The Cailleach and Odin

Odin is a god I have had a good understanding for and with for quite sometime. When I first started reading about the Cailleach, I was struck by the similarities between these two … as far as I could tell, they could be brother and sister, just from the general descriptions. Both are fond of storms, both have a single eye, both are respected for their great age and wisdom, both are wintry sorts, are associated with death; and while Odin wields his mighty spear, the Cailleach is known to wield a wand. Clearly, there are plenty of differences; and I was prepared to dismiss the similarities as mere coincidence – in fact, I did dismiss them as coincidence for the better part of this past year. Then I read an article that caused me to rethink things … Odinists who lack a healthy sense of humor might want to think twice before reading further.