Ridden by the Hag

[Heartsong]

Once again, I have a spirit encounter to share.

I was taking a nap not too long ago right after I got home from work. My dog was asleep next to me, tucked against my side as I lay on my stomach. Suddenly, I was wide awake, but unable to move, and I couldn't draw a breath. I literally could not breath. Panicking, I fought with my body to turn over and after what seemed like forever, but was probably only a minute, I rolled onto my side. As I did so, I noticed a pain right in the middle of my back. It felt like when I fall and lose my breath, achy and a little burning. My eyes were open the whole time. I could clearly see my bedroom, as it was late in the afternoon. And when I rolled on my side, I came face to face with an old woman, with sallow wrinkled skin and wide eyes. Her hair was grey and stringy, and she had long, black fingernails that she was waving at me. She was laughing at me and kept asking, "How does it feel to be pretty? How does it feel to be pretty?"

I couldn't breath again, and my body froze a second time. I was fighting to keep my eyes from closing, almost like she was trying to put me back to sleep. It felt weird, and very creepy. The next thing I knew, she was gone, and I bolted out of bed like my hair was on fire and my ass was catching. That was last week, and I still haven't gone back to sleeping in my bedroom. I'm staying on the couch in the living room. My husband sleeps on a little mattress next to me since he can't sleep anymore without me nearby. I know that it's ridiculous to let something like this chase me out of my own bedroom, but it really played on my fears of being suffocated. I know that I need to reclaim that room in order to get over the experience, and I'm working on that.

In the meantime, I was wondering if anyone else has encountered a woman like this. My mother calls it being ridden by the hag. In a lot of folklore, this spirit drains the life, or breath, in some cases, from you as you sleep. That's kind of what it felt like, as though something was pulling the air from my body and keeping me immobile in order to feed. I'd have chalked it up to sleep paralysis or even sleep apnea, but I saw that woman very clearly, and I was very awake for the encounter. Even my dog freaked out, growling and her fur stood up.

I'd appreciate any thoughts you guys might have. Like I said, I'm reclaiming the room through a cleansing and hanging up another dream catcher that I plan on blessing during the next full moon. What I'd really like to know more about is what your impressions might be about this thing. I've come across some nasty entities in my time, but this was the first one that ever drove me out of a space before.

[azriel]

A similar experience happened to me once before where I woke up after feeling that something was sitting on me making it harder for me to breathe. It was one of the scariest experiences I have ever had and I was unable to sleep well for a few days.

I tried to think about what might have triggered this and all I could think about was the dream I had before I woke up. I was looking at a car and an upside down pentagram drew itself on the hood of the vehicle. At this time, I associated this symbol with negative practices; the upside down pentacle appears to some people to represent the goat-headed god for dark, occult practitioners.

This is when I started researching and I found that a mare, or nightmare, is an otherworld creature that is known to sit on a person who is sleeping and cause them to have nightmares. What are nightmares but a way for the subconscious to deal with things in our real life that cause us to be uncomfortable. Sometimes we ignore the signs, and the otherworld feels the need to intervene and in a way, shove it in your face.

When rethinking about the dream, I felt uncomfortable and scared about the feeling of being suffocated, but there was no sense of danger if that makes sense. During the next few days I may not have slept well, but I did not have a feeling that I was in any danger. So I realized that this was meant to be a message. One of my closest allies is a Fauno. He has more of a goat face and he wanted me to realize that I should not claim to be trusting in him when I also compare him, or his likeness, to a negative context. I had to realize this so that I could overcome the automatic connotation and see him completely for who he is.

In your case, the old woman reminded me of a sorceress named Huld who controls the mare's that "sit" on people. She is Scandinavian and might also be trying to tell you something. It may have something to do with what she said. Is there an unresolved fear of growing older, or losing beauty or anything of the sort? Who knows, it may be completely different. But, all in all, I do not think she wants to hurt you in any way, it is simply that her way of sending a message to you causes discomfort.

I hope this helps in some way!
Azriel
^-^~

[Heartsong]

Thanks for that awesome reply, azriel!

I don't have any issues (at least, I don't think so) about loss of beauty or growing old. But it is possible that the woman was trying to get my attention and that was the only way she's able to communicate. But I'm not sure what she could have been trying to tell me. It felt malicious to me, but it's also entirely possible that's due to how frightening the encounter was to me. So, what you're saying makes a lot of sense. Considering my relationship with Odin, and the fact that I've been slowly incorporating more Northern aspects into my practice, so I don't think it would be all that unusual for an entity like Huld to visit me.

On the other hand, I can't help but feel as though, whatever she was, she was trying to pull life force from me. I felt drained afterwards, and while she may not have meant any harm by doing so (I can't see any entity cutting off their own energy source), she certainly gave me more than enough of a fright. Still, like you, reflecting back on the encounter, I didn't feel as though I were in really any danger, just panicky and afraid.

So, again, thank you, that did make me feel a bit better about the whole experience.

[The_Reclining_Reader]

A couple of years ago, while I was still living with my brother, I had a dream. (This is on topic, bare with me.) I was standing on a dimly lit street corner, facing the street. When I turned to look at the other corner, I saw my brother standing next to an old woman. She was bowed over, and wrapped in black from head to toe. I knew right away that there was something wrong about this woman, that she was a danger to my brother. I ran, in what felt like slow motion, over to them, trying but failing to scream my brother's name. A feeling of desperation and dread built with every agonizingly slow step. Right before I reached them, the woman turned to face me. I can't explain why her face scared me so much. Looking back, it was a common face, nothing exceptionally evil about it. But she grinned at me and said, "You can't help him," then disappeared.

So yes I've encountered the Hag. Don't know if that counts as being Ridden by the Hag though.

[Sakura Blossom]

I'm not sure if this counts or not, because it was during a dream... But there is a nightmare that I remember perfectly because it terrified me.

I was out in this cabin in the middle of the woods and this is the only part I do not 100% remember but I think there was a party or something. It was almost midnight and I needed to go outside to get some fresh air because I was feeling stuffy inside. Those inside the house warned me, however, not to stay outside too long and to come in before the clock hit midnight because of the old woman whose spirit would come through those woods. I didn't listen and I went out for longer anyways.

Right as clockwork, this horrifying woman appeared floating in the air. She was white and wispy, had very long white-gray hair and an old looking face that has lost detail in my memory over time. She was floating in the air in front of me with her hair floating around her crazily and she wore a very tattered dress the same color as her skin and hair. I couldn't move at all until the clock struck 12:01 and she was gone. She didn't speak and simply floated there.

Terrified me and I've never forgotten it since.

As soon as that clock changed, I couldn't move.