The Cailleach Bheur is a blue hag said to frequent parts of the Scottish Highlands. She is reborn each All Hallows Eve and brings Winter and the snow with a magical staff that freezes the ground with every tap. She is also guardian to animals through the winter. Depending on the tradition, on Beltane Eve she either returns to the earth by turning to stone, or changes into a young maiden, suggesting the changing phases of an earth goddess. Her sacred trees are the holly and the gorse bush, under which she traditionally throws her staff before turning to stone. There are several Scottish tales of the Cailleach Bheur. In one tale she guards a well on the summit of Ben Crauchan in Argyll. Every sunset she must cap the flowing water with a large flat stone and then release it at sunrise. One night she was weary from driving her goats across the mountains and fell asleep by the side of the well. Unhindered, the water gushed forth with such force, it broke through at the Pass of Brander and created Loch Awe, drowning many of the locals and their cattle in its wake. Horrified by her mistake, she turned to stone. While there are several tales of hags in British folklore, which may all have a similar root source, the Cailleach's association with stone is unusual. This is pure speculation, but perhaps she was identified with certain standing stones, possibly even ones with winter astronomical alignments.