Celtic Winter In Scottish lore, An Cailleach, the winter witch hag tries to prolong winter. Certain omens are taken to determine if the winter witch intends to extend or release her power of winter, or Giamos, over the land. darkness relates to the deep abyss located below the well of potentials and the darkness that precedes existence, the darkness in which all things begin. Winter, for the Gaels, was a time of inward dwelling. Abundance at the beginning, starvation at the end, with a graduation toward the latter over time. Winter would be a time for making crafts and telling stories, for being with the family and staying warm. Starting with Samhain, or “Summer’s End”, winter increases as the sun’s decline is inevitable. Ancestors endured the winter months and would most likely lose weight as their access to carbohydrates decreased. The storytelling tradition in Celtic lands takes place mostly in the winter time. People could carve or knit while stories were being told. Certain kinds of housework are conducive to listening to tale-telling. At one time, the bulk of the common storytellers in Europe were in Celtic lands. https://www.patheos.com/blogs/fromacommonwell/2018/12/samos-and-giamos/