The Old Hag
July 19th, 2009 by John Wolfe
After posting Deena Warner’s Halloween card, depicting what appeared to be a scene from a sleep paralysis scenario, I was inspired to find some extremely vintage images of “the old hag” or old hag syndrome, as night terrors are often called. This shot, though most commonly associated with night terrors, haunted me as a child when it appeared in a vampire book. Our teachers used to give us those Scholastic Book Club order forms throughout elementary school – naturally, I always gravitated to anything Halloween or horror.
Either the editor and publisher neglected to realize this was not a depiction of a vampire or they assumed, “What the hell, this book’s for a bunch of kids. They won’t know a vampire from an incubus/succubus.” 
Image courtesy of: Hug Pages
July 19th, 2009 at 2:32 pm
You sound like me, picking out the “darker books.” Yeah, Scooby-Doo was too lame for me as a kid. Sleep apnea is sort of part and parcel with the hag phenomenon. I remember having a bad head cold and not opening my mouth to breathe and waking up with what felt like a heavy weight on my chest and someone not letting me breathe. I finally gulped some air and felt a new sympathy for people with sleep apnea. I’ve had sleep paralysis and night terrors many times in my life and every time I get the paralysis and terrors, I see a face right up against mine, inches away. It looks gray and scary and I scream my bloody head off. I think that must be a universal thing. My mother had lots of old wives tales. She told me it was a memory from birth. If that’s true, my delivering doctor was one ugly son-of-a-bitch.
July 19th, 2009 at 2:37 pm
This seriously freaks me out. It’s never happened to me….yet, but the whole notion that it could has become my worst nightmare.
July 19th, 2009 at 5:35 pm
autumnforest,
I understand where you’re coming from with the apnea. I have a deviated septum, so I’m a big mouth breather. On several occasions I’ve been awakened by choking and gasping for air. Normally I breath fine through my mouth as it’s a been a lifelong habit, but every once in a while I experience the choking sensation.
I’ve had paralysis as a part of my astral projection experiences, but thankfully I’ve never stared into the gray face! You’ve got me laughing as I read your commentary on your delivering MD!
Andrea,
Sorry to hear the old hag syndrome freaks you out, but I’m happy to see you! I was wondering how you’ve been. Glad you stopped by.
July 20th, 2009 at 2:05 pm
As mentioned in your previous entry, I have had the SP happen to me at one particular spot and never anywhere else, thank God. I also give my thanks in that I have never EVER seen any face or creature like this one sitting on my chest. It was freaky enough to “feel” awake, as in fully awake, and attempt to get off the couch in a hurry and feel as though I was on some kind of thick short rubber band…..I would get a far as rolling to the edge of the couch only to be literally thrown back into my original position. This went on anywhere from 4-6 attempts before I finally just settled back into my position to see what was next.
I too can remember the joy of the Scholastic Book Club orders as I would dig through and find anything space related, as in solar system or anything Sci-Fi. Funny too cause I was never the popular kid in school but in 5th-6th grade, the boys would also come to my desk to see what cool books I’ve ordered. I would rather be admired as an EQUAL than some girly girl any day of the week……….but you know that about me already
July 20th, 2009 at 11:21 pm
Goldie,
Your experience with sleep paralysis has a unique twist because of the experience of being snapped back into your position. I know we discussed this previously, but I can’t remember if this was actually during a dream where you believed you were awake or if you were truly fully awake.
I wonder if they still do those Scholastic Book programs? I can’t remember our selections ever including anything related to the solar system, but I do recall always wishing they had more selection when it came to Halloween, the paranormal and monsters.
July 21st, 2009 at 12:41 am
Oh yeah, Star Wars and Battlestar Galactica were really huge in the late 70′s when I was in 3rd grade…….course, you were still learning to crawl by then
Nope, when sleeping on the couch next to the mantle, I would think I heard the girls crying and attempt to get up off the couch, only to be thrown back down to the couch……on that try I did that for 5 times before I finally just rested to see what the outcome was. The other ones I couldn’t even roll off the couch…….like something was attached to my back and to the back of the couch. The oddest one was my last encounter there were I did raise up and floated towards the ceiling but I had dark circles around my eyes………like a tunnel vision of sorts but I was in that house and only in that living room. I got an itching to drive by there today………..oh the pain, oh the tears, I really reacted differently than I thought I would and it hurt big time!
July 21st, 2009 at 12:44 am
Oh yeah, saw your tweet……….an all time Halloween cable channel would be totally kick ass and of everything pertaining to Halloween and the paranormal. I think that would be the best idea to come around in a long time!!
July 21st, 2009 at 7:39 pm
Hey, I remember seeing Star Wars in the 70′s, granted I was young, but I was walking.
About the all paranormal TV network – that was why I joked about Ted Turner giving my people a call so we could do lunch in an earlier post. I have zero knowledge when it comes to anything like that, but I have a lot of ideas. If nothing else, maybe I could do the voice for the channel identification, like James Earl Jones, “This is CNN.”