The Stories

Powerful elder women in European myth & folklore

tradition-bearers, wisdom-keepers, tellers of tales

Tales of the wise women

From August 2022, I’ll slowly be adding here links to the original full texts of the folk tales featuring powerful elder women which are discussed in Hagitude.

Over the course of the next year, as the Hagitude program progresses, we’ll be discovering additional stories from Europe and around the world which feature elder women. This is a key part of the Hagitude Revolution, and we look forward to seeding the stories into the world.

{

The Old Woman. The one who haunted the edgelands; the mysterious shadow in the heart of the darkwood. The exile, the rebel, the one who shrugged off the fetters of conventional society; the one who imagined and cultivated her own vision of how the world should be, thank you very much.

Click on the modules below to read or listen to the full story; new stories are being added regularly, so do check back

Audio: stories read by Sharon Blackie

No Country for Old Women

An original story by Sharon from Foxfire, Wolfskin and other stories of shapeshifting women.

When Things Fall Apart

A story adapted by Sharon about the Old Woman of the World.

The Story of Dog

A story adapted by Sharon about Dog and the Old Woman of the World.

Stories and characters from Hagitude

Mother holle

A folk tale from the Brothers Grimm

The Magic Forest

A folk tale from Croatia

The Little Mermaid – the Sea Witch

by Hans Christian Andersen

Other European stories

The Dream-Makers

A folk tale from the Isle of Skye

Sign up for Sharon's newsletter

Subscribe to my free monthly newsletter, 'The Art of Enchantment', on Substack, and be among the first to hear all the latest news about my books, courses and events – as well as personal seasonal reflections and reading recommendations. You’ll also receive signed book and course giveaways that are exclusively for subscribers, and a special gift as a thank you for joining me!

Please note that if you are already subscribed to my monthly newsletter, you don’t need to subscribe again here to receive Hagitude updates.

Follow Hagitude on social media and find resources and inspirations for reimagining the second half of life