# Crone vs. Hag? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 17, 2011, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crone-vs-hag/575016 "2011-03-17T13:36:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2011, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crone-vs-hag/575016/21 "2011-03-17T21:49:26Z")
Blackadder: Thankyou, old crone. Here is a purse of money. Which I’m not going to give to you. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2011, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crone-vs-hag/575016/22 "2011-03-17T21:50:13Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Or a Duffer. “Fart” fits in my case. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2011, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crone-vs-hag/575016/23 "2011-03-17T22:56:17Z")
My mother is a crone. My mother-in-law is a hag. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crone-vs-hag/575016/24 "2011-03-18T06:34:00Z")
In must of the fiction literature terminology I’ve seen “crone” = old wise woman or old mystical woman where the character is human and morally neutral to helpful. “Hag” generally connotes a human to human-demonic hybrid witch like entity that ranges from morally neutral to (usually) malevolent in some fashion. Hags are usually less human and more hardcore evil than crones. ---
**Author:** ![kferr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@kferr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kferr)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crone-vs-hag/575016/25 "2011-03-18T11:49:25Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > Blackadder: Thankyou, old crone. Here is a purse of money. Which I’m not going to give to you. Should be ‘young’. E: Tell me Young crone, is this Putney? C: That it be, that it be. E: “Yes it is”. Not “that it be”. You don’t have to talk in that stupid voice to me. I’m not a tourist. I seek information about a Wisewoman. C: Ah, the Wisewoman.. the Wisewoman. E: Yes, the Wisewoman. C: Two things, my lord, must thee know of the Wisewoman. First, she is … a woman, and second, she is … E: .. wise? C: You do know her then? E: No, just a wild stab in the dark which is incidentally what you’ll be getting if you don’t start being a bit more helpful. Do you know where she lives? C: Of course. E: Where? C: Here. Do you have an appointment? E: No. C: Well, you can go in anyway. E: Thank you Young crone. Here is a purse of moneys… which I’m not going to give to you. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crone-vs-hag/575016/26 "2011-03-18T12:54:29Z")
Crone can still be an insult, though, if it is directed at someone who is young or obviously trying to appear young. That might have caused some of the confusion between the two terms. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crone-vs-hag/575016/27 "2011-03-18T15:08:54Z")
> [@The\_Piranha\_Brothers](#): > > What is the difference between a crone and a hag? Is there a difference? One is a device for lifting heavy objects, and the other is a pig. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crone-vs-hag/575016/28 "2011-03-19T03:24:27Z")
Mustn’t omit the relevant backcronym: Creative Researcher Of New Experiences ---
**Author:** ![\_cc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/e19b73/32.png) [@\_cc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_cc)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crone-vs-hag/575016/29 "2011-03-21T10:06:19Z")
Could one address a crone of unknown name as Madame Crone, or is madame not appropriate for that age group? ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crone-vs-hag/575016/30 "2011-03-21T13:08:46Z")
Is there any relationship, etymological or influence-related, between “Crone” and Cronus (not Chronos), the minor classical deity? ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crone-vs-hag/575016/31 "2011-03-21T13:12:27Z")
> [@'\[cc](#): > > ;13595619’]Could one address a crone of unknown name as Madame Crone, or is madame not appropriate for that age group? The appropriate honorific would be “Grandmother” or a variation on such. “Revered” or “Honored” are also good. You can’t go wrong with a little flattery, which can help assure that your cow doesn’t go dry. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crone-vs-hag/575016/32 "2011-03-21T14:00:35Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > Is there any relationship, etymological or influence-related, between “Crone” and Cronus (not Chronos), the minor classical deity? Who is Cronus if not Chronos/Kronos/Kronus? I only know Cronus as another variant spelling of the youngest Titan, Zeus’ father and castrator of Uranus. ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crone-vs-hag/575016/33 "2011-03-21T14:54:14Z")
**Crone vs. Hag** The catfight _no-one_ wants to see. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crone-vs-hag/575016/34 "2011-03-21T14:56:47Z")
> [@](#): > > Who is Cronus if not Chronos/Kronos/Kronus? I only know Cronus as another variant spelling of the youngest Titan, Zeus’ father and castrator of Uranus. There’s _Chronos_ the personification of Time and _Cronus_ (and its spelling variants) the Titan: > **[Chronos](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronos)** > > Chronos (/ˈkroʊnɒs, -oʊs/; Ancient Greek: Χρόνος, romanized: Khronos, lit. 'Time'; \[kʰrónos\], Modern Greek: \['xronos\]), also spelled Chronus, is a personification of time in Greek mythology, who is also discussed in pre-Socratic philosophy and later literature. His consort is the goddess Ananke. > Chronos is frequently confused with, or perhaps consciously identified with, the Titan Cronus in antiquity, due to the similarity in names. The identification became more widespread during the Renaiss... > **[Cronus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cronus)** > > This is an accepted version of this page > > > In ancient Greek religion and mythology, Cronus, Cronos, or Kronos (/ˈkroʊnəs/ or /ˈkroʊnɒs/; Ancient Greek: Κρόνος) was the leader and youngest of the Titans, the children of Gaia (Earth) and Uranus (Sky). He overthrew his father and ruled during the mythological Golden Age until he was overthrown by his son Zeus and imprisoned in Tartarus. According to Plato, however, the deities Phorcys, Cronus, and Rhea were the eldest children of Oceanus and Tethy... ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crone-vs-hag/575016/35 "2011-03-21T17:48:12Z")
Crones have a deficiency of teeth. Hags have all their teeth - and they’re sharp! ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crone-vs-hag/575016/36 "2011-03-21T18:21:43Z")
> [@](#): > > Crones have a deficiency of teeth. Hags have all their teeth - and they’re sharp! Not according to Isaac Asimov, in his essay on The Wicked Witch. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crone-vs-hag/575016/37 "2011-03-21T18:55:24Z")
> [@](#): > > There’s Chronos the personification of Time and Cronus (and its spelling variants) the Titan: Though the two are often conflated. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crone-vs-hag/575016/38 "2011-03-21T21:24:08Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > You can’t go wrong with a little flattery, which can help assure that your cow doesn’t go dry. Well, yes. There is a logical connection between applying a little bull and your cow not going dry! 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crone-vs-hag/575016.md?page=1)