The Hag

HYPNOMPIA is the state of transition between sleep and wakefulness where it's possible to get glimpses of images as the brain tries to process its surroundings. It's a physiological phenomenon that helps explain sleep paralysis, hallucinations, and Succubus/Incubus episodes.

THE HAG is a very common phenomenon, typically occurring with young females, where they experience night visions of a malevolent feminine entity that watches them while they sleep.

Almost everyone here is most likely familiar with the above phenomenon and mainstream explanation, and it was comforting to feel it had a logical explanation; however, as someone who had regular 'hag' experiences growing up - that suddenly stopped at the age of 22 - it made me wonder if there is more to it.

Some common factors:

1). Young females are almost exclusive witnesses of the hag.
2). The sightings abruptly cease once the woman reaches adulthood. I was 22 years old during my last encounter, and can remember that age specifically because the encounter was so jarring.
3). Those who frequently encounter the hag have no other experiences with any other waking vision, sleep paralysis, or similar phenomenon. Their episodes are limited strictly to this one entity.

Is more going on here? What would cause millions of women all over the world, and all throughout history to have this one similar experience?

a reply to: AshleyD

A teacher watching over you.

a reply to: Kester

Explain?

a reply to: AshleyD

Millions of people all over the world report they see bigfoot and millions of people all over the world believe in a god...doesn't mean either of them exist..

a reply to: AshleyD

Interesting subject!

I know a young female (19) and she has been experiencing this (the hag figure) for about a year now.
The 'figure' speaks to her often (or so she thinks it is speaking to her).
My elderly Mother (93) saw the same figure before she died (about a year before so she would have been 92).
Other symptoms include episodes of psychosis, migraines and extreme phobias.

It seem to have all boiled over in conjunction with this vision.
Thanks for bringing up this subject as I am very interested to hear anyone's thoughts and experiences related.

a reply to: AshleyD

When we had something like this it turned out to be warning us to leave. We were there 15 years and the whole time our children particularly were experiencing regular stuff like this. I get a lot of flack now for not taking them seriously enough at the time.

Although the entity was unpleasant and apparently malevolent, the intention was to get us to move out for our own safety. The house was eventually demolished due to extremely dangerous building flaws coupled with subsidence. The way the 'hauntings' developed as the situation came to a climax strongly supported the view that this was actually a positive action by the entity, encouraging us to move for our own safety.

If young females experience an apparently malevolent female entity I'd look at the possibility it's a tough teacher telling you to move your camp. Easier for a nomad than a settler.

a reply to: AshleyD

Hiya Ashley

I had the pleasure of experiencing the full monty version of 'Old Hag' earlier this year. It's quite a thing and the image is still there in my memory. Its no wonder people have been talking and writing about it all these centuries. It was like it was made from the 'white noise' you see on TVs. The impression was of something very much not real and kinda holographic.

I woke up to see this darkened silhouette of a 'witch's' face about a foot away from mine. 'She' even had something like a pointy hat on. There were two dark tendrils tracing away from me to this figure. It all happened in a moment and, as soon as I saw it, I tried to hit it away and it was suddenly not there. In the same instant, I took the deepest breath like when you've been diving and taken too long to re-surface.

Not so sure about the higher frequency or exclusivity of the experience to females. As far I recall, the earliest instances involved men and appeared in the literature of different peoples from as early as Classical Greece. I'd be more inclined to think 'Old hag' is an equal opportunities experience for us all.

a reply to: AshleyD

Great topic, thanks for posting. I didn't know this experience was limited to or focused mostly on young females, I will have to research more. I have had a couple episodes of sleep paralysis in my long lifetime, mostly when young, but I've never seen anything. I did feel a presence though.

a reply to: Kester

Did the entity say something that led you to believe that it wanted you to move out of your house?
For example. 'run' or 'get out' or whatever?

Have your children not had any more experiences that you are aware of?
*Sorry, forgot a question. Were there any physical symptoms of illness with your children during this time?

originally posted by: Kandinsky
a reply to: AshleyD
I woke up to see this darkened silhouette of a 'witch's' face about a foot away from mine. 'She' even had something like a pointy hat on. There were two dark tendrils tracing away from me to this figure. It all happened in a moment and, as soon as I saw it, I tried to hit it away and it was suddenly not there. In the same instant, I took the deepest breath like when you've been diving and taken too long to re-surface.

Did the entity try to speak to you?
Could you tell?
Did it seem as if 'she' was leaning in toward your ear? Preparing to speak?

Any other physical type of things went on that you can remember?

Some people experience myclonic jerks as they enter deeper states of sleep. As our muscles become relaxed, the brain interprets this as if the body is falling, causing it to tense up in order to prevent a fall. This "jerk" can cause people to enter the hypnopompic state which can be very disorienting. Difficulty in breathing occurs because our muscles have remained relaxed even though our mind has been "awakened".

In this state, we attempt to objectify our actual surroundings from a "dreamlike" perspective instead of being fully awake and rational. My guess is "the hag" resulted from chest pressure due to resting muscles that remain in rest during the hypnopompic state, making it hard to breath. Before scientists had the ability to investigate, many unexplainable phenomenon were associated with demons or spirits. The story stuck as did many other tales.

My 2 cents.

a reply to: AshleyD

I came here by mistake. I thought this thread was about Hillary. Never mind.

a reply to: TNMockingbird

It was like it'd been there before I woke up and the 'tendrils' were like my breath or 'energy' being drawn into where its mouth would have been. 'She' would have had to have been lying on me or crouching for the face to be so close.

It's funny, I would have expected a zombie-looking face with evil eyes. Instead it was not a pretty face (at all), but really a conventional 'witch' face with longish nose and pointed chin.

Thank goodness there was no dialogue!

What I think it could have been is an output of maybe sleep apnoea? You know, stop breathing, brain conjures a panic scenario and *boom!* Horrible vision and the shock creates a deep gasp. Whatever the case, it's a really vivid experience and extremely realistic.

Objectively, it's so peculiar that our brains conjure these things up whereas who ever wakes up to their favourite fantasy figure? Always something disturbing rather than a smiling person we admire or find attractive.

I've never seen a hag, but I have seen a large spider on a few occasions. I would always see it out of the corner of my eye, but it would look so real that I would instinctively swat at it and run to the light switch so I could see where it went! I hear it's pretty common to see spiders in that state of near-sleep.

a reply to: eisegesis

I have these "jerks" all the time. I'm able to tell what it is and I always think to myself well that was weird and nowadays it makes me smile, never knew what caused it just thought I over worked and was really tired.

Are "hags" scary lookin? Do they look different in each instance you see them? If they are pretty and only harm me a little bit I'll take 2 please. Never heard of this before, the brain is a weird thing.

originally posted by: Kandinsky
a reply to: TNMockingbird
Objectively, it's so peculiar that our brains conjure these things up whereas who ever wakes up to their favourite fantasy figure? Always something disturbing rather than a smiling person we admire or find attractive.

Yes, it would be much more pleasant wouldn't it?

The 'hag' that visited my Mother was younger and childlike. She would kneel beside the bed and appeared to be praying. I think it was likely the same hallucination over and over but Mother was so convinced and even sang and spoke to the figure.
The one the young woman is experiencing she describes as scary looking, not really any distinguishable facial features. She is just frightened when she appears.
The thing that both (visions/hags) have in common is height and a type of head wrap.

originally posted by: AshleyD
What would cause millions of women all over the world, and all throughout history to have this one similar experience?

Spiritual contracts need to be renewed every 3rd or 4th Generation.

For a family to maintain its lease of land in the spiritual world, a member of the family must sell their soul. Quite often this will happen during childhood.

The Hag is a Siren or Banshee who needs to pass the family baton to the next family member and train him/her during childhood.

Sirens were always the daughters of fallen angel / human parents who are damned to traverse this world until Judgement Day. Banshees and Wraiths are the eternally dead form.

originally posted by: Rapha

originally posted by: AshleyD
What would cause millions of women all over the world, and all throughout history to have this one similar experience?

Spiritual contracts need to be renewed every 3rd or 4th Generation.
For a family to maintain its lease of land in the spiritual world, a member of the family must sell their soul. Quite often this will happen during childhood.
The Hag is a Siren or Banshee who needs to pass the family baton to the next family member and train him/her during childhood.
Sirens were always the daughters of fallen angel / human parents who are damned to traverse this world until Judgement Day. Banshees and Wraiths are the eternally dead form.

So I wonder, are you saying that if a person is being visited by this 'siren' then three/four generations back would be a grand or great grandparent?
And, if there was an adoption that interrupted the normal/biological familial chain then would the 'siren' come from the new family or the old?
Just wondering your thoughts on that.

Thanks in advance!

a reply to: eisegesis

That's possibly the answer, however there's a difference between relaxed muscles and paralyzed muscles. If your diaphragm becomes paralyzed in your sleep you could die. When I had my experience I felt like I was being smothered with an etheric type of cellophane. It lasted for probably 30 seconds, but felt like an eternity.

Btw, this has only happened to me once in my life, and it was on the same night my wife saw a spirit in the house.

a reply to: lighter78

I remember thinking, "did I just have a micro-seizure?"

I've never had sleep paralysis, but I have developed the ability to fall back into the same dream (80% similar), multiple times. Trust me, this is entirely possible and involves mastering the hypnopompic state. Using the mind to immediately redraw and maintain the last image you witnessed before becoming "aware" is important.

I bring this up because I believe that those who do experience sleep paralysis and chest pressure have not remained subjective enough and forget that their mind can still manifest dreamlike apparitions. If it couldn't properly be explained, the supernatural comes in to fill the blanks.

From the OP's link,

When the awakening occurs out of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, in which most dreams occur, the hypnopompic state is sometimes accompanied by lingering vivid imagery. Some of the creative insights attributed to dreams actually happen in this moment of awakening from REM.

If I take that lingering vivid imagery and concentrate on retaining every possible detail in my mind's eye, I can usually meditate back into R.E.M. sleep with about 80% of the original content intact. The core dream is retained, but sometimes the entire experience loses context, forcing me to figure out what I'm doing there.

I feel strongly that "the hag" was nothing more than a representation of the unexplainable that went "viral." People would default to the idea of a demon sitting on their chest and while in the hypnopompic state, their mind would attempt to justify the existence of what they believed they were seeing.

Maybe the physical mind is a gateway from where malevolent/benevolent demons manifest from?. Also, the psychotropic properties of D M T were not realized until the 50s and probably had a lot to do with these "visions." Regardless, I really do enjoy this topic.