula outside of Sligo. (The stones that created these were supposedly collected by the Cailleach from the megalithic tombs at Lough crew) (14), and in the Dartry Mountains, there is even the Cailleach’s house. I’ve been to this house, and it resonates so well with her legend.

At each location, pilgrims, visitors, spiritualists, and tourists often leave coins, clooties, and other offerings for her tribute and request prayers. It is said that she is the stone “Hag of Beara” when she presides over the winter months, but come summer, when Brigid rules, she transforms back into her human shape on Samhain.

She is celebrated on various feast days, including February 1^st, the Feast Day of St. Bridgit, the day the Cailleach is supposed to transfer her power to Bridgit, who brings forth the spring and summer months. Suppose this day (also known as Groundhog’s Day in the Americas) has favorable weather. In that case, this is taken as a bad omen that the Cailleach can collect extra firewood and draw the winter out, but if the weather is bad, the Cailleach will remain asleep, and winter will be shortened. Some associate this with the American celebration of Groundhog’s Day and determination if we’ll have a longer winter or an earlier spring. The American spinoff is about a bad weather day, limiting the collection of firewood to whether or not the groundhog sees his shadow based on the weather of the day.

March 25^th in Scotland is the Latha na Cailliche (Day of the Old Woman), which celebrates the transition of winter into summer. This was also the atypical “New Year’s Day” in Scotland until it changed to the present attribution of January 1^st during the 17^th century. Competitions and festivities were often held on this day to see who could drive the winter hag away. During Beltane celebrations, around May 1^st, on the Isle of Man, many competitions occur where staged battles between summer and winter take place, with summer always triumphing.

Location: Traveling from Ardgroom to Eyeries along the Beara Way Cycle route or Ring of Beara, follow south past the Kilcatherine Church. It is on the right side overlooking Coulagh Bay and is marked by a signpost. There is limited parking available. It’s a small walk down the hill. During winter, it is wet and boggy, so I recommend wellies.

References:

• Augusta, Lady Gregory 1919 The Kiltartan Poetry Book. G. Putnam’s: New York.
• Daly, Eugene 2021 “The Hag of Beara” from the westcorkpeople.ie website referenced 5/9/24 at https://westcorkpeople.ie/columnists/the-hag-of-beara/.
• Fergus  2017  “The Cailleach Beara or the Hag of Beara.”  The Irish Place. Website referenced 6/9/24 at https://www.theirishplace.com/heritage/the-cailleach-beara-or-the-hag-of-beara/.
• Hull, Eleanor  1927   “Legends and Traditions of the Cailleach Bheara or Old Woman (Hag) of Beare”. Folklore, Vo 38, no 3, Sept 30, 2937. Pgs 225-254.
• Monumental Ireland  2024  An Chailleach Bhearra – the Hag of Beara.  Monumental Ireland website, referenced 6/9/24 at https://monumentalireland.ie/the-hag-of-beara/.
• O’Sullvan, Leanne   2013   “On the Beara Peninsula: Written in Stone.” New Hibernia Review: Iris Éireannach Nua, Volume 17, No. 3 2013. pp. 9–14
• Rainbolt, Dawn   2017  “Irish Folklore, Myths & Legends: The Hag of Beara” in Wilderness Ireland. Website referenced 6/9/24 at https://www.wildernessireland.com/blog/hag-beara-irish-myths-legends/.
• Wee White Hoose  2021  “Older than Time: The Myth of the Cailleach, the Great Mother”. Website referenced 6/9/24 at https://weewhitehoose.co.uk/study/the-cailleach/.
• Wikipedia  2024   “The Hag of Beara” Wikipedia article referenced 6/9/24 at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hag_of_Beara.
• Yeats, W.B.  1964  “Modern Ireland: An Address to American Audiences, 1932-1933.” The Massachusetts Review, Vo. 5, no 2, 1964.
• Zucchelli, Christine 2016  Sacred Stones of Ireland, Cork: Collins Press, 2016.

by Thomas Baurley, Archaeologist and Folklorist

Stone Circles can be found worldwide but are most notorious in the British, Irish, and Scottish landscapes. Stones can be small, medium, and large, often dug into the ground as deep as they rise above the ground. A Stone Circle is a circular ring of stones, often with a defined entrance between two stones, with arrangements often related to the path of the rising and setting sun or the moon at sacred times of the year or in geographic alignment with other sites, hills, and circles.

Uragh Stone Circle and Famine Cottage, County Kerry, Ireland

Generally, however, stone circles are believed to be used by ancient peoples for magic, ritual, religion, astronomy, burials, and gatherings. Some have been used as tombs. In all reality, most of them do not know the true purpose as most stone circles belong to past people who did not leave behind written explanations or histories. Some stones have been inscribed with symbols, Ogham, and inscriptions. Much of what has been written about stone circles is from antiquarians, mystics, anthropologists, archaeologists, historians, and religious zealots. Generally, they are believed to have been used for multiple purposes – most commonly thought were religious or ceremonial, burials, and community gatherings.

Many stone circles have been recorded to possess lunar and solar alignments or astrological mapping. Some have called them solar and lunar observatories used by the ancients. Often, they are primarily a circular geometry with usually an empty center. Though altar, sacrificial, or standing stones are found in the center of many. Stones in Britain, Scotland, and Ireland have been recorded and estimated to have been erected roughly 3000-2500 B.C.E. (Before the common era) during the Middle Neolithic (3700-2500 B.C.E.). Others are dated to the Late Neolithic and the Bronze Age.

They were abundantly built in coastal and lowland areas, especially in the northern part of what is now known as the United Kingdom. Stonehenge and Avebury are the most famous European stone circles, built around 3100 BCE. There have been recorded over 1303 stone circles in Ireland, Brittany, and Britain. Largest numbers were found in Scotland at 508 sites, 316 in England, 187 in Ireland, 156 in Northern Ireland, 81 in Wales, 49 in Brittany, and 6 in the Channel Islands.

The oldest stone circle, however, is the Gobekli Tepe in Anatolia, Turkey, estimated to be approximately 9,000-12,000 years old. In Europe, stone circles are often attributed to having been built by Druids. There is faint realism there; however, although celebrants of Druidic religions have built many stone circles (even modern ones), the most notorious historic circles are pre-Celtic and pre-Druid. Still, they may have been taken over through time by those of the Druid faith. Many modern-day Pagans claim them as their spiritual centers, as many are tied to the Equinoxes and Solstices. Outside of modern recreated stone circles like Maryhill Stonehenge, there does exist indigenous stone circles even in the United States – such as the Ellis Hollow Stone Circle in Ithaca, New York, which is located in a nature preserve, consisting of 13 standing stones arranged in a circle about 30′ in diameter. It is believed to have been placed there by people from the Late Woodland period around 1000 B.C.E.

Mythology and Folklore
In British and Irish folklore and legend, stone circles are notorious for being the haunt of faeries. Some say they are remnants of people turned to stone for dancing during the Equinoxes, Solstices, or Sabbaths. Burial mounds at, in, or near them are believed to be entrances to the Otherworld or the Land of the Fae. Most stone circles, especially in Europe, have supernatural tales associated with them, ranging from sightings of beings varying from Druids, Witches, Banshees, Hobs, Giants, boggarts, leprechauns, spectral figures, and phantom black doors on the moors.

Many artifacts have been found associated with stone circles from religious, ceremonial, habitation, and/or burial. Prehistoric lithics, flints, and stone weapons are often found around these circles. In European lore, these lithics were often called Elf Shot and believed to have been made by Elves that were fired at humans in the past.

References:

• Ancient Ireland 2024 Uragh Stone Circle And Lake Of Gleninchaquin. Ancient Ireland Tourism. Website referenced 3/28/24 at https://www.ancientirelandtourism.com/uragh-stone-circle-and-lake-of-gleninchaquin/
• Bretgaunt 2021 Dancing stones and peeing giants: the folklore of ancient sites in Derbyshire. BUXTON MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY. Website referenced 3/28/24 at https://buxtonmuseumandartgallery.wordpress.com/2021/12/10/dancing-stones-and-peeing-giants-the-folklore-of-ancient-sites-in-derbyshire/#:~:text=Stone%20circles%20and%20standing%20stones%20were%20often%20the%20haunt%20of,otherworld%20and%20the%20fairy%20kingdom.
• Burgoyne, Mindie 2023 Drawn to the Mystery of Ireland’s Stone Circles. Website referenced 3/28/2024 at https://travelhag.com/stone-circles/
• 2011 Uragh Stone Circle on the Beara Peninsula – Enchanting. Thin Places Mystical Tours. Website referenced 3/28/24 at https://thinplacestour.com/uragh-stone-circle/
• Byron, Susan 2024 Uragh Stone Circle. Ireland’s Hidden Gems. Website referenced 3/28/24 at https://www.irelands-hidden-gems.com/uragh-stone-circle.html
• Clarice 2021 Uragh Stone Circle: Magical Ireland. Nourishing Ireland. website referenced 3/28/24 at https://nourishingireland.com/uragh-stone-circle-magical-ireland/
• Hannon, Ed 2020 Uragh Stone Circle, Kerry, Ireland. Visions of the Past. website referenced 3/28/24 at https://visionsofthepastblog.com/2020/07/22/uragh-stone-circle-kerry-ireland/
• Irish Archaeology 2024 Uragh Stone Circle. website referenced 3/28/24 at https://irisharchaeology.org/uragh-stone-circle/
• Megalithic 2024 Uragh NE – Stone Circle in Ireland (Republic of) in Co. Kerry. The Megalithic Portal. Website referenced 3/28/24 at https://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=3528
• Larson, Celeste 2022 Reflections from Uragh Stone Circle, Ireland. Mage by Moonlight. Website referenced 3/28/24 at https://magebymoonlight.com/uragh-stone-circle/
• Tripadvisor 2024 Uragh Stone Circle. Trip Advisor. Website referenced 3/28/24 at https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g4045372-d8787688-Reviews-Uragh_Stone_Circle-Tuosist_County_Kerry.html
• Unknown 2024 Uragh Stone Circle. Megalithic Ireland. Website referenced 3/28/24 at http://www.megalithicireland.com/Uragh%20Stone%20Circle.html
• Wikipedia 2024 Uragh Stone Circle. Wikipedia. Website referenced 3/28/24 at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uragh_Stone_Circle

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The Fairy-Go-Round Fairy Fort
Dingle Peninsula, County Kerry, Ireland
https://www.fairyfortdingle.com/

During my 2023 December trompings around County Kerry on the Dingle Peninsula I pitstopped at this very cool Ring fort, also known as a “Fairy Fort”.  A tourist-attraction with a petting farm, this privately owned attraction is 10 km west of Dingle in the parish of Kilvickadownig. Its along the world famous Slea Head Drive.  This Ring fort, also known as a “Rath”, “Lios”, or “Fairy Fort” is a circular ancient pre-Celtic settlement and fort that is composed of a circular interior enclosed by a earthen bank and foss. There has been determined to be approximately 3-4 huts and souterrain that would have existed here. The bank rises approximately 4.2 meters above the base of the fosse and 2.5 meters above the interior. The entrance faces due East and is 3 meters width. 

Mythologically this is known as a Fairy Fort. The owners have called it the “Fairy Go Round.”   Historically, pre-Celtic forts and settlements were once attributed to be the circular fortified settlements of the pre-Celtic inhabitants of Ireland known as the Tuatha Dé Danann and Fír Bolg even though archaeologically we know they were built by humans during the Bronze age upwards towards 1000 CE.  Ring forts can be found throughout Northern Europe and are particularly abundant in the Isles like Ireland, England, and Scotland. Myth and legends surround these ruins and many superstitious will avoid them, believing them to be faerie domain and portals to the world of the Fae. Farmers who are superstitious will not farm nor develope near them, never altering the remains. Many believe the grounds are imbued with Druid magic. Even the cutting of the whitethorn trees (fairy trees) near them will often be believed to result in instant death upon whomever did the cutting. Others say that entering these fairy forts during the witching hours of 1 am – 5 am woulld never leave the fort alive. 

 This particular ring fort again is on private property shared with the public for a admission fee. In addition for entertainment of children, there is a animal petting farm on site with sheep, goats, lambs, kids, horses, and donkeys. 

Wishing Trees

“Wishing Trees” are very common throughout Ireland, England, and Scotland. They are usually individual trees upon which “folk magic”, “folk spells”, “faerie offerings”, or “prayers” are offered. Sometimes it is particular to a specific species, where the tree lives, or how it looks. Many times they are associated with faeries or a particular Deity. They are very common alongside sacred wells in Ireland and the UK. The practice usually involves petitions or offerings made to the tree, a nature spirit associated with the tree, a Saint, a God/dess, or the ancestors with a request for a wish to be fulfilled.

Coin trees involve the offering of coins to a particular tree. These are often hammered into an old trunk, branch, or small tree. Sometimes these are oaks, rowan trees, hawthorns, ash, or thorn trees. Some hawthorns serve for fertility magic such as a common one in Argyll, Scotland by the Ardmaddy House. Sometimes hundreds of coins are hammered into the bark and wood with the belief that a wish will be granted for each of the coins added. A similar one that is well known is the sacred well of Saint Maree in Loch Maree, Gairloch, Scotland which has hundreds of coins hammered into it. Also all over the Yorkshire Dales, such as in the pictures shown here I took during a hike, are found hundreds of coins offered to nature spirits and/or faeries for a granting of a wish.

Clootie Wish Trees (a.k.a. Cloughtie or Rag Trees) are found next to sacred wells throughout England, Scotland, and Ireland. This involves the practice of tying a piece of cloth, often called “clouties”, “clooties”, or “cloughties” to ask for an answer to a prayer, a wish, and/or a petition. As the rag decays, so will the illness; or so will the petition come true. It is a form of sympathetic magic. One of the most well-known “wishing trees” is the Madron Well in Cornwall. With the Madron well, a sacred well of healing, it is believed that as the cloth rots, the ailment that one is seeking a cure for disappears. Even Charles Darwin recorded the finding of a “wishing tree” in his travels in Argentina called “Walleechu” which was treated by the local inhabitants as a Deity. It was festooned with offerings such as cigars, food, water, and cloth hung from the branches by bright strips of colored thread. Popular wishing tree in Hong Kong is the “Lam Tsuen Wishing Tree” near the “Tin Hau Temple” in Lam Tsu where paper tied to an orange and thrown up in the trees that stick will grant the petitioner a wish. The wishing tree next to Brigid’s Well in Kildare is a common tree for petitioning healing requests.

The Wishing Tree at Tobar Ghobnatan Holy Well
not only consists of rags, but trinkets, rosaries, jewelry, prayer cards, toys, personal effects, and other items given as offerings. You can see these at Tobar Ghobnatan Wishing Trees. The concept is to leave behind something of yourself or someone that you love that is in need of prayers, healing, or petitions. The concept with the rags is that when it decays so will the illness that it represents. This is a kind of sympathetic magical rite. Unfortunately, some pilgrims to the sites don’t realize how the spell or magic works. You can see this when they tie a piece of a plastic bag on the tree. Plastic will take forever to decay, so will the illness it is to represent. If only they knew! In addition to the rags, others leave coins, jewelry, ri

ngs, prayer cards, figurines, toys, personal effects, clothing items such as belts, shoes, garments, and trinkets. The cloutie and Wish trees found at Tobar Ghobnatan are considered to be dedicated to the Matron Saint of Ballyvourney and sacred Bee-Keeping mistress, Saint Ghobnatan holy pilgrimage site and monastic settlement known as “Tobar Ghobnatan”. This is the legendary home of St. Gobnait/Ghobnatan. It is located a kilometer south of the village of Ballyvourney where her church Móin Mór (a.k.a. Bairnech) was built.

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