A "Night Hag" or "the Old Hag", was a
nightmare spirit in English and anglophone North American folklore. This variety of hag is essentially identical to the
Old English mæra—a being with roots in ancient Germanic superstition, and closely related to the Scandinavian
mara. According to folklore, the Old Hag sat on a sleeper's chest and sent
nightmares 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 film
Marianne (2011), the main character suffers from such nightmares. This state is now called
sleep paralysis, but in the old belief, the subject was considered "hagridden". It is still frequently discussed as if it were a
paranormal state. Many stories about hags seem to have been used to frighten children into being good. In
Northern England, for example,
Peg Powler was a river hag who lived in the
River Tees and had skin the colour of green pond scum. 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 of
nixie or neck has other regional names, such as Grindylow (a name connected to
Grendel),
Jenny Greenteeth from
Yorkshire, and
Nelly Longarms from several English counties. 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. In
Slavic 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. 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. In
Irish and
Scottish mythology, the
cailleach is a hag goddess concerned with creation, harvest, the weather, and sovereignty. In partnership with the goddess
Brígid, she is a seasonal goddess, seen as ruling the winter months while Brígid rules the summer. 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. In
ancient Greek religion, the
Three Fates (particularly ) are often depicted as hags. ==In Western literature==