Beira, Queen of Winter

A wintery tale, inspired by legends of the Cailleach, "the divine hag", known in Scotland, as Beira, the personification of Winter.

The legends are many; Beira is both destroyer, and life-bringer. She is mother to all other Gaelic deities. In some stories she has one eye, and sees directly to the truth, eschewing duality. In yet other legends she seeks the love of a hero, and if the hero sees her quality, she transforms from old hag, to beautiful maiden.

This story is not fantastical, it's not even a retelling in the strict sense, of any piece of folklore.

It is the story of a woman, moulded in Winter, who sees the stark truth of the world. It is the story of a human heart discovering that for every Winter, there is also Spring.