Crones and Witches and Hags, Oh MY!

Crone, Witch, Hag.

These three words are often thought as synonyms, mired in misogyny. Yet their folkloric roots are quite different, and the words have drastically different meanings.

The Crone is an aspect of the Three-Faced Goddess: maid, mother, and crone. As the Maid she is youthful and virginous. She is the goddess of new beginnings and unlimited possibility. As Mother she is nurturing, and represents fertility and the continuing of the life cycle - not only of humans but the earth itself. As Crone she is wisdom and experience. Knowledge to be passed on to the next generation. Crone is a term of reverence we could do well to re-establish as such.

Witch is a perilous term, used by real men in real places in real time to justify horrific acts of inhumanity. First used as as a derogative in the year 890 in the Laws of Alfred,  the Witch was further maligned by a 15th century German monk who, through an almost mathematical approach, theorized that everything in Christianity ordained by god had an evil opposite ordained by Satan. If the Church had priests, there must be Satanic priestesses. If God bestows miraculous power upon saints, Satan must grant his chosen ones powers. If clergy make vows to the church, witches must make vows to Satan. Then he set out to prove his theory, using torture as his instrument. Thankfully, feminism has reclaimed the word as their own.

Hags have a folkloric history of being supernatural beings that typically feast on human flesh. Peg Powler and Jenny Greenteeth are examples of folkloric Hags.

In my campaign world, I consider Witches to be the female counterpart to Warlocks. Specifically, spell casters who derive their power via pacts with supernatural patrons. As a DM, I love the Warlock class, as it has allowed me to create a minor pantheon of sorts of patrons who have become recurring popular NPCs in my world. The three I have used so far are Old Nick (based on folklore about the Devil), The Lady of the Lake, and Circe. I've made Old Nick and Circe somewhat rivals, as their interests sometimes conflict with one another.

Art by Wright  Barker

My players encountered a Hag in a swamp adventure, and negotiated their way out of that encounter. I'll have to figure out a way to bring her  back into the storyline.