Ahag is awizened old woman, or a kind offairy,witch,[1][2] orgoddess having the appearance of such a woman, often found infolklore and children's tales such as "Hansel and Gretel".[3] Hags are often seen as malevolent, but may also be one of the chosen forms of shapeshifting deities, such asThe Morrígan orBadb, who are seen as neither wholly benevolent nor malevolent.[4][5] The word hag can also besynonymous for a witch.[1][2][6]
The term appears inMiddle English, and was a shortening ofhægtesse, anOld English term for 'witch'; similarly theDutchheks andGermanHexe are also shortenings, of theMiddle Dutchhaghetisse andOld High Germanhagzusa, respectively.[7] All of these words are derived from theProto-Germanic **hagatusjon-[7] which is of unknown origin; the first element may be related to the wordhedge.[7][8]
As astock character in fairy or folk tale, the hag shares characteristics with thecrone, and the two words are sometimes used as if interchangeable.[citation needed]
Using the wordhag to translate terms found in non-English (or non-modern English) is contentious, since use of the word is sometimes associated withmisogyny.[9][10][clarification needed]
A "Night Hag" or "the Old Hag", was anightmare spirit in English and anglophone North American folklore. This variety of hag is essentially identical to theOld Englishmæra—a being with roots in ancient Germanic superstition, and closely related to the Scandinavianmara. According to folklore, the Old Hag sat on a sleeper's chest and sentnightmares to him or her. When the subject awoke, he or she would be unable to breathe or even move for a short period of time. In the Swedish filmMarianne (2011), the main character suffers from such nightmares. This state is now calledsleep paralysis, but in the old belief, the subject was considered "hagridden".[11] It is still frequently discussed as if it were aparanormal state.[12]
Many stories about hags seem to have been used to frighten children into being good. InNorthern England, for example,Peg Powler was a river hag who lived in theRiver Tees and had skin the colour of green pond scum.[13][14][15] Parents who wanted to keep their children away from the river's edge told them that if they got too close to the water, she would pull them in with her long arms, drown them, and sometimes eat them. This type ofnixie or neck has other regional names, such as Grindylow[16] (a name connected toGrendel),[16][17]Jenny Greenteeth fromYorkshire, andNelly Longarms from several English counties.[18]
Many tales about hags do not describe them well enough to distinguish between an old woman who knows magic, or a witch or supernatural being.[19]
InSlavic folklore,Baba Yaga was a hag who lived in the woods in a house on chicken's legs. She would often ride through the forest on a mortar, sweeping away her tracks with a broom.[20] Though she is usually a single being, in some folktales three Baba Yagas are depicted as helping the hero in his quest, either by giving advice or by giving gifts.[21]
InIrish andScottish mythology, thecailleach is a hag goddess concerned with creation, harvest, the weather, and sovereignty.[5][22] In partnership with the goddessBrígid, she is a seasonal goddess, seen as ruling the winter months while Brígid rules the summer.[22] In Scotland, a group of hags, known asThe Cailleachan (The Storm Hags) are seen as personifications of the elemental powers of nature, especially in a destructive aspect. They are said to be particularly active in raising the windstorms of spring, during the period known asA Chailleach.[22][23]
Hags as sovereignty figures abound in Irish mythology. The most common pattern is that the hag represents the barren land, whom the hero of the tale must approach without fear, and come to love on her own terms. When the hero displays this courage, love, and acceptance of her hideous side, the sovereignty hag then reveals that she is also a young and beautiful goddess.[5]
Inancient Greek religion, theThree Fates (particularlyAtropos) are often depicted as hags.
In mediaeval and laterliterature, the termhag, and its relatives in European languages, came to stand for an unattractive, older woman. Building on the mediaeval tradition of such women as portrayed in comic andburlesque literature, specifically in the ItalianRenaissance, the hag represented the opposite of the lovely lady familiar from the poetry ofPetrarch.[24]
InThe Heroes or Greek Fairy Tales For My Children,Charles Kingsley characterizedScylla as "Scylla the sea hag".[25]
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Media related toHags at Wikimedia Commons