A clootie well is a
holy well
A holy well or sacred spring is a well, Spring (hydrosphere), spring or small pool of water revered either in a Christianity, Christian or Paganism, pagan context, sometimes both. The water of holy wells is often thought to have healing qualitie ...
(or sacred
spring), almost always with a tree growing beside it, where small strips of cloth or ribbons are left as part of a
healing
With physical trauma or disease suffered by an organism, healing involves the repairing of damaged tissue(s), organs and the biological system as a whole and resumption of (normal) functioning. Medicine includes the process by which the cells ...
ritual
A ritual is a repeated, structured sequence of actions or behaviors that alters the internal or external state of an individual, group, or environment, regardless of conscious understanding, emotional context, or symbolic meaning. Traditionally ...
, usually by tying them to branches of the tree (called a clootie tree or rag tree). Clootie wells are places of
pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...
usually found in
Celtic areas. It is believed that the tradition comes from the ancient custom of leaving
votive offering
A votive offering or votive deposit is one or more objects displayed or deposited, without the intention of recovery or use, in a sacred place for religious purposes. Such items are a feature of modern and ancient societies and are generally ...
s in water. In
Scots, a ''clootie'' or ''cloot'' is a strip of cloth or rag.
Practices
When used at the clootie wells in Scotland, Ireland, and the Isle of Man, the pieces of cloth are generally dipped in the water of the
holy well
A holy well or sacred spring is a well, Spring (hydrosphere), spring or small pool of water revered either in a Christianity, Christian or Paganism, pagan context, sometimes both. The water of holy wells is often thought to have healing qualitie ...
and then tied to a branch while a
prayer
File:Prayers-collage.png, 300px, alt=Collage of various religionists praying – Clickable Image, Collage of various religionists praying ''(Clickable image – use cursor to identify.)''
rect 0 0 1000 1000 Shinto festivalgoer praying in front ...
of
supplication
Supplication (also known as petitioning) is a form of prayer, wherein one party humbly or earnestly asks another party to provide something, either for the party who is doing the supplicating (e.g., "Please spare my life.") or on behalf of someon ...
is said to the spirit of the well – in modern times usually a
saint
In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...
, but in
pre-Christian times a
goddess
A goddess is a female deity. In some faiths, a sacred female figure holds a central place in religious prayer and worship. For example, Shaktism (one of the three major Hinduism, Hindu sects), holds that the ultimate deity, the source of all re ...
or local
nature spirit. This is most often done by those seeking healing, though some may do it simply to honour the spirit of the well. In either case, many see this as a probable continuation of the ancient Celtic practice of leaving
votive offering
A votive offering or votive deposit is one or more objects displayed or deposited, without the intention of recovery or use, in a sacred place for religious purposes. Such items are a feature of modern and ancient societies and are generally ...
s in wells or pits.
[Healy, Elizabeth (2002) ''In Search of Ireland's Holy Wells''. Dublin, Wolfhound Press pp. 12–19, 27, 56–7, 66, 69, 81.][Logan, Patrick (1980) ''The Holy Wells of Ireland''. Buckinghamshire, Colin Smythe Limited. . pp. 22–3, 95.]
There are local variations to the practice. At some wells the tradition is to wash the affected part of the body with the wet rag and then tie the washing-rag on the branch; as the rag disintegrates over time, the ailment is supposed to fade away as well. At some wells the clooties are definitely "rags" and discards, at others, brightly coloured strips of fine cloth. In some locations the ceremony may also include
circumambulation
Circumambulation (from Latin ''circum'' around and ''ambulātus ''to walk) is the act of moving around a sacred object or idol.
Circumambulation of temples or deity images is an integral part of Hindu and Buddhist devotional practice (known in ...
(or circling) of the well a set number of times and making an offering of a coin, pin or stone. Additional votive offerings hung on the branches or deposited in the wells may include
rosaries, religious medals,
cross
A cross is a religious symbol consisting of two Intersection (set theory), intersecting Line (geometry), lines, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of t ...
es,
religious icons and other symbols of faith.
At clootie wells where the operative principle is to shed the ailment, and the clootie is thought to represent the ailment, the "offerings" may be grotesque castoffs. Those that instead view the clootie as an offering to the spirit, saint or deity are more likely to tie an attractive, clean piece of cloth or ribbon.
The sacred trees at clootie wells are usually
hawthorn trees, though
ash tree
''Fraxinus'' (), commonly called ash, is a genus of plants in the olive and lilac family, Oleaceae, and comprises 45–65 species of usually medium-to-large trees, most of which are deciduous trees, although some subtropical species are evergr ...
s are also common.
The most popular times for pilgrimages to clootie wells, like other holy wells, are on the feast days of Saints, the Pattern or Patron day, or on the old
Gaelic festival days of
Imbolc
Imbolc or Imbolg (), also called Saint Brigid's Day (; ; ), is a Gaels, Gaelic traditional festival on 1 February. It marks the beginning of Spring (season), spring, and in Christianity, it is the calendar of saints, feast day of Brigid of Kild ...
(1 February),
Beltane
Beltane () or ''Bealtaine'' () is the Gaels, Gaelic May Day festival, marking the beginning of summer. It is traditionally held on 1 May, or about midway between the March equinox, spring equinox and summer solstice. Historically, it was widely ...
(1 May),
Lughnasadh
Lughnasadh, Lughnasa or Lúnasa ( , ) is a Gaels, Gaelic festival marking the beginning of the harvest season. Historically, it was widely observed throughout Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. Traditionally, it is held on 1 August, or abo ...
(1 August), or
Samhain
Samhain ( , , , ) or () is a Gaels, Gaelic festival on 1 November marking the end of the harvest season and beginning of winter or the "Celtic calendar#Medieval Irish and Welsh calendars, darker half" of the year.Dáithí Ó hÓgáin, Ó hÓ ...
(1 November).
[Healy (2002) p. 19.]
Locations

In Scotland, by the village of
Munlochy
Munlochy ( ; Scottish Gaelic: ''Poll Lochaidh'') is a small village, lying at the head of Munlochy Bay (''Ob Poll Lochaidh''), in the Black Isle in Ross and Cromarty, in northern Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, c ...
on the A832, is a clootie well (called in ) at an ancient spring dedicated to
Saint Curetán, where rags are still hung on the surrounding bushes and trees. Here the well was once thought to have had the power to cure sick children who were left there overnight. The site sometimes needs to be cleared of non-biodegradable materials and rubbish such as electrical items and a venetian blind.
In the heart of Culloden woods near the battlefield is a walled clootie well also known as St Mary's well. This well was traditionally visited on the first Sunday in May. Until recently, it was a popular holiday, with an ice-cream van situated in the car park. However, this tradition is now in decline although still marked. Craigie Well at
Avoch on the
Black Isle has both offerings of coins and clooties. Rags, wool and human hair were also used as charms against sorcery, and as tokens of penance or fulfilment of a vow.
[Sharp, Mick (1997) ''Holy Places of Celtic Britain''. London, Blandford. . p. 172.] A clootie well once existed at Kilallan near
Kilmacolm in
Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire () (; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. Renfrewshire is located in the west central Lowlands. It borders East Renfrewshire, Glasgow, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire and West Dunbartonshire, and lies on the southern ba ...
. This holy well was dedicated to St Fillan and cloth was tied to overhanging shrub branches.
In
Cornwall
Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...
, at
Madron
Madron ( (village) or (parish)) is a civil parishes in England, civil parish and village in west Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. Madron is named after Saint Madern's Church. Its annual Trafalgar Service commemorating the death of Horatio ...
Well () the practice is to tie the cloth and as it rots the ailment is believed to disappear.
[Straffon, Cheryl (1998) ''Fentynyow Kernow – In Search of Cornwall's Holy Wells'' Penzance, Meyn Mamvro. pp. 40–42.] In 1894 Madron Well was said to be the only Cornish well where rags were traditionally tied. Rags have only appeared at other Cornish wells such as Alsia Well () and Sancreed Well () in about the last 30 years.
Christ's Well at Mentieth was described in 1618 "as all tapestried about with old rags".
In Ireland at
Loughcrew,
Oldcastle, County Meath () there is a wishing tree, where visitors to the passage tombs tie ribbons to the branch of a hawthorn tree. Loughcrew is a site of considerable historical importance in Ireland. It is the site of megalithic burial grounds dating back to approximately 3500 and 3300 BC, situated near the summit of Sliabh na Caillí and on surrounding hills and valleys.
Popular culture
In 2002, the folklorist
Marion Bowman observed that the number of clootie wells had "increased markedly" both at existing and new locations in recent years. She added that those engaged in the practice often conceived of it as an ancient "Celtic" activity which they were perpetuating.
A fictional clootie well at
Auchterarder
Auchterarder (; , meaning Upper Highland) is a town north of the Ochil Hills in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, and home to the Gleneagles Hotel. The High Street of Auchterarder gave the town its popular name of "The Lang Toun" or Long Town.
The ...
features in the 2006 novel ''
The Naming of the Dead'' by
Ian Rankin
Sir Ian James Rankin (born 28 April 1960) is a Scottish crime writer and philanthropist, best known for his Inspector Rebus novels.
Early life
Rankin was born in Cardenden, Fife. His father, James, owned a grocery shop, and his mother, Isobel ...
, who visited the clootie well at
Munlochy
Munlochy ( ; Scottish Gaelic: ''Poll Lochaidh'') is a small village, lying at the head of Munlochy Bay (''Ob Poll Lochaidh''), in the Black Isle in Ross and Cromarty, in northern Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, c ...
on
Black Isle before writing the book.
The 2018 film ''
The Party's Just Beginning'', written and directed by
Inverness
Inverness (; ; from the , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness") is a city in the Scottish Highlands, having been granted city status in 2000. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highland ...
-born filmmaker
Karen Gillan, features the Munlochy clootie well.
See also
*
Culloden, Scotland
*
Sacred grove
Sacred groves, sacred woods, or sacred forests are groves of trees that have special religious importance within a particular culture. Sacred groves feature in various cultures throughout the world. These are forest areas that are, for the most ...
*
Well dressing
*
Wilweorthunga
*
Wish tree
*
Nuragic holy well
References
Bibliography
*
{{Refend
External links
The Clootie Well, MunlochyIreland – Rag TreesIrish Holy Wells – some with rags and ribbonsThe Megalithic PortalIncludes Holy wells and sacred springs.
Video footage of Saint Queran's Clootie Well.
Archaeological artefact types
Celtic mythology
*
*
Pilgrimage sites
Rituals
Springs (hydrology)
Traditional medicine
Votive offering
Christian holy places