The Hag in Celtic folklore was the personification of winter. She could drop rocks to form mountains, shape valleys with her hammer and freeze the ground with her staff. She had many guises such as the black dog, the crow and the deer. Always in battle with Brigit, the personification of spring, she strove to keep the land chilled and covered with a grey cloud. Sometimes she is associated with the
divine trinity: the maiden, the mother and the hag, which are also seen as phases of the moon and other life cycles. She became synonymous with wisdom and death, symbolising the winter of one’s life. In more recent times the image of the Hag has been distorted. She was a deer herder, wise woman and figure for nature and the elements. Today the Hag is seen as the isolated and decrepit old woman on the outskirts of society which could potentially be a seen as a representation of changing social values. The image used for TheHagsHand spells the word Hag in Ogham, an old Irish script. All bones, teeth and other animal materials used have been ethically sourced, generally found or gifted to me.
