History Main / TheWeirdSisters

* ''Literature/ChroniclesOfPrydain'': Orwen, Orddu, and Orgoch, three sisters who live in the Marshes of Morva, are hundreds of years old and masters of black magic. All of them appear as young beauties at night and old crones in daylight. Each of them has their distinct personality, but oddly they also seem to take turns at being each sister and are able to swap their identities between them. When Taran visits them in ''The Black Cauldron'', they are just weaving a magical tapestry.

* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': ''Discworld/WyrdSisters'' introduces the "coven" of the Lancre Witches, formed by Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg and Magrat Garlick (from ''Discworld/{{Maskerade}}'' onwards replaced by Agnes Nitt). ''Wyrd Sisters'' explains why three witches are required for a coven: Two witches get on each other's nerves; the third one can get them to make up, so they can all get on the nerves of everyone else

Supernatural women often form [[PowerTrio teams of three]]. The most common variant types are witches, {{fairy godmother}}s, and female {{seers}}. They may or may not be actual sisters.

* ''Series/DoctorWho'': In episode "The Shakespeare Code", there is a trio of witches consisting of one maiden and two crones. They are a ShoutOut to ''Macbeth''.

* The Fates appear in ''[[VideoGame/GodOfWar God of War 2]]'' as a six-foot tall warrior valkyrie with one breast visible, a giant, grotesquely fat woman with many arms and breasts and a stick-thin woman that seems to be partially made of darkness. The three are a dark representation of the Greek Moirai.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'': The Weird Sisters, apparently the actual ones from ''Macbeth'', are shown as inhabitants and guardians of the enchanted island of Avalon. They all take the same form at the same time, but different people see them differently: Depending on who they are speaking to at the time, they may look like a trio of creepy little girls, old crones, aged female gargoyles, or voluptuous young 20-somethings. The latter is their preferred form and the one the audience usually sees.

* Myth/IrishMythology: The goddess of war and fate known as the Morrigan is sometimes described as just one of three sisters collectively called 'the Morrígna'. The names of the three Morrígna, who are the "daughters of Ernmas", are variously given as Badb, Macha and Morrígan; Badb, Macha and Nemain; Badb, Macha and Anand; Fea, Erinn and Anand, and others. Both Badb and Anand are sometimes equated with the Morrígan.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'': The Weird Sisters, apparently the actual ones from Macbeth, are shown as inhabitants and guardians of the enchanted island of Avalon.

* The ''Literature/ChroniclesOfPrydain'' feature Orwen, Orddu, and Orgoch; three old crones who live in the Marshes of Morva. These three sisters are hundreds of years old and are masters of black magic.

* ''FIlm/HocusPocus'' revolves around the EvilPlan of three witches, the Sanderson sisters, to suck out the souls of the children of Salem, Massachusetts.

* The ''Literature/ChroniclesOfPrydain'' feature three old crones who live in the Marshes of Morva. They are hundreds of years old and are masters of black magic.

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** In ''Literature/{{Theogony}}'', there are three Moirai or goddesses of fate: Clotho ("spinner") spins the thread of life at the birth of a human being, Lachesis ("allotter") measures it, and Atropos ("inevitable"), also called Aisa ("destiny"), cuts it when life is at its end. The Moirai are sometimes described as ugly old women, but are also depicted as young women in works of art. Atropos is usually given as the oldest. The notion of three Moirai was codified by ''Theogony''; in traditions predating Creator/{{Hesiod}} there are two Moirai or only one Moira. The basic meaning of ''moira'' is "lot" or "share".

** In ''Literature/{{Theogony}}'', there are three Moirai or goddesses of fate: Clotho ("spinner") spins the thread of life at the birth of a human being, Lachesis ("allotter") measures it, and Atropos ("inevitable"), also called Aisa ("destiny"), cuts it when life is at its end. The Moirai appear as ugly old women, sometimes lame. According to Apollodorus, Atropos is the oldest. The notion of three Moirai was codified by ''Theogony''; in traditions predating Creator/{{Hesiod}} there are two Moirai or only one Moira. The basic meaning of ''moira'' is "lot" or "share".

Supernatural women often form teams of three. The most common variant types are witches, {{fairy godmother}}s, and female {{seers}}. They may or may not be actual sisters.

The Weird Sisters are normally all of the same or similar age, or with one markedly younger or older than the other two. Only when they are differentiated according to the ThreeFacesOfEve, they are TheHecateSisters.

** {{Valkyries}}. the supernatural women who determine who is going to die in a battle, are distinct from but related to Norns, insofar they too govern a (very specific) kind of fate. Valkyries frequently come in groups of three or multiples of three:

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* ''Disney/SleepingBeauty'': The three good fairies Flora, Fauna and Merryweather attend princess Aurora's baptismal celebration to confer blessings on Aurora, and after take Aurora in their care in order to protect her from Maleficent's curse.

Supernatural women often form teams of three. The most common variant types are witches, fairy godmothers, and female seers. They may or may not be actual sisters.

The women of fate were not categorically friendly nor hostile, as they distributed both the good and the bad things in life. When Christianity did away with the goddesses of old, the trio lived on in fairy tales and folklore under new labels, although they now were more likely to be limited to either a harmful or a helpful role--either as {{Wicked Witch}}es who make bad things happen to people just because, or benign {{Fairy Godmother}}s who aid and protect. What has remained is that whenever such magical women appear in groups, there tend to be three of them.

*** ''Literature/PoeticEdda'':
*** There is a list of six valkyries in "Voluspa" and a list of twelve in "Grimnismal".
*** The young Helgi Hjorvardsson sees nine valkyries riding by. Later the giantess Hrimgred mentions she has seen Helgi being followed by twenty-seven valkyries who protect him.
*** Volund and his two brothers encounter three valkyries spinning flax on the shore of a lake, and by taking their swan garments prevent them from turning into birds and flying away.

** In ''The Rhine-Gold'', the Rhine-Maidens are three water-women who guard the magical Rhine-Gold, but lose it to Alberich who forges it into a magical ring. In Act 3 of ''Gotterdammerung'', Siegfried, the present owner of Alberich's ring, accidentally encounters the Rhine-Maidens who warn him about the curse of the ring and urge him to return it to the river. When Siegfried dismisses the warning, they predict Siegfried's death, which comes to pass.
** In the beginning of ''Gotterdammerung'', the three Norns are seen weaving the thread of Destiny, and sing a song which predicts the burning of Valhalla and the end of the gods. The thread snaps suddenly, foreshadowing that their prophecy will come true by the end of the opera.

* ''VideoGame/TheWitcher3WildHunt'': The Three Crones of Crookback Bog, witches and daughters of a woodland spirit who went insane, they protect the wilderness of Velen from their mother and offer other services while demanding reverence and tribute, including human sacrifice (which they use to maintain illusions of eternal youth and beauty).