Since images of older women are almost completely absent from the culture, we can turn to folklore for a few persistent representations.

The playful, imaginative classic – Webster’s First New Intergalactic Wickedary of the English Language (1987)- by feminist theologian Mary Daly can be usefully paired with Cassell’s Encyclopedia of Queer Myth, Symbol, and Spirit: Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Lore (1997). 

Wickedary attempts to revise history at its root, offering a feminist twist on the dictionary itself. Amidst the wild romp of experimental veribage (organized in a triparate series of “world webs”), Daly creatively reclaims hags, witches, and crones: “Hag, n. A Witch, Fury, Harpy who haunts the Hedges/Boundaries of patriarchy, frightening fools and summoning Weird Wandering Women into the Wild” (137, Daly).

To bring the Wickedary into contact with reality, we can consult the official Cassell’s Encyclopedia of Queer Myth, Symbol, and Spirit. Though it unfortunately lacks the feminist underpinnings of Daly’s work, the book is a fine source for many queerly influenced religions figures, spiritual entities, and historical reference material. The dearth of women, however, is evident in many sections, especially the short entries for Hag and Crone (very limited, and looping immediately back to Mary Daly).