What is a hag?
Hag is a word for fairies and witches in the form of ugly old women in the folklore of Britain, Ireland and elsewhere. Close to the Japanese “onibaba” (demon hag), the word has covered many kinds of “old woman” spirits: frightening ones, harmful ones, and mysterious ones that embody the forces of nature.
Many kinds of hags
Some hags are goddess-like beings symbolizing the power of winter or the earth; Scotland’s Cailleach Bheur is the leading example. On the other hand, there are terrifying hags like England’s Black Annis, who abducts and eats children, and stories of waterside hags who drag children into ponds and rivers are told in many places. Such stories also served as warnings to keep children away from dangerous places.
The night hag and sleep paralysis
A witch who sat on a sleeper’s chest in the night and made it hard to breathe was called the “night hag.” Sleep paralysis, in which the body cannot move during sleep, was once thought to be the work of hags. English still has the expression “hag-ridden,” meaning tormented by nightmares.
