Sheela na gigs (or sheela-na-gigs) are figurative carvings of naked women displaying an exaggerated vulva. They are found on churches,castles and other buildings, particularly in Ireland and Britain, sometimes together with male figures. One of the best examples may be found in the Round Tower at Rattoo, in County Kerry, Ireland. A replica is located in the County Museum in Tralee town. Another well-known example can be seen at Kilpeck in Herefordshire, England.
Ireland has the greatest number of known sheela na gig carvings, McMahon and Roberts cite 101 examples in Ireland and a further 45 examples in Britain. Such carvings are said to ward off death and evil.
The idea that sheela na gigs represent a pagan goddess is a most popular theory with the public; it is, however, not generally accepted by academics. The goddess in question is usually identified as Celtic, the hag-like Cailleach figure of Irish and Scottish mythology. This theory was originally put forward by Margaret Murray, and also by Anne Ross, who, in her essay entitled “The Divine Hag of the Pagan Celts”, wrote “I would like to suggest that in their earliest iconographic form they do in fact portray the territorial or war-goddess in her hag-like aspect…”
Most recently the goddess theory has been put forward in the book The Sacred Whore: Sheela Goddess of the Celts by Maureen Concannon who associates the figures with the “mother goddess”.
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