Hag

Linguistically, English hag is a shortening of Middle English hægtesse (Old English term for 'witch') and traces back to Proto-Germanic *hagatusjon- of unknown origin; the first element may be related to 'hedge'. Folklorically the hag-concept in the supplied sources represents a convergence of several regional figures and ideas: nightmare spirits (Old English mæra / Scandinavian mara), river/pond cautionary monsters (Peg Powler, Jenny Greenteeth), woodland/otherworld dwellers (Baba Yaga), and sovereignty or seasonal goddesses (the cailleach, The Cailleachan). The supplied material treats 'hag' as an umbrella term rather than a single origin narrative.

Across sources the common image is 'a wizened old woman,' but features vary by local figure. River hags like Peg Powler are described with green, scum-coloured skin and long arms used to seize victims; Baba Yaga is a forest-dwelling hag associated with a hut on chicken legs and with travel in a mortar while sweeping tracks with a broom; cailleach-figures are hag-goddesses whose aged, harsh appearance embodies winter and barren land. No single standardized physical template is given in the sources—appearances depend on regional role and function.

Reported abilities differ by tradition. The 'Night Hag' (Old Hag) sits on a sleeper's chest, produces nightmares and an experience historically described as 'hagridden' (temporary paralysis and difficulty breathing on waking). River hags (Peg Powler, Jenny Greenteeth, Nelly Longarms, Grindylow) are described in cautionary tales as pulling children into water, drowning them, and in some accounts eating them. Some hag-figures function as shapeshifting or chosen forms of larger deities (e.g., Morrígan/Badb) or as sovereignty figures (Irish tales where acceptance of the hag leads to her revealing a young, beautiful goddess), and cailleach figures are associated with weather and seasonal powers (storm-raising, winter agency).