The "Night Hag" phenomenon
"Night hags", or supernatural entities causing sleep paralysis, are apparently a global phenomenon in folklore (up to and including 20th century UFO abductions).
In German folklore, they have lots of different names depending on the region: Alp, Mart, Walrider, Incubus, Nachtmahr, Drude, Doggi, Schrätling, and so forth. They can be divided into three broad categories:
- Nonhuman spirits such as demons or "fairies" (although German folklore does not use that term as such)
- Witches
- People whose spirits roam while they are asleep, and then torment other sleepers. This is generally not under their conscious control, though sometimes it is portrayed as an addictive urge.
I was wondering what other examples of "night hags" you know from folklore and mythology around the world?
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