The Fog Witch

When traveling along the coast and banks of fog suddenly roll in I often think about the old tale about a witch living in it that my mother used to tell me. She would tell me that if I didn't stay quiet and behave myself, the witch would come and take me just like she had taken my mother's younger brother many years ago.

— from "Memories of a Caravan Guard" by Clais Hiltprandt

Summary

Whenever fog blankets an area, adults warn their children to behave and be quiet or the Fog Witch might come and take them. Tales of the Fog Witch always start with the sudden appearance of banks of dense fog. People caught if the fog hear a faint female that slowly comes closer, calling out a name as if looking for someone lost in the fog. If one stays still and quiet the voice will eventually move away, still calling out the name. Calling out to the voice or making other noise brings the voice closer until a woman can be seen approaching. She will ask you what your name is and what you are doing in the fog. If you don't give her your name and answer her questions carefully she might let you go, otherwise she will snatch you up and take her to her winged hut hidden in the fog. What happens there varies greatly from story to story; she might lock you in a cage and leave you to starve or she might fatten you up before eventually eating you.

Historical Basis

The tale of the Fog Witch stretches back many eras, but it is generally thought to be based on a powerful sorceress who lived in the distant past and lost either her child or her lover. Driven mad by grief she eventually died from sorrow and now haunts banks of fog, forever searching. The few who claim to have actually met her in the fog and survived to tell the tale say that she is not searching for a person in the fog, but simply uses it as a lure to catch good-hearted people.

Spread

All the lands in the western part of the imperial continent have a version of the tale and it is most often used to scare children into behaving. In areas that frequently experience think fog the warnings are often take more seriously and even adults get a worried look in their eyes when the fog come rolling in.

Variations & Mutation

The name being called varies greatly from place to place and is typically a locally used name. In some versions the name being called isn't that of some random person but the name of the one caught in the fog.
The appearance of the women who is met in the fog if you catch her attention is also the subject of much variation, with even those who claim to have actually met her not agreeing on it. In some tales she is a young women, in others a mature lady or even and old crone. No matter the age, she is always described as having white or silvery hair and light blue eyes. Her clothing is most often described as being a simple white or grey dress of unfamiliar cut, with a shawl draped over the shoulders and a bag slung over one shoulder.