Case file · Folklore / legend
Boo hag
In Gullah Geechee belief the boo hag sheds her skin at night and 'rides' sleepers, sitting on their chests and draining their breath; she can be stopped by salting her empty skin.
1940 CE · 31.40, -81.29 · status: legend
The account
Coastal Georgia informants described hags and their tricks to the Georgia Writers' Project for 'Drums and Shadows' (1940). A broom by the door or a sifter makes her count straws until dawn.
The sceptical view
Researchers link hag-riding to sleep paralysis, which people worldwide experience as a weight on the chest.