Hags, also called crones, are a savage sort of creatures that look like ugly, old witches. They employ archaic earth magic and are easily recognised by Muggles. Hags are what Muggles think are "fairy tale witches." They have been granted the status of Being by the Ministry of Magic, though children and raw liver are a part of their diet. The decision to grant Hags the status of Being was part of the reason why the Centaurs and Merpeople chose to be classified as Beasts, since they did not want to be associated with them.
Hags can be occasionally encountered in Knockturn Alley or the Leaky Cauldron, and also Hogsmeade though it is not clear if hags live there or merely pass through. Some Hags, like Annis Black, are known to live in caves.
Hags are often malevolent, and some have shapeshifting skills, or at least maintain the illusion of shapeshifting. Hags can be terrifying, apparently, since Quirinus Quirrell allegedly had "a nasty bit of business" with one during his time abroad.
Etymology
Middle English, possibly derived from hægtesse, meaning witch.
Behind the scenes
- In the 31 July, 1998 issue of the Harry Potter Fan Club version of the Daily Prophet, "A Word in Support of Hags" was sent in by a hag who tried to sound inviting and offered babysitting services.
- Gilderoy Lockhart's book Holidays with Hags does not contain useful information about these beings.
- Many tales about hags do not describe them well enough to distinguish them from witches or something fouler, and are mostly used to frighten children into being good. The punishment for being bad is, of course, being captured and eaten by a hag.
- "The Old Hag" is a nightmare spirit of British and American folklore who purportedly sits upon the sleeper's chest and sends nightmares into their dreams. When the dreamer awakes, he or she may be unable to move or even breathe for a time. This condition is now understood to be sleep paralysis, but in older days the condition was called "hagridden."
- In Scotland, a group of hags known as The Cailleachan are viewed as personifications of the elemental powers of nature. Irish legend depicts hags as beautiful women in the disguise of hideous crones.
- Given their green skin colour, Honoria Nutcombe and Laverne de Montmorency may have been Hags.
- According to W.O.M.B.A.T., Hags might only possess rudimentary magic, like that observed in trolls. They also might only have four toes on each foot.
- Harry Potter may have seen a hag in the Leaky Cauldron ordering raw liver from behind a balaclava.
- In The Queen's Handbag, Hermione mentions that Hags are not vegetarians.