Sheelagh na Gig Celtic Female Fertility Goddess Silver pendant. 3/4" wide x 1" tall. Gift boxed in an 18" silver chain. Sheela-na-gigs were typically female carvings which emphasise the genitalia. Judging from the buildings where Sheela-na-gigs are found they were craved between the 12th and 17th centuries. It would appear they are based on much older pre-Christian fertility symbols. In the medieval period they were most likely warning symbols against the sins of the flesh, in the pre-Christian period Sheela-na-gigs are more likely to have represented the celebration of female fertility. The origin of the name is probably from the Irish Gaelic "Woman on her hunkers: "Suigh na gcioch" She is to be seen on the walls at Kilkea Castle in Co. Kildare when I stayed there recently.