beldam
Withered old woman
A beldam is an old woman, especially an ugly or malevolent one.
The word appears in fairy tales and fantasy, where it often suggests a witch or hag: The beldam lured children into her cottage.
Literary and archaic—you're unlikely to encounter it outside gothic fiction or deliberately old-fashioned prose.
Frightening elderly witch
- harridanIll-tempered older woman
- croneWizened old woman
- shrewIll-tempered woman, or insectivore
- termagantHarsh, quarrelsome woman
virago · battle-ax · fishwife · harpy · gorgon · ogress · she-devil · hellcat
Female practitioner of magic
- enchantressWoman who uses sorcery
- hexMalevolent incantation
- spellArrange letters correctly
- curseInvoked harm through words
coven · cauldron · broomstick · familiar · incantation · conjuration · necromancy · divination
Mother of a parent
- grannyInformal term for grandmother
- granddamFemale grandparent, especially livestock
- matriarchFemale family leader
- ancestressFemale from whom one descends
dowager · matron · nana · foremother
hag
Frightening elderly witch
termagant · virago · battle-ax · fishwife · harpy · gorgon · ogress · she-devil · hellcat · scold
sorceress
Female practitioner of magic
- enchantressWoman who uses sorcery
- hexMalevolent incantation
- spellArrange letters correctly
curse · coven · cauldron · broomstick · familiar · incantation · conjuration · necromancy · divination · potion
grandmother
Mother of a parent
- grannyInformal term for grandmother
- granddamFemale grandparent, especially livestock
- matriarchFemale family leader
ancestress · dowager · matron · nana · foremother
fairy-tale
Magical children's story
- boogeymanFrightening figure for children
beldambeauty
Aesthetic excellence
belle · enchantress · goddess · Venus · fair maiden
beldamfairy godmother
Magical benefactor figure
good witch · wise woman · guardian angel · white witch · gentle soul