Hag

For other uses, see Hag (disambiguation).

1920 Arthur Rackham illustration for the Irish fairytale The Hag of the Mill. "Now the Hag of the Mill was a bony, thin pole of a hag with odd feet."

A hag is a wizened old woman, or a kind of fairy, witch,[1][2] or goddess having the appearance of such a woman, often found in folklore 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 as The Morrígan or Badb, who are seen as neither wholly benevolent nor malevolent.[4][5] The word hag can also be synonymous for a witch.[1][2][6]

  1. ^ a b "Definition of HAG". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Dictionary.com | Meanings & Definitions of English Words". Dictionary.com. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
  3. ^ Briggs, Katharine. (1976) An Encyclopedia of Fairies, Hobgoblins, Brownies, Boogies, and Other Supernatural Creatures, "Hags", p.216. ISBN 0-394-73467-X
  4. ^ Lysaght, Patricia. (1986) The Banshee: The Irish Death Messenger. Roberts Rinehart Publishers. ISBN 1-57098-138-8. p.54
  5. ^ Clark, Rosalind. (1991) The Great Queens: Irish Goddesses from the Morrígan to Cathleen Ní Houlihan (Irish Literary Studies, Book 34) Savage, Maryland, Barnes and Noble (reprint) pp.5, 8, 17, 25
  6. ^ "Thesaurus.com - The world's favorite online thesaurus!". Thesaurus.com. Retrieved 10 October 2024.