Night Hag
demonic intermediate English folklore single tradition · 2
A nightmare spirit in English and anglophone North American folklore that sat on a sleeper's chest and sent nightmares. When the subject awoke, they would be unable to breathe or move for a short period of time, a state called being "hagridden". This being is essentially identical to the Old English mæra and closely related to the Scandinavian mara, with roots in ancient Germanic superstition.
↻ synthesized from 2 sources
When
- First attested
- 0 CE
- Attested period
- 0 – 2020
- Historical notes
- Still frequently discussed as if it were a paranormal state; the condition is now medically termed sleep paralysis.
Relationships
- co occurs with
- Peg Powler, Grindylow, Jenny Greenteeth, Nelly Longarms, The Cailleachan, Atropos, Nocnitsa, Brigid, Cailleach, Baba Yaga
- syncretized with
- Mara
Mentioned by
Sources
Source passages
“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”
#6555 · extracted by anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5