Infolklore, acrone is an old woman who may be characterized as disagreeable, malicious, or sinister in manner, often withmagical orsupernatural associations that can make her either helpful or obsolete. The Crone is also anarchetypical figure or aWise Woman. As a character type, the crone shares characteristics with thehag.
The word became further specialized as the third aspect of theTriple Goddess popularized byRobert Graves and subsequently in some forms ofneopaganism. InWicca, the crone symbolizes theDark Goddess, thedark side of the Moon, the end of a cycle; together with theMother (Light Goddess) and theMaiden (Day Goddess), she represents part of thecircle of life. The archetype of theHandsome Warlock, good or bad, may change a Crone or Hag to normal looks, if so desired.[1][2]
Infeminist spiritual circles, a "Croning" is aritualrite of passage into an era ofwisdom,freedom, and personal power.[3]
According to scholarClarissa Pinkola Estés, the Crone is "the one who sees far, who looks into the spaces between the worlds and can literally see what is coming, what has been, and what is now and what underlies and stands behind many things. [...] The Crone represents the ability to see, more than just with one’s eyes alone, but to see with the heart’s eyes, with the soul’s eyes, through the eyes of the creative force and the animating force of the psyche."[4]
The crone, along with many other femalemonsters is present in many cultures to warn of the nature of women. The crone highlights the importance ofbeauty andyouth among women, and how older and elderly women often turned bitter and evil in their old age. In media, the crone often acts out of jealousy, luring young pretty women into bad situations, such as seen in the taleSnow White.[5]
As a noun,crone entered the English language around the year 1390, deriving from theAnglo-French wordcarogne (an insult), itself deriving from the Old North Frenchcharogne,caroigne, meaning a disagreeable woman (literally meaning "carrion"). Prior to the entrance of the word into English, the surname Hopcrone is recorded (around 1323–1324).[6]
In more modern usage,crone is also defined as a "woman who is venerated for experience, judgment, and wisdom."[7]
Clarissa Pinkola Estes suggests that the wordcrone may derive from the wordcrown (or, la corona). While a crown is known as a circlet that goes around the head and establishes one's authority as a leader, "before this understanding, the crown, la corona, was understood to mean the halo of light around a person’s body. La corona was considered to shine more brightly when a person was clear, filled with love and justice."[4] Thus, Estes suggests, the Crone is one who reflects this enhanced degree of clarity and in/sight.
InNorse myth,Thor wrestles the croneElli who personifies old age.[8]
In the local folklore ofSomerset inSouth West England, the Woman of the Mist is said to appear sometimes as a crone gathering sticks; sightings of her were reported as late as the 1950s.[9] In theScottish Highlands tale "The Poor Brother and the Rich", a crone refuses to stay buried, until her son-in-law provides a generouswake, after which he becomes as wealthy as his more fortunate brother.[10]
InCuban traditional folklore old women often appear as helpful characters, as in the tale of the sick man who cannot get well until he meets an old woman who advises him to wear thetunic of a man who is truly happy. According to writerAlma Flor Ada, "They tend to be the ones who keep the family together, who pass on the traditions, who know the remedies that would cure the different illnesses".[11]
