The Saint and the Dragon
Become a Patron!Irish and Celtic myths and legends, Irish folklore and Irish fairy tales from the Historical Cycle
The Defeat of the Cailleach
As Saint Patrick travelled across Ireland, spreading Christianity and the light among the pagan tribes, he saw many wonders and defeated many evils, but always more rose up to challenge him. So he took himself to prayer and saw a vision that he should travel to Croagh Patrick – although it was not known so at that time – and spend the Lenten fast in prayer on its summit.
And when he first set sandalled foot upon the slopes, the evil will that opposed him knew its danger! The old druids called her Caorthannach, or Caoránach, or some say Corra today, whose worship may have been brought here by the sorcerous Tuatha Dé Dannan after their wanderings amongst the Greeks and on the arid plains of Anatolia, where first walked monsters.
Others know her by the name of Cailleach, and the Romans called her Cybele, the Magna Mater, Mother of the gods, who claimed birth and death to herself, and the wild things of sharp tooth and claw.
The Cailleach was a true terror, an antediluvian entity who had cackled and danced through the ponderous forging of the earth, sleeping deep in the nighted caverns and deadly crushing depths, awaiting only the coming of humanity to awaken and work its mischief. Even, some say, it was the mother of satan himself, the serpent and sign of great mystery to the heathens who built dolmens from Galway bay to the farthest eastern shores of the peaceful ocean.
For long aeons after her awakening the mother of demons troubled the children of mankind, and her own children did worse, being strange demons and monsters, Nephilim, spirits and gibbering things that lodged in the minds of rulers and let them astray. Some demanded worship, the better to corrupt pure hearts, and some simply wrought ruin for the malicious delight of it. All were plagues and pestilences, thieves and usurpers, murderers and liars of varying degree.
And so when Saint Patrick trod on the mountain that she had taken as her palace, it was as the ringing of a clear silver bell in silence, and she knew fear herself for the first time in her long existence, fear that she might finally be called to account! And well the Cailleach might be afraid.
Some way to the north of Croagh Patrick was Lough Derg, although it wasn't known as such then, and it was the very place she had slept for so long, her home and some say a gateway into hell itself!
As Patrick prayed with all of the fervour, grace and faith God would grant him, so did the Cailleach shake and send her feared servants, the Sluagh, to slay him.
The Sluagh were the wild hunt who took the souls of all that crossed their path, although some said they had a particular taste for the living spirits of those who have found true love. And from them even death itself was no release, for the souls they captured joined them on their hunt, spiralling throughout the lands of Ireland and further abroad on that darkest of nights, Samhain.
In the form of a vast flock of black ravens twined about with undulating shadows they came, and yet upon closer inspection the great birds looked more like wretched thin shades of their previous selves, with gnarled talons like the blackthorn's boughs for hands and feet, and wings of dusty smoke.
They came upon Patrick in his prayers and fasting, and set to tearing at him and rending his clothes and flesh, seeking to take him away with them into the depths of Lough Derg, a great cloud of black birds.
But Patrick was untroubled, and prayed to the Lord for help, and help he got!
A great wind arose and swept from the top of Croagh Patrick like a mighty net, catching up things seen and unseen, the wild hunt along with it, and in the form of a towering whirlwind carried them out to sea where they were cast upon the waves, sinking into the depths to hold their counsels forever more amid lost cities which heeded them not, buried under mud.
The Cailleach was near caught up herself, but the wily old hag was strong and fought herself free, being deposited before Saint Patrick on the top of the mountain, rearing up in the shape of a fiery dragon, with breath as hot as the fires that forged the very earth.
For two days and two nights they struggled in that place, with prayer and spell, faith and fury, sacred litanies against the curses of wizards from lands long gone to dust, until at last the Cailleach was beaten and toppled from the mountain top to flee with all haste to Lough Derg. Some say he struck her with his black bell to drive her down the slope.
The good Saint wasn't going to let she who had caused the ruin of many escape ruin herself, so he leaped atop a horse and gave chase!
As she fled, the Cailleach knew that for all his Divine favour, Patrick was still only a man and would grow thirsty from the chase, and so she spat her deadly fiery venom into every well and body of water they passed. Onwards they raced by night and by day, the demon and the saint, but Patrick was almost ready to collapse by the time they had reached Leitrim.
He prayed to the Lord to give him a drink, and at that moment his horse stumbled and he fell off, knocking his head on the ground, and where his head touched the soil, a spring appeared. He drank deeply and with gratitude, and as his senses cleared he knew where the old worm would go. Nowhere else but back to her lair at Lough Derg! So there he went to lay in wait.
At last the Cailleach showed up, thinking she'd left Patrick far behind, but he sprang from the top of a rock onto her back as she entered the lake, and battle was joined again! Fierce was the fight, and none can say how long it lasted, but eventually the Cailleach or Caorthannach swallowed him whole.
Not deterred, Patrick tore his way out of her stomach with the ironshod point of his crozier, staining the lake waters red, which is why the lake is called Lough Derg or the Red Lake today. Sorely wounded and weakened, the demon came at him again, but he spoke a word of faith and she was lifted with such power that when she slammed down, the whole lake was emptied of water and the land about was inundated for months after.
And there to this day the Cailleach still writhes, bound and harmless, as long as the people of Ireland keep their faith and to their prayers.
But there are those who hold that her spawn still walk the earth, not least the devil himself, and still seek to free her to beget more of their brethren, and that at certain times of the year, she can rise to the surface to hiss her futile curses at the sky once again.
“But in the time of storm, when thunder is rolling, and lightning flashing and frightening away the dark night, then the serpent is allowed to rise and take its sport on the surface; and when by any chance man at this time pass that lonely water, they see the serpent riding the waves like a wild horse with a flowing mane; the froth boiling away from his sides, and all is terrible entirely.”
Lough Derg can be viewed on the map below:
We now have an amazing Patreon page as well, where you can listen to the many myths and legends on the Emerald Isle! Exclusive to our Patreon, you can now hear stories of ancient Ireland, folklore and fairy tales and more, all professionally narrated. It's at times like these that it's most important to support artists and creative people whose income might be reduced, so if you'd like to support the work that goes into Emerald Isle, the Patreon can be found here: https://www.patreon.com/emeraldisle
More Tales from the Historical Cycle
The boy who was to be Saint Colman was born in the northern kingdom of Dalriada, which held both Northern Ireland and Scotland in its power at the start of the sixth century. This was the time of the dawn of Christianity in Ireland, and it was a time when great terrors and monsters from primordial epochs still swam in the deep lakes and lazy rivers ... [more]
Most people have heard of Ireland's famous title, “The Island of Saints and Scholars”, and the reason it was so well known was because of the many fine Irish Catholic universities and colleges that preserved and spread learning throughout Europe. Of them all, there were few finer than the one in Howth, and so wonderful was its reput ... [more]
Very often here in Ireland we walk past the most astonishing buildings, carven stone high crosses, ancient temples and many similar things, but rarely do we wonder who built them. Well as it turns out, legend has it that a surprising number of them were built by a man called Gobán Saor, whose name means “Gobán the Builder,&rdquo ... [more]
I. Once upon a time there was a High King in Ireland by the name of Conn the hundred-fighter, for so many battles had he fought and won to gain his kingship. At the end of his reign was Fionn Mac Cumhaill born. Long was Conn's lineage, although I won't trouble you with the details, but he reigned at Tara of the Kings as Lord of all Irela ... [more]
In the time of High King Lugaid Luaigne, that is around the age when Fionn Mac Cumhaill and his Fianna fought in defence of the great land of Ireland, a dispute arose in the northern Kingdom among the men of the Ulaid, for instead of there being only one king of Ulster, there were two! Well, as anyone who knows anything about kings will tell you ... [more]
St Colmcille is one of the three patron saints of Ireland, and his life is the subject of story and legend. It was by his efforts that Christianity spread not only through Ireland but also Scotland, England and parts of Europe too! He was a tall and powerfully built man with a rich and melodious voice which, it was said, could be heard from one hil ... [more]
From the earliest times and in every corner of the world, mead was held in reverence. This sweet tasting fermented honey drink was especially loved by the ancient Irish, who shared fireside stories about rivers of mead in mystical lands over the edge of the ocean's horizon, ruled by Mannanan Mac Lír, and even in the place where the dead ... [more]
Ancient are the hills and mountains of Ireland, and ancient are her trees, something that the old people who lived here knew well. To them a tree was a mystical thing with its roots reaching down into the underworld of the sidhe mounds, and its branches lifting up high into the heavens towards the sun, moon and stars. Well over ten thousand places ... [more]
The Irish bee has been a beloved part of the culture and folklore as long as there have been people in Ireland, producing honey for cakes and mead as well as beeswax which has no end of uses. Many's the warm summer evening has been filled with their gentle humming above the beautiful flowers they help to pollinate. And yet for all that, old ... [more]
As Saint Patrick travelled across Ireland, spreading Christianity and the light among the pagan tribes, he saw many wonders and defeated many evils, but always more rose up to challenge him. So he took himself to prayer and saw a vision that he should travel to Croagh Patrick – although it was not known so at that time – and spend the L ... [more]
During the darkness of pagan times, the High King of Ireland was a man known as Laoghaire, known for his merciless fury and great strength, and he sat upon the seat of the High Kings in Tara. However, unknown to him, Saint Patrick had landed in a little boat at Colpe in the Boyne estuary, travelling to a place called Ferta fer Feic, or the burial p ... [more]
One of the three patron Saints of Ireland, along with Patrick and Colmcille, St Brigid of Kildare was a devout Catholic in the very first days of the faith in Ireland. Her feast day is the first of February, which previously had been the pagan festival of Imbolc, halfway between winter and spring. Brigid herself was the daughter of a baptised Ch ... [more]
Through many an ancient legend and tale rings the name of the fierce and powerful druid called Mogh Ruith, meaning “slave of the wheel”. Older legends make him out to be the king of the Fir Bolg, or a druid gifted with many lives by the fairies, or that the name was but a title passed down through generations. Some say he had one eye ... [more]
Ireland has had many high kings, some were wise and kind and others cruel and the holders of grudges, but there were few as great as High King Cormac Mac Art, grandson of Conn of the Hundred Battles and son of Art and Ectach, the daughter of a mighty blacksmith. In his youth he stayed at the hall of the king of the north, Fergus Dubhdedach, but ... [more]
Back in the days of Ireland of old, in the times when legends walked the earth and before the light came to drive back the shadows of ancient times, the word of a bard was much feared, for the people had no writing, so all of their words and histories were stored in songs and poems by bardic masters. As you can imagine they were very wary of get ... [more]
In ancient days there was an Irish King whose name was Labraid Lioseach, known also as Labraid the Sailor for a long voyage he took into fairy seas, and when he came back from that voyage he was never seen without a deep hood over his head, except by one man. That man saw him once a year to trim his hair, and after the King's hair was cut, t ... [more]
It was the custom in Ireland of old to lay geases upon champions, heroes and warriors. These were magical forbiddings, deeds they must not do or disaster would follow, and no disaster fell so hard upon a man who broke his geases as upon Conaire Mor! His mother was a woman of the Sidhe called Etain, who had been married to King Eochaid, but disco ... [more]
Tierna the Historian was one of the many chroniclers and monks who wrote the tales of ancient Irish legends, telling us of strange and notable events in the almost forgotten past, the deeds of heroes and kings, and in one case, the disappearance of the High king himself! For it was by Tierna's hand we know that High King Cormac went missing for ... [more]
In the time between the Tuatha Princes and St Patrick, there rose over the people of Ireland mighty High Kings, who held power by force of arms, wit and wisdom. One of the greatest among them was Cormac of the wide purple cloak, whose hair was as golden as the heavy torc around his neck, with teeth like a shower of pearls and skin as fair as snow. ... [more]
Long ago when the fierce Milesians invaded Ireland and defeated the De Danann after many wars and battles, despite their sorceries and all their courage, skill and sciences, the folk of Danann made for themselves eldritch amulets and charms by which they and all their possessions became invisible to mortals, and so they continued to lead their old ... [more]