How would one describe the Hag? The Hag is an archetype we are all familiar with, the overbearing mother, the frightful wench, the over-emotional PMS-ridden woman who is incapable of rationality, and a Succubus who castrates a man of any and all desire. Personified, the Hag is Judith who chopped off Holofernes head, Medusa the woman whom no man could look at without turning to stone, and the stepmother from Snow White who persecutes her own stepdaughter because she is so consumed with her own need to be loved. Below I have posted a picture of Judith beheading Holofernes.
One might ask why the Hag archetype is something most commonly attributed to women. Some might say that it is a malicious accusation, or a sexist mental preconditioning based on Medieval literature. I argue that men are also capable of this archetype. Men are just as capable of emotion as women, because they are ultimately human. They would be recognized as the overbearing father, the abusive husband, people who refuse to be criticized, thrive off of self-righteousness, and are fundamentally feeling-types*, that are not capable of logic. This might be due to the fact that these people have in fact suffered an injustice, or perhaps multiple injustices, which would make sense since their emotional function is in auxiliary mode. In this essay I would like to address the women's role within the sphere of the Hag, since I am a woman, and I am familiar with this role in relation to myself.
In modern day culture, the Hag is seen as monthly by-product, something that women are incapable of controlling. The truth is that anyone is capable of exuding the Hag characteristics. The Hag creeps up on people who are tired of looking inward, and are tired of self improvement. Self improvement requires a constant awareness and desire to grow, which can be exhausting and results in many ego deaths. Everyone dons the Hag persona a few times during their lifetime. They want to relax, they want to be told that they don't have to grow any more, they want stasis. The reality of the situation is that nothing reaches stasis, everything is always growing and changing, and the world is just one big alchemical oven that takes substances and changes them from one form to another. As we are changing form throughout the continuous cycles of life, it makes sense that we would cling to the archetype of the Hag. Who doesn't occasionally want to feel self-righteous or self-important? The Hag in it's most base form wants to be worshipped, desired and needed. The Hag claims to have reached enlightenment or to be perfect as is. The Hag can hide under the guise of the Succubus, but not for long, because eventually the beautiful mask will be taken off to reveal the monster within.
The truth is that the Hag is just a person who is afraid. Afraid of what they will discover if they look inside or in the mirror, they pretend that the only thing that matters is their relationship with the Other, [the Other being their boyfriend, husband, girlfriend, or child]. The truth is that despite the facade that they create, each person is fundamentally Alone. That means that all relationships are illusory, ultimately they Change. People die, people break up, etc. By pretending that the Other will be with them forever, the Hag attempts to escape reality for what it really is. The Succubus does this by being consumed sexually, the emotional wreck does this by blaming their current exterior situation instead of looking inward to see where the problems truly lie, and the Medusa-esque Hag does this by avoiding the situation altogether and never looking inward- the one time when she does peer into her reflection she dies instantly. The overbearing mother gives so much attention to her children so that she doesn't have to look inside, or deal with her exterior circumstances.
The Hag might not even seem that bad, maybe she wants to bestow so much love that she smothers, instead of scaring all small children in the vicinity, but ultimately she is still a Hag. And the Hag is a powerful archetype to be reckoned with. The Hag can turn a man to stone, she can ruin relationships, destroy friendships, and alienate everyone in her general vicinity. She can also teach people valuable lessons about themselves, or stand up for her rights or the rights of other individuals that have been trampled. Judith seduced and then murdered Holofernes to save her people*, but could there have been other, more valorous ways to achieve a better end?
Judith appears in many relationships, many times when women perceive a threat they go out of their way to seduce someone else, or purposefully cut their boyfriend off at the knees. I often see women strike out against men in relationships because of some perceived wrong that the men might or might not be aware of. Sometimes the women do this through sexuality, sometimes they do this with emotionality. Many women often see men as the perpetrators, and abusers. And many men are, but the truth is that it takes two, and often many women allow for abusive relationships to continue. But the women need to realize why they sought out those relationships in the first place, or perhaps why they've seen a cycle of abusive relationships. By looking within, a woman might be able to transcend the Hag archetype altogether.
If a woman is too transfixed on her children, to the point where she smothers them and they begin to avoid her or harbor bad feelings, shouldn't she stop and consider what might be the source of their vexation. If a woman feels threatened because she is not the most beautiful of them all, should she stop herself before wreaking vengeance on a fellow woman? Should a woman who alienates everyone around her, perhaps stop and think, why are people afraid to make eye contact with me? Fierceness and bravery are definitely positive traits, but sometimes bravery is simple brashness, and fierceness is a defense mechanism that stops other people from getting too close.
The reason why I am writing about this is because I don't think that Medusa, or Snow White's wicked stepmother were really happy people. I think that they were people who wanted to be loved, but didn't know how to. They were so overcome with emotion, that their beauty was distorted, and deformed they were turned into the Hag that people so vehemently hate and fear. For men who are overbearing or abusive, they are just like those women- so afraid that they resort to violence and petty wretchedness. Men who are abusive were usually abused- they are weak and sensitive creatures that through fear destroy what they love. It is a very unfortunate condition, and it is toxic for the Hag and the Other involved in the situation. That is why I think writing about the Hag is so important. We all need to deal with our inner Archetypes. By dealing with, and recognizing our own inner Hag, we give ourselves the power to transcend the Hag altogether. By tempering emotionality with rationality, love for the Other with love for the Self, we enable ourselves to avoid painful and unnecessary situations. The truth is that nobody wants to be the Hag, but in order not to become the Hag we must know ourselves and avoid the temptation to act in a way which truly shows our weakness. We must be strong, even when we are afraid. In the act of pretending to be strong we forget our fear.
As Frank Herbert said so eloquently in his novel Dune,
"I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain."
*"Feeling types" are a category of the Meier-Briggs personality types. Go here http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes1.htm for more information.
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judith_Beheading_Holofernes
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