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It is not mentioned in the books that I know of, but would you consider the hag monsters (esp. Annis, Green and Sea hags) to be distantly related to such critters as giants and trolls? For some reason I've got it stuck in my head that there is a connection between these creatures (and orcs to ogres, and goblins to hobgoblins to bugbears, etc.) but I don't know why. Were giants and hags linked in a module in some way?

- Wheggi

I've always thought of them as the sylphs of evil.

I always associated them with the lower planes, due to the entry in the MM:

The race of night hags rules the convoluted planes of Hades, and they are
seldom encountered elsewhere. In their own region they are numerous,
but they appear but singly on the material plane, and always in search of
very evil persons to slay and bring to Hades to form another larvae - a
valuable commodity to both demons and devils alike.

This might be your source, from the MMII:

The race of annis are relatives of the night hags (q.v) of the Lower
Planes. Their appearance is similar to night hags, but annis are larger
and more physically powerful. Annis dwell naturally upon the Prime
Material Plane. These giantesses are particularly fond of human flesh;
however, so voracious is their appetite, they will devour even so rank a
beast as a stench kow

Tangentally: To me Sea Hags are not of the same stuff of Night Hags, etc... They are Hags in the "gawd-awful ugly" sort, not the supernatural.

Thanks Rich! I think the annis entry in the MMII is where I was getting my giant association from. I also agree that not all hags are cut from the same cloth, at least in the case of night hags (which are clearly extra-planar creatures). I guess one could say that the hags are more akin to trolls, in that there are a number of different varieties, they have magical powers, have a thing for eating people, and are creatures of European folklore. And if this is the case, then it could be argued that - as EOTB proposed - hags are the darker flip side of fairie demographic.

- Wheggi

My impression is that in the MM(s), entries of monsters with similar names do have some sort of inferred relationship, a loose classification. So yeah, "Hag" is being used as a label rather then a general adjective (as you already pointed out with goblins and hobgoblins). Of course the type of relationship could be anything.

Wheggi wrote:It is not mentioned in the books that I know of, but would you consider the hag monsters (esp. Annis, Green and Sea hags) to be distantly related to such critters as giants and trolls? For some reason I've got it stuck in my head that there is a connection between these creatures (and orcs to ogres, and goblins to hobgoblins to bugbears, etc.) but I don't know why. Were giants and hags linked in a module in some way?

- Wheggi

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hag

Gygax links some of them; "It is common for annis to dwell singly or in a small group, but these creatures have also been known to cooperate with such monsters as ogres, trolls, and evil giants for reasons of safety or better provisions, and occasional mixed communities have been encountered." MM2 pg 9

Black Annis (inspiration for above) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Annis would seem to have weak ties to such

Baba Yaga (ab Ur-hag) might be the real reason, or maybe some of the goddess figures some seem to come from.