History Main / TheHecateSisters

* The ''Casper'' comic reboot ''Casper and the Spectrals'' has Wendy's aunts, the Witch Sisters who were completely redesigned to be this.

* The [[WIckedWitch Circle of The Crone]], one of the covenants from ''TabletopGame/VampireTheRequiem'', is a group of pagan Goddess-worshiping vampires who believe that their existence is perfectly natural. In their social structures they have roles that are similar to The Hecate Sisters, but with a vampiric twist. First there's The Maiden (a.k.a. [[VirginPower The Virgin]]) who is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin, but for vampires being a Virgin means never having killed someone. They're typically newly Embraced, and their role is to remind the others of their former humanity, although they themselves struggle to [[BewareTheNiceOnes control]] [[HorrorHunger their own urge]] [[UnstoppableRage to kill]]. Next is [[EvilMatriarch The Mother]], whose duty is to [[EvilChancellor advise]] and [[AffablyEvil comfort]]. Mothers don't have much power on their own, so they often rely on [[ManipulativeBastard subtle manipulation]]. And to complete the trinity they have [[TheDreaded The Crone]], a rare and potent role. They symbolize destruction and act as judges and executioners within the Circle.

* The [[WIckedWitch Circle of The Crone]], one of the covenants from ''TabletopGame/VampireTheRequiem'', is a group of pagan Goddess-worshiping vampires who believe that the existence their existence is perfectly natural. In their social structures they have roles that are similar to The Hecate Sisters, but with a vampiric twist. First there's The Maiden (a.k.a. [[VirginPower The Virgin]]) who is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin, but for vampires being a Virgin means never having killed someone. They're typically newly Embraced, and their role is to remind the others of their former humanity, although they themselves struggle to [[BewareTheNiceOnes control]] [[HorrorHunger their own urge]] [[UnstoppableRage to kill]]. Next is [[EvilMatriarch The Mother]], whose duty is to [[EvilChancellor advise]] and [[AffablyEvil comfort]]. Mothers don't have much power on their own, so they often rely on [[ManipulativeBastard subtle manipulation]]. And to complete the trinity they have [[TheDreaded The Crone]], a rare and potent role. They symbolize destruction and act as judges and executioners within the Circle.

* The Circle of The Crone, one of the [[strike:seven]] [[strike:five]] seven (Carthians, Invictus, Lancea Sanctum, Ordo Dracul, Belial's Brood, [[IncrediblyLamePun Seven]], and the Circle) covenants from ''TabletopGame/VampireTheRequiem'', is a group of pagan Goddess-worshiping vampires who believe that the existence of vampires is perfectly natural. In their social structures they have roles that are similar to The Hecate Sisters, but with [[FourGirlEnsemble one more role after those three.]] The Maiden (a.k.a. [[VirginPower The Virgin]]) is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin, but for vampires being a Virgin means never having killed someone. They're typically newly Embraced, and their role is to remind other vampires of their former humanity, although they struggle to [[BewareTheNiceOnes control]] [[HorrorHunger their own urge]] [[UnstoppableRage to kill]]. The next is [[EvilMatriarch The Mother]], whose duty is to [[EvilChancellor advise]] and [[AffablyEvil comfort]]. Mothers don't have much power on their own, and so often rely on [[ManipulativeBastard subtle manipulation]]. And to complete the trinity they have [[WickedWitch The Crone]], a rare and potent role. They symbolize destruction and act as judges and executioners within the Circle. The fourth addition is [[LadyInRed The Scarlet Woman]] (a.k.a. [[MyGirlIsASlut The Whore]]) whose role is to be independent and make her ''own'' decisions, sometimes to the point of [[RebelliousSpirit rebelling against almost everything]].

* DianeDuane's TheTaleOfFive plays this completely straight down the line for the common [[UsefulNotes/{{Neo-Paganism}} Neopagan]] / [[UsefulNotes/{{Wicca}} Wiccan]] form.

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* PushingDaisies had Chuck and her two aunts. Chuck would be the maiden, Vivian the mother, and Lily the crone.

* Jules (mother), Ellie (crone) and Laurie (maiden) on ''Series/{{Cougartown}}''.

* ''Series/TheAddamsFamily'' gives us Wednesday (the Maiden), Morticia (the Mother), and Grandmama (the Crone), all living in the same household.

In Greek mythology and religion, the three Moirae presided over the birth, destiny, and death of all human beings : Clotho (the Maiden) spins a person's life thread, Lachesis (the Mother) measures the thread, and finally, Atropos (the Crone) cuts the thread, thus ending the person's life.

* In the anime movie ''KikisDeliveryService'', Kiki the Witch (Hecate is the Goddess of Witches) is befriended by three women - Osono (a pregnant woman - "Mother"), the college-student/artist Ursula (young woman in her late teens/early 20's - "Maiden") and "Madame", a sweet old lady (quite elderly - "Crone"). Whether or not the authors intended it, there it is.

* Some have argued that the Theatre of Shadows in ''RevolutionaryGirlUtena'' represents something like this. It features three apparently omniscient girls who impart their mysterious wisdom mixed with nonsense to the viewers in every episode. Alan Harnum's fanfic [[http://www.thekeep.org/~harnums/fanfic/utena/index.html Jaquemart]] plays with the idea, as the girls try to impress Anthy by claiming to be Fates, Norns and all the aspects of the Triple Goddess. Then Anthy points out that [[spoiler:there's only two of them left.]] They sheepishly back down and admit that the claim was as nonsensical as much of the rest of their ramblings.
** Anthy herself, via symbolism and interpretation, can be seen as ''all three'' sisters at once: the mother as the Rose Bride, the maiden in regards to her sheltered life, and the crone [[spoiler:because of the events that lead up to her sheltering, both which include surviving a violent uprising against her brother Dios/Akio, and Akio's passive-aggressive manipulation of her via [[BrotherSisterIncest coercion into sex]] once a week.]]
* ''{{Slayers}}'': Princess Amelia, a just young woman with [[BlackAndWhiteMorality clear-cut morals]] is the maiden, Lina, an intelligent yet [[HairTriggerTemper short-tempered]] sorceress, is the mother, and Milina, a [[{{Kuudere}} snarky, cold]] mercenary, is the crone.

* The Marui triplets in ''{{Mitsudomoe}}'' slot nicely into the roles. Futaba is the maiden, Mitsuba is the mother, and Hitoha is the crone.

* Done in ''{{Fables}}''. Frau Totenkinder is the Crone of course. Snow White serves as the Mother, and [[Literature/BeautyAndTheBeast Beauty]] or Rose Red are the Maiden, depending on what point the story's at).
** A more specifically magical trio are the witches of the 13th floor, with Frau Totenkinder (still as Crone), Mother Birdie ([[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin the Mother]]), and [[spoiler:Ozma of Oz]] as the Child.
* Team Jinx, consisting of Magica De Spell (mother), Neraja (maiden) and Garma (crone), serve this role in ''WizardsOfMickey''.
* The new rulers of Asgardia in [[TheMightyThor Thor]]- Freyja the Crone, Gaea the Mother, and Idunn the Maiden. Together, they're the All-Mother.

* In the movie ''RunningWithScissors'', The Psychiatrist's wife, and two daughters make up this threesome perfectly. The youngest is dressed as a slut, and blonde. The older, Gywneth Paltrow's character, is quirky and unsentimental (though she does dig up her dead cat, but not for sentimental reasons exactly), and the mother is well, not initially motherly, but eventually motherly.
* In ''CrouchingTigerHiddenDragon'', we have Jen as the maiden, who is young and beautiful. Shu Lien is the mother, trying to guide Jen to the right path. And Jade Fox as the crone, elderly and certainly bitter.

* In George R.R. Martin's ASongOfIceAndFire, the Mother, Maiden and Crone are worshipped as three of The Seven. The others are the Father, Warrior and Smith (a male trinity) and the Stranger, an ambiguously gendered [[GrimReaper death god]].
* LloydAlexander's ''PrydainChronicles'' features a pseudo-Celtic version of the Fates, named Orwen, Orddu and Orgoch. They weave a tapestry rather than spinning a thread. Oddly they all appear either as young beauties (at night) or old crones (in daylight). They do not seem to have a 'Mother' face. However, in TheFilmOfTheBook, they were middle-aged redheads all the time, and clearly marked as ugly. Stranger still, they seem to take turns at being each 'sister' ("No, it's my turn to be Orwen now, you've been her long enough!"). Orgoch appears to be the Atropos of the group. She never shows her face, wearing a deep hood in both beauty and hag forms and she is strongly implied to be a cannibal. However, the sisters seem to enjoy nothing more than to confuse, befuddle and unnerve their mortal visitors, so it is hard to take anything they say or do at face value.
* In Piers Anthony's ''IncarnationsOfImmortality'' series, the AnthropomorphicPersonification of Fate is like this; three individuals who take on the roles of Clotho (maiden), Lachesis (mother), and Atropos (crone). One character actually gets to be both Clotho and Lachesis at different times. In the seventh book of the series, ''And Eternity'', Fate needs a new Atropos, and circumstances combine to make a male candidate the best choice. Even the remaining Aspects, Clotho and Lachesis, comment that this is highly unusual.

* ''TheDresdenFiles'' had one of these for the Winter and Summer Courts of fairies -- Each court is ruled by three Queens—Queen Mother (The Queen Who Was), Queen (The Queen Who Is), and Lady (The Queen Who Is To Come) who are also grandmother, mother, and daughter.

* Mercedes Lackey's ''HeraldsOfValdemar'' series features a ''four''fold goddess, who adds the Warrior to the standard trio of Maiden, Mother, and Crone. The three sister goddesses Agnetha, Agnira, and Agnoma, as mentioned in ''By the Sword,'' may also fit the trope with Agnira as Maiden/Warrior, Agnetha as Mother, and Agnoma (who is not described beyond the fact that snowflakes are her emblem) as the likely Crone.
** Interestingly, to complement the fourfold Goddess there is a Fourfold ''male'' deity, with faces matching that of the Goddess: the Rover, to match the Maiden, for East; the Guardian to match the Warrior, in the South; the Hunter, to match the Mother, in the West; and lastly the Guide, to complement the Crone, for North.

* In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows'', when Harry enters the Room of Requirement while the Battle of Hogwarts is going on he finds the room empty except for three women who had not yet joined the fight. The first to exit is Mrs. Longbottom who goes to assist her grandson. The second is Tonks who left her baby with family out of concern for her husband. The third is Ginny who eagerly joins the fight being responsible for no one but herself.
** The three generations of Weasley women are [[ScrewPolitenessImASenior 107 year old Great-Aunt Muriel who is rude to everyone]], Ginny, who hears Auntie Muriel say that Ginny's dress is far too low cut and responds by grinning and winking at Harry, and Ginny's mother Molly who responds to a threat on Ginny's life by shouting, [[MamaBear "NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!"]]
* It's stated repeatedly in the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novels that it's "only right" for a coven to have three witches -- "the maiden, the mother, and the... other one." The coven begins as Magrat Garlick (maiden), Nanny Ogg (mother), and Granny Weatherwax ("other one"). When Magrat gets married and takes up being a queen, Agnes Nitt joins up as the maiden. When Granny gets incapacitated by a vampire attack, Magrat rejoins the coven temporarily, making the order Agnes (maiden), Magrat (mother of Princess Esmeralda Margaret Note Spelling of Lancre), and Nanny, who's not too happy about being the "other one". ("I can’t start being a hag at my time of life,’ she muttered. ‘None of my bras’ll fit.’")
** It is also noted that Granny qualifies as all three. [[CelibateHero Technically a maiden,]] [[MamaBear as protective as any mother]] and... well, [[NeverMessWithGranny very croneish.]]

** Also of note is Nanny Ogg once mentioning a witch who is still the "maiden" of her own trio, despite being a mother of four. Similarly, Nanny herself was "never a maiden ''ment'ly''".
** Pratchett has commented that people [[OlderThanTheyThink ask him where he got the idea]]. He's not sure how to answer, except by providing a reading list.
* The three Webster sisters of the WyrdMuseum are this--but then, they ''are'' the Nornir.
* ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'': Aviendha (Maiden, in a uniquely literal fashion at first), Elayne (Mother), and Min (Crone, older than most of the main characters, including her lover, and with a darker view of the world to match). Min is also "gifted" with the ability to sometimes see the future, and was raised by three spinster aunts (assumed to represent the Moirae).
** Also, of the three most prominent (and first introduced) of the Aiel Wise Ones: Sorelia, the eldest Wise One, notoriously formidable and sharp-tongued. Melaine becomes a mother in the series, which also mellows out her personality. Amys was once a Maiden of the Spear. However, Melaine has aspects of the Maiden because she's the youngest, prettiest, and goes a few books before marrying, whilst Amys has aspects of the Mother because she is one (though it isn't significant), and acts as the 'mother' during a rite for two female characters to become 'sisters'.

* The BigBad Immacolata and her ghost sisters the Magdalene and the Hag qualify as this in CliveBarker's ''Literature/{{Weaveworld}}''. Immacolata - maiden (due to her belief in VirginPower), Magdalene - MotherOfAThousandYoung, Hag - crone (duh).
* The goddess Lillinara in David Weber's WarGod series is one individual, but her temples include separate towers for her Maiden, Mother and Crone aspects.

* Symbolized in ''Literature/WhiteAsSnow'' in particular by gowns Arpazia wears over the course of the story, one white, one russet and one black. Arpazia is forced out of her maidenhood too soon because of Coira's birth, and she rejects motherhood, leaving her to become a crone at all of thirty-three. Most notably, when Coira appears in a white gown, Arpazia is wearing a black one.
** Demeter and Persephone are also re-imagined as this trio. Coira (Kore) the maiden, Demetra (Demeter) the mother and Persapheh (Persephone) the crone.

* In NeilGaiman's ''Literature/TheOceanAtTheEndOfTheLane'', the Hempstock family consists of a young girl, her mother and an old woman. Neil Gaiman is [[AuthorAppeal fond]] of this trope (see Sandman above).

* Bella of ''{{Twilight}}'' is described as an old soul because she's more responsible than her mom and she keeps to herself. When she found out she had conceived she was determined to carry the child despite the danger the pregnancy could bring her. Rosalie and Esme were the two women who were on her side on this. Rosalie, because she treasures humanity more than anything and wishes she could have children of her own, and Esme, because she understood Bella's desire to have children and believed that she should be able to make her own choices in the matter. Rosalie is described as always having been beautifully elegant and proud of it while Esme has always had strong maternal instincts that she shows through kindness to her surrogate children and the family's allies.

* Jules (mother), Ellie (crone) and Laurie (maiden) on ''{{Cougartown}}''.

* ''TheWestWing'': Mrs. Landingham is the OldRetainer and ServileSnarker (Crone), C.J. is a CoolBigSis type (Mother), and Donna is a youthful energetic GirlNextDoor (Maiden).

* ''TheAddamsFamily'' gives us Wednesday (the Maiden), Morticia (the Mother), and Grandmama (the Crone), all living in the same household.

* There is one ancient Greek example that might be this concept: [[http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0160:book=8:chapter=22 Pausanias wrote in the 2nd century C.E.]] that the Stymphalians worshipped Hera under three names: Girl, Grown-up, and Widow. Hera is a single goddess, however, not three.
** TropeNamer Hecate. Sometimes depicted as either one or three women facing different directions. There have been examples of four women, but one or three were much more common.

* ''OnTheFastrack'' The company Fastrack,Inc. is run by the CEO Rose Trellis (crone), her executive assistant Wendy Welding (the working mom) and (the maiden) Dethany Dendrobia.

* The Circle of The Crone, one of the [[strike:seven]] [[strike:five]] seven (Carthians, Invictus, Lancea Sanctum, Ordo Dracul, Belial's Brood, [[IncrediblyLamePun Seven]], and the Circle) covenants from ''VampireTheRequiem'', is a group of pagan Goddess-worshiping vampires who believe that the existence of vampires is perfectly natural. In their social structures they have roles that are similar to The Hecate Sisters, but with [[FourGirlEnsemble one more role after those three.]] The Maiden (a.k.a. [[VirginPower The Virgin]]) is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin, but for vampires being a Virgin means never having killed someone. They're typically newly Embraced, and their role is to remind other vampires of their former humanity, although they struggle to [[BewareTheNiceOnes control]] [[HorrorHunger their own urge]] [[UnstoppableRage to kill]]. The next is [[EvilMatriarch The Mother]], whose duty is to [[EvilChancellor advise]] and [[AffablyEvil comfort]]. Mothers don't have much power on their own, and so often rely on [[ManipulativeBastard subtle manipulation]]. And to complete the trinity they have [[WickedWitch The Crone]], a rare and potent role. They symbolize destruction and act as judges and executioners within the Circle. The fourth addition is [[LadyInRed The Scarlet Woman]] (a.k.a. [[MyGirlIsASlut The Whore]]) whose role is to be independent and make her ''own'' decisions, sometimes to the point of [[RebelliousSpirit rebelling against almost everything]].
* In ''TheWerewolvesOfMillersHollow'', the village is protected by a little girl, a fortune teller and a witch.
* In the ''ForgottenRealms'' setting of ''DungeonsAndDragons,'' Selûne the Moonmaiden is a major goddess who appears in these three aspects.

* The Fates in ''VideoGame/GodOfWar 2'': Inasmuch as you can call 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 a mother, maiden, and crone respectively.
** Being that they're The Fates, their identity is based less on their positions as stages in a woman's life and more on their function - the bloated, spider-like Clotho weaves/spins the threads of fate, the warrior Lachesis measures the thread with her staff, and the taloned Atropos cuts the thread when the life is finished.
* The ''ShinMegamiTensei'' games include the Fates - Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos - as separate demons that can be recruited. In some games, the three can be fused together in a special process to produce Norn, which is depicted as three goddesses united around a clock. Hecate is also present in several games as a triple headed goddess.

* In a coincidence similar to the ''KikisDeliveryService'' example above, in ''TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask'', the Stock Pot Inn contains three women in its drama - Anju, the young lady whose fiance is missing, her stern and overpowering mother, and the doddering grandmother who tells Link stories (who may be [[ObfuscatingStupidity more cunning than she lets on...]])
** Interestingly enough, while everything else is as normal, the characterization of the crone and mother are switched (during at least the three days that we see Anju's mother, after Kafei turns up missing).
*** The three goddesses of the setting. While their ages may not match the descriptions, Nayru can very well be the mother, Din the maiden, and Farore the crone, judging from their roles in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages and Seasons]]''.
*** In ''[[TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword Skyward Sword]]'', Zelda is the maiden, Impa is the mother, and [[spoiler:Impa]] the old woman the crone.

* The [=NORNs=] of TooHuman.

Compared to TheThreeFacesOfEve, the maiden combines the naivete of the child with the sexuality of the seductress, the mother combines the liveliness of the child with the maturity of the wife, and the crone maps most closely to the wife.

Age wise, compare the ThreeSuccessfulGenerations. Character wise, from TheThreeFacesOfEve, the wife and the wise crone are comparable to each other, the seductress and the sexual maiden are comparable to each other, and the child and the lively mother are comparable to each other. Also compare TheThreeFacesOfAdam and SameSexTriplets.

* Although they are all roughly the same age, [[FanNickname Ozai's Angels]] in WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender fit this to a T. [[PerkyFemaleMinion Ty Lee]] is the maiden, innocent, optimistic and bubbly. [[MagnificentBitch Azula]] is the mother - the more [[MyBelovedSmother controlling]] and manipulative aspects of the mother archetype, since she's clearly the leader; not so much the gentle, caring aspects. [[EmotionlessGirl Mai]] is the crone, the eldest, the most apathetic and cynical, the least emotional, and a real DeadpanSnarker.
* In the original MyLittlePony, the witch Hydia and her daughters inverted this trope. Reeka has aspects of all three types, Hydia is The Crone and the more manipulating aspects of The Mother, and Draggle is The Maiden.

* Intentional or not, the Opera House visions in ''Series/BattlestarGalacticaReimagined'' are experienced by Caprica-Six (maiden), Athena (mother) and Laura Roslin (crone).

[[quoteright:294:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hectatesisters.gif]]

* In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows'', the last three people who come into the Room of Requirement to fight are Ginny (maiden), Tonks (mother) and Augusta Longbottom (crone). Again, this was probably deliberate.

Compare TheThreeFacesOfEve, TheThreeFacesOfAdam, and SameSexTriplets. Also compare ThreeSuccessfulGenerations.

** It is also noted that Granny qualifies as all three. [[ChasteHero Technically a maiden,]] [[MamaBear as protective as any mother]] and... well, [[NeverMessWithGranny very croneish.]]

* In NeilGaiman's TheOceanAtTheEndOfTheLane, the Hempstock family consists of a young girl, her mother and an old woman. Neil Gaiman is [[AuthorAppeal fond]] of this trope (see Sandman above).

* In ''MassEffect'', some asari (including squad member [[HotScientist Liara T'Soni]]) worship the goddess Athame, who cycles between maiden, matron, and matriarch stages. This was once the most popular religion among asari, but it has been supplanted by [[strike:Buddhism]] siari. Asari themselves cycle through these stages during their lengthy lifespans, with each stage being about three hundred years long.

* In ''HarryPotter And The Deathly Hallows'', the last three people who come into the Room of Requirement to fight are Ginny (maiden), Tonks (mother) and Augusta Longbottom (crone). Again, this was probably deliberate.

* The Arthurian romances have the perfect example of the triad in the three 'Damosels' encountered by Sirs Gawain, Ywain and Marhaus. One is a maiden of fifteen; one a woman of thirty or so; and the final 'Damosel' is a an old woman of sixty years.

** TropeNamer Hecate. Sometimes depicted as eighter one or three women facing diffrent directions. There have been examples of four women, but one or three where much more common.

Sub-trope of the PowerTrio and cousin to TheThreeFacesOfEve. The three aspects of a triune goddess or trinity of goddesses appear as sisters. They are the maiden (often [[EveryoneLovesBlondes blonde and beautiful]], and either a [[NaiveEverygirl naive ditz]] or a budding seductress), the matron/mother (often plump and rather eccentric, or pregnant, as the page image shows) and the crone (often [[DeadpanSnarker sharp-witted, sharp-tongued]], bitter and unsentimental). In terms of a FreudianTrio, the maiden is the Id, the crone is the Superego, and the mother is the Ego. Even though they are the same being, they seem to know and think different things, so they bicker. In fantasy stories, these characters may be exactly what they appear, or they may be a trio of witches or wise women who reflect the aspects of the goddess.

** Demeter and Persephone are also re-imagined as this trio. Coira {Kore) the maiden, Demetra (Demeter) the mother and Persapheh (Persephone) the crone.

* Bill's three wives in BigLove: Barb (the matriarch), Nicki (the brooding manipulator) and Margene (the naive young beauty).