History Main / TheHecateSisters

* The Weird Sisters in ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'', who in addition to being the three witches from ''Macbeth'' also represent the three Fates/Norns, the three Graces and the three Furies.
** They are ''not'', however, the three women who carried Arthur to Avalon. By WordOfGod, those were the Lady of the Lake, Nimue and Morgana.

* The Weird Sisters in ''WesterAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'', who in addition to being the three witches from ''Macbeth'' also represent the three Fates/Norns, the three Graces and the three Furies.

%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them to say how the characters fit the roles of an alluring young maiden, a matronly mother, and a wise crone.

* The Marui triplets in ''Manga/{{Mitsudomoe}}'' slot nicely into the roles. Futaba is the maiden, Mitsuba is the mother, and Hitoha is the crone.
** Which goes to show that age doesn't have anything to do with the roles: setting aside that they ''are'' triplets, Futaba is the middle, Mitsuba is the oldest, and Hitoha is the youngest. Again, though, they were all born within the same day, so it's mostly superficial.
* In the third ''Anime/TenchiMuyo'' OVA it is revealed that there are three all-powerful sister goddesses who created the Universe to try and find the unknowable entity that created them. These godesses are revealed to be Lady Tokimi, the ManBehindTheMan of seasons two and three, Tsunami, the personification of the Jurai Royal Tree who [[spoiler:used her powers in order to save Sasami's life, and now the two are merging into one being]], and finally [[spoiler:Washu, who sealed her own powers and memories into three gems, which she later gave to Ryoko, and became mortal to analyze the mysteries of the universe]].

** Among characters from [[Anime/YuGiOh the other anime series]], the three most prominent female characters Tea, Mai and Serenity qualify--Serenity, Joey's IllGirl little sister, is the Maiden; Tea, the TeamMom and Yugi's LoveInterest is the Mother; and Mai, the older and more worldly of the three, is the Crone.
* In ''Manga/HekikaiNoAiON'' is the trio of heroines. Yuzuki is TheDitz maiden, Shizuki is the sensual and eccentric mother and Seine is the bitter crone. [[spoiler: It doesn't help that the two first are [[GodInHumanForm Goddesses In Human Form]] and the last is called a witch sometimes]].
* Downplayed with the main trio of ''Anime/LittleWitchAcademia'', as they are all the same age (around 15 or so). Akko is the maiden (new to magic, impulsive and youthfully exuberant), Lotte is the mother (caring, nurturing, sweet disposition), and Sucy is the crone (pale skin, jagged teeth, and more mature than the other two).
* ''Anime/TweenyWitches'': Out of the Magical Girl Squad, Arusu is an [[GenkiGirl energetic]] NaiveNewcomer and the most idealistic of them, Sheila is a [[BrokenBird cynical]] JerkWithAHeartOfGold, and Eva is a gentle lady [[TeamChef in charge of the kitchen in Dragon House]]. They're all roughly the same age, though.
* ''Franchise/FullmetalAlchemist'':
** Winry Rockbell, Edward Elric's hardworking and always supportive LoveInterest, is the Maiden; Riza Hawkeye, the stern but responsible second-in-command to Colonel Roy Mustang, is the Mother; and Izumi Curtis, the sharp-witted mentor figure to the Elric brothers, is the Crone.
** The 2003 anime adaptation has a villainous example in the form of the three women on team Homunculus. [[BrokenBird Lust]] is the Maiden, being a beautiful woman desperate to find meaning in her existence; [[TheStoic Sloth]] is the Mother, tasked with caring for the Homunculi's resident CreepyChild Wrath and effectively the resurrected remains of [[spoiler:the Elric Brothers' mother]]; [[BigBad Dante]] is the Crone, a centuries old woman who treats her enemies and allies alike with condescending pettiness.

* The original ''ComicBook/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch'' has Sabrina and her aunts. In the earlier comics, Hilda is portrayed dressed as and behaving in a more stereotypical witch manner, including being cranky, disliking mortals (particularly Sabrina's boyfriend Harvey), and prone to using her powers for revenge or resolving petty disputes. In the earlier comics, Zelda (like Hilda) also was dressed in stereotypical witch's clothes, but unlike Hilda, was the more compassionate and kindly of the two. In the original comics, Zelda was short and stout with green hair. Sabrina is a well-meaning girl, but she struggles with constant pressure to be "bad" from all the other witches around her, especially her aunts, as well as learning to master her powers.
* ''ComicBook/{{Fables}}'': The witches of the 13th floor consist of Frau Totenkinder (the Crone), Mother Birdie (the Mother), and [[spoiler:Ozma of Oz]] as the Child.

* The rulers of Asgardia in ''[[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor]]'' -- Freyja the Crone, Gaea the Mother, and Idunn the Maiden. Together, they're the All-Mother.
* ''ComicBook/TheDefenders'' once went up against a trio of superpowered women sent by the Secret Empire: youthful looking and naive Cloud, aloof and beautiful Seraph, and creepy old Harridan.
* The ''WesternAnimation/CasperTheFriendlyGhost'' comic reboot ''ComicBook/CasperAndTheSpectrals'' has Wendy's aunts, the Witch Sisters who were completely redesigned to be this.
* ''ComicBook/TheWickedAndTheDivine:''[[spoiler:Issue #34 reveals this is the case with Ananke and her sister Persephone. Ananke will reincarnate as Maiden (Minerva, the young girl who pretends to be a little naive but still wise for her age) and Crone (Ananke, the ElderlyImmortal who watches the gods), while Persy gets Mother (Persephone, who shares traits with the Maiden, but loves all the gods and wants the best for them despite her depression).]]

* When ''Comicbook/{{Fiends of the Eastern Front}}'' goes into Constanta's {{backstory}}, a trio of life-sucking witches get involved who are explicitly designed after this trope.

* In the movie ''Film/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 ''Film/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.
* Creator/DarioArgento's Three Mothers Trilogy, which consists of 1977's ''Film/{{Suspiria|1977}}'', 1980's ''Film/{{Inferno}}'' and 2007's ''Film/MotherOfTears'', takes its inspiration from [[Literature/LevanaAndOurLadiesOfSorrow De Quincey's poem]], with each film featuring one of the titular women as an evil witch. Controlling the world from their bastion-like homes, the three include a knowledgeable (in the dark arts) crone (Mater Suspirioum/Helena Markos), a lively vicious middle aged woman (Mater Tenebrarum, though she's technically supposed to be the youngest), and a sexually depraved maiden (Mater Lachrymarum).
* The three {{Drag Queen}}s from ''Film/ToWongFooThanksForEverythingJulieNewmar'' have this dynamic. First there's Vida Boheme who's the TeamMom, then we have [[AlphaBitch bitchy]] Noxeema Jackson for that and last but not the least there's Chi-Chi Rodriguez who's the Drag Princess rather than full grown Queen.

* ''Film/{{Halloweentown}}'' has the witchy generations of the daughter Marnie Piper, main character and interested in witchcraft, the mother Gwen Piper who tries to proctect her children from witchcraft, and the grandmother Aggie Cromwell, a skilled witch.
* Goldie Hawn's character in ''Film/TheFirstWivesClub'', an actress approaching middle age, gives a much more cynical view of the trio in terms of how Hollywood views women: "Babe, District Attorney, ''Film/DrivingMissDaisy''."
* In Roman Polanski's ''Film/{{Macbeth|1971}}'', the three witches consist of a young one, a matronly one, and a blind and lame crone.
* At one point in ''Film/TrainToBusan'', Su-an (a child), Seong-kyeong (a pregnant young woman), and In-gil (an old lady) are grouped together, forming this trope.
* ''WesternAnimation/BarbieInAChristmasCarol'', a GenderFlipped [[YetAnotherChristmasCarol retelling]] of the Dickens story, uses this trope for the three Spirits of Christmas. The Ghost of Christmas Past (Maiden) is a youthful, energetic GenkiGirl; the Ghost of Christmas Present (Mother) is a heavyset, [[BigFun jolly]] TeamMom; and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come (Crone) is a slender, [[GoodIsNotNice stern-but-caring]] SilverVixen.
* The three witches in Disney's adaptation of ''WesternAnimation/TheBlackCauldron'' form the classic trio, albeit with a few shifts. Orwen is the flirtatious and (relatively) kindly Maiden, although she has the [[BigBeautifulWoman large build]] usually associated with the Mother; Orddu is the scheming and experienced Mother, although she looks rather like a Crone; and Orgoch is the conniving and greedy Crone, who looks even older than Orddu.

* In Maria Turtschaninoff's ''Literature/{{Maresi}}'', the women of the red abbey worship a goddess who has these three aspects. Each aspect is represented by one of the sisters, but not each sister has to be one of these; most have positions that are just job descriptions and do not fall inside this scheme.
* In George R.R. Martin's ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'', the Mother (who is gentle, loving and a source of feminine strength... [[MamaBear especially when flipping the switch to protect any kids]]), Maiden (beauty, innocence, hope and romanticism personified) and Crone (old, wise, hard and stern) are worshipped as three of [[http://gameofthrones.wikia.com/wiki/Faith_of_the_Seven#Beliefs The Seven.]] The others are the Warrior (hunter), Smith (lord) and Father (prophet) — TheThreeFacesOfAdam — and the Stranger, an ambiguously gendered [[GrimReaper death god]]. Arguably he/it/they is ambiguously humanoid, too.
** The Sand Snakes also fit. Shape-tougued Obara is the Crone, sexy Nym is the Matron (in the sense of a confident and mature woman), and innocent, or at least seemingly innocent, Tyene is the Maiden.
** The Queens, the three female players in King's Landing after the Tyrells arrive fit the theme, even though one of them is on the opposing side to the other two. And they play their roles in a rather dark tone: Margaery Tyrell is the likely less innocent than she appears, rising Queen, ostensibly the Maiden - also a widow after two kings, and the wife of a third, officially remaining a virgin (truthfully or not) because her husband is a child. Cersei Lannister is the psychotic Queen Mother, loathing being replaced and undergoing SanitySlippage after one of her children is killed... by the Crone, Olenna Tyrell, not royalty herself, but nicknamed "Queen of Thorns", wise and ruthless politician who actually pulls the strings around while looking like a harmless, if cranky, old lady.
* In Piers Anthony's ''Literature/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.
** In keeping with Piers Anthony, in the ''Literature/{{Xanth}}'' series, there's the character Chameleon, who shifts between the three (though in appearance rather than age) with the phases of the moon. In her first appearance, the protagonist thought he had met three different women, until he realized that she had shifted from Maiden to Mother over the course of days, and he hadn't noticed until the transformation was complete due to change blindness.

* Also by Mercedes Lackey (in a collaborative effort with Marion Zimmer Bradley and Andre Norton) is ''Tiger Burning Bright'', a tale of three women who rule the city-state of Merina: the Dowager Queen Adele (the crone), Queen Lydana (the mother), and her daughter, the warrior princess Shelyra (the maiden).
* In Gregory Maguire's novel ''Literature/{{Wicked}}'', the birth of Elphaba (who will become [[Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz the Wicked Witch of the West]]) is attended by a maiden, a mother, and a crone. To add to the "Fates" theme (remember, Elphaba is DoomedByCanon), she's born inside a puppet theater. As for the archetypes of three witches themselves, Nessarose is the Maiden, G(a)linda the Mother, and Elphaba the Crone.
* The witch families in Anne Bishop's ''Tir Alainn'' trilogy appear as this. Usually a grandmother, mother and daughter living together. None ever seem to be able to keep the men around. Well, at least not at the start of the story anyway.

* ''Literature/HarryPotter'':
** 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 is fiercely protective of her family.
** 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.
* 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.’")
-->"Oh, you can have more than three witches in a coven. Anywhere up to five or six, really." "What happens after that?" "Great bloody row, usually."
** Another bit of note is that actual technical qualifications can matter less than your temperament. Nanny notes that she was never really a 'Maiden', not "ment'ly", and observing that Agnes, the "maiden" of her coven, has an aunt who, despite having six children, blushes spectacularly when she hears a racy joke. Likewise, Nanny and Granny are exactly the same age, but people consistently call in [[TeamMom Nanny]] to deliver babies -- and they call on [[TerrorHero Granny]] to escort a dying soul to their rest. ''Literature/{{Maskerade}}'' implies that much of Granny's power comes from qualifying as all three: she's [[CelibateHero still a Maiden]], as fiercely protective as any Mother, and definitely old and ruthless enough to be "the other one".
** In ''I Shall Wear Midnight'', the three girls of (or around) Tiffany's age make up one of these trios: Tiffany is the Crone, Letitia is the Maiden, and Amber is the Mother.
* The three Webster sisters from the ''Tales form the Wyrd Museum'' series by Creator/RobinJarvis are this -- it's eventually revealed they ''are'' [[TheWeirdSisters the Nornir]], the goddesses of fate from Myth/NorseMythology.

* The mythological figure of Hecate is used in ''Literature/TheSecretsOfTheImmortalNicholasFlamel'', where she starts each morning as the maiden and progressively ages throughout the day - Josh even asks the older Hekate where her granddaughter is. The motif appears later in the series when Sophie, Perenelle, and Tsagaglalal are trying to revive Nicholas--Sophie is the maiden, Perenelle is the matron, and Tsagaglalal is the crone.
* In Thomas De Quincey's prose poem, "Literature/LevanaAndOurLadiesOfSorrow", the narrator describes three women, who, like the Fates, Graces and Muses, are personifications of human abstraction, in this case sorrow. Here, the mother theme is dominant, with ''Mater Suspiriorum'' (the Mother of Sighs, representing despair), ''Mater Tenebrarum'' (the Mother of Darkness, representing insanity), and ''Mater Lachrymarum'' (the Mother of Tears, representing grief). In terms of age, Lachrymarum is described as the eldest (crone), and Tenebrarum the youngest (maiden).
* Creator/DianeDuane's ''Literature/TheTaleOfTheFive'' plays this completely straight down the line for the common [[UsefulNotes/NeoPaganism Neopagan]] / [[UsefulNotes/{{Wicca}} Wiccan]] form.

** Snow - maiden (though she's really not a maiden anymore)
** Danielle - mother
** Talia - crone
* The BigBad Immacolata and her ghost sisters the Magdalene and the Hag qualify as this in Creator/CliveBarker's ''Literature/{{Weaveworld}}''. Immacolata -- maiden (due to her belief in VirginPower), Magdalene -- MotherOfAThousandYoung, Hag -- crone (duh).
* The goddess Lillinara in David Weber's ''Literature/TheWarGods'' 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.

* Hecate, in her negative aspect as Goddess of Insanity and madness, is the ticking clock in Creator/DennisWheatley's horror novel ''Literature/TheHauntingOfTobyJugg''
%% * In ''Literature/TheHoundsOfTheMorrigan'', the villain is the three-sisters-in-one Morrigan. %% Lacks context
* In Creator/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.
* In Lisa Goldstein's Dark Cities Underground, the corn sisters fit the maiden-mother-crone archetype.
%%* ''Literature/TheLastDragonChronicles'' features Lucy Pennykettle as the maiden, Liz Pennykettle as the mother and Gwilanna as the crone.
* Elsa Beskow, a Swedish children's books writer, wrote five books about three sisters. Tant Grön ("Aunt Green") is the oldest-looking and most sharp-witted one (the crone), Tant Brun ("Aunt Brown") is the plump and domestic one (the mother) and Tant Gredelin ("Aunt Mauve") is the youngest-looking and most emotional one (the maiden).
* ''Literature/TheGirlsSeries'' by Creator/JacquelineWilson has Ellie draw herself and her friends as such during an art lesson. Although it's not stated which is which, Magda would be the Maiden, Ellie the Mother, and Nadine the Crone.
* ''Literature/{{Carmilla}}'': The carriage which crashes in front of the ''schloss'' contains Carmilla, first described as a "young lady" resp. a "slender girl", and a middle-aged lady in a black velvet dress who claims to be Carmilla's mother and who is described as "tall but not thin" and having a "commanding air and figure"; only the governess, Mademoiselle De Lafontaine, observes a third person looking out of the window but not leaving the carriage, and whom she describes as a "hideous black woman" with "gleaming eyes and large white eyeballs", and who is "nodding and grinning derisively". We never find out who Carmilla's companions really are, but together the three fulfill the "maiden, matron, hag" triad.
* ''Literature/HowlsMovingCastle'':, Martha Harter is the maiden, being the youngest sister; Lettie Hatter is the mother/matron archetype; and Sophie Hatter, the eldest, becomes a literal crone upon being cursed.
* The three women of the TenLittleMurderVictims in ''Literature/AndThenThereWereNone'' by Creator/AgathaChristie. Vera is the maiden (the youngest, prettiest and most romantic), Mrs. Rogers is the mother (middle-aged, married and domestic), and Emily Brent is the crone (an elderly, bitter spinster with contempt anyone who doesn't fit her standards).
* In ''Literature/TheArtsOfDarkAndLight'', the nameless goddess worshiped by the [[PathOfInspiration Witch Cult]] appears this way, as the Maiden, the Mother and the Crone. At least one aspect of the deity also seems to masquerade as a saint in TheChurch.

* The ''Series/{{Merlin 1998}}'' series, though it isn't really seen in detail except in the novelizations, where it is explicitly stated that Queen Mab was once a triple goddess who consisted of Maiden (Titania), Mother (Melusine), and Warrior (Mab-Morrigan). Merlin unwittingly tries to contact her Maiden aspect in his adolescence after seeing a statue of her in a pond, and only gets through to Nimue (before meeting her).
* ''Series/TheSecretCircle'' gives us Cassie, Diana and Faye, with Cassie as the Maiden, Diana is the Matron and Faye as the Crone.
* ''Series/XenaWarriorPrincess'' features numerous appearances by The Three Fates, (classically known as the Moirae), who are responsible for determining the course of all mortal's lives. In appearance, they are three women in various stages of life; 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.

%% * ''Series/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/{{Charmed|1998}}'' really deserves a mention here as the three sisters filled the roles without much of an age difference - however, Prue was always the responsible leader (Crone), Piper the cautious caretaker (Mother) and Phoebe, tellingly enough named after one of Artemis's epithets, was the 'wild child' (Maiden). After Prue's departure, Piper and Phoebe 'moved up one' role and half-sister Paige filled the Maiden's position. On a larger generational scale, the three sisters were all Maidens to their more magically experienced ghostly Mother and living Grandmother-Crone.
* ''Series/TheWestWing'': Mrs. Landingham is the OldRetainer and ServileSnarker (Crone), C.J. is a CoolBigSis type (Mother), and Donna is a youthful energetic GirlNextDoor (Maiden).
* The first three episodes of ''Series/SeventhHeaven'' are about the life cycle. In the pilot, daughter Lucy is sensitive about starting her period and thus becoming a woman. She says that her type is Prince Charles because she bets that he is sensitive and shy. The second episode has mother Annie using her intuition and welcoming nature to learn that Matt's friend is a pregnant teenager. In the third episode grandmother Jenny is visited by Annie who is concerned because Jenny has Leukemia. Annie finds that Jenny is spending her final days living life to its fullest. When Annie expresses her concerns about Jenny resting and watching her cholesterol, Jenny says that she'll be resting soon enough and she's not supposed to be watching it anymore.
* The three witches in the early episodes of ''Series/TheWhiteQueen'', Jacquetta Woodville, her daughter Queen Elizabeth (consort of Edward IV, not the more famous daughter of Henry VIII), and her daughter, also named Elizabeth, form this trio. Jacquetta, the grandmother and the most knowledgeable in witchcraft, and with the steadiest, most phlegmatic temperament, is the crone. Queen Elizabeth, the beautiful (and that is historically accurate, as the accounts all agree that she was gorgeous) young wife of the king, with the most passionate temperament of the three, and already with multiple children, is the mother. Little Elizabeth, being at that time only a child, and for a long time not really understanding what they are doing when they use witchcraft together, is the maiden. As time passes, and she becomes more mature and "grow[s] beautiful," as her uncle King Richard III puts it, she develops more of the seductress aspect of the Maiden.

* In the ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'' setting of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons,'' Selûne the Moonmaiden is a major goddess who appears in these three aspects. In the same setting, the triple goddess venerated in Rashemen combinates Mielikki (Goddess of the forest, known there as Khelliara) as Maiden, Chauntea (Goddess of harvest and fecundity, known there as the Great Mother) as [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Mother]], and Mystra (Goddess of magic, known there as the Hidden One) as Crone -minus the old part-. After Mystra's death, the latter was replaced for a time by the aforementioned Selûne.
* The Neverborn of TabletopGame/{{Malifaux}} are led by Pandora (Maiden), Lilith (Mother), and Zoraida (Crone).
* The Elven pantheon of gods in ''{{TabletopGame/Warhammer}}'' has three very straight-up examples in Lilaeth the Moon Maiden, Isha the Earth Mother and Morai-Heg the Crone. All three have influence on aspects of magic, fate and nature. They also have dark counterparts in Atharti the Seductress, Ereth Khial the Pale Queen and Hekarti Mistress of the Dark.

* The ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'' setting Golarion features the Artrosa--three giant statues created by Literature/BabaYaga in the land of Iobaria--each depicting a woman in one of the three stages of life (maiden, mother, crone).
* In the ''TabletopGame/NentirVale'' setting of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons,'' the firbolgs--a race of quasi-Celtic fey [[OurOgresAreHungrier ogres]]--worship a female pantheon consisting of a Maiden/Mother/Crone trinity, with Melora (Goddess of Nature) as the Maiden, Sehanine (Goddess of the Moon) as the Mother, and the Raven Queen (Goddess of Death, Fate and Winter) as the Crone.

* ''Vanities'': The three characters somewhat fit these archetypes. Mary is the maiden, being a stereotypical flower child of the '60s, Kathy, the OCD head cheerleader and later head of the sorority, is the mother figure, and Joanne, who adheres to the conservative values of the bygone Eisenhower era, is the crone.

* In the stage version of ''WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}}'', the Fates, who toyed with this trope in the original, play it straight by being depicted as different ages--one is a little girl (the Maiden), one is a middle-aged woman (the Mother) and one is an old lady (the Crone).
* Edward Albee explores this trope in his play ''Three Tall Women.'' The titular women, who are [[NoNameGiven only referred to with letters]], form this trio: "A" is a thin, sharp-tongued 92-year-old (Crone), "B" is A's 52-year-old caretaker (Mother); and "C" is a vivacious young lawyer who represents A's estate (Maiden). The first act is a standard drama, but things veer into surrealism in Act II, when A, B, and C (played by the same actresses) become representations of the same woman at different points in her life--for example, A and B have bitter memories about their estranged son, but C has no idea who he is because she hasn't had him yet.

* The [[QuirkyMinibossSquad Shadow Sirens]] from ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor''. Vivian is the "maiden", who gets bullied and bossed around by her elders until she switches sides, Marilyn roughly fits the "mother" archetype as an extremely obese [[MightyGlacier physical powerhouse]] who [[VerbalTic rarely says anything but the word "Guh"]], and Beldam epitomizes the "crone" to such an extent that [[MeaningfulName she's named after it]]. Really. Go look up "Beldam" in the dictionary.
* In ''Franchise/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 siari. Asari themselves cycle through these stages during their lengthy lifespans, with each stage being about three hundred years long.
* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'', Zelda is the maiden, Impa is the mother, and [[spoiler:Impa]] the old woman the crone.
* Another Zelda example: ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'' has this dynamic with the three female Champions. The Gerudo Lady Urbosa, the eldest (though by no means ''old'') of the three and a powerful LadyOfBlackMagic, is the Crone; the Zora Mipha, who has [[WhiteMage healing powers]] and demonstrates a love for Link that has a protective, nurturing aspect, is the Mother (it helps that Zora are exceptionally long-lived--she's in her mid-thirties in "human" years); and the Hylian Princess Zelda herself, who is young, stubborn, and desperately trying to awaken her [[BarrierMaiden sealing powers]], is the Maiden.
* In ''VideoGame/TheWitcher'', the Goddess Melitele is represented as a young maiden, a pregnant mother, and an old woman.
* In ''VideoGame/KingsQuestVII'', Valanice summons herself into a pocket dimension in Etheria, and finds the Three Fates generally minding their own business and doing their cosmic work. Atropos is an enthusiastic, spiky-haired teenager (who happily severs the fates of women and men), Clotho is an elegant, mysterious and soft-spoken woman (who spins the thread of fate), and Lachesis (the only one of the three with significant dialogue, and who measures the length of the thread) is a matter-of-fact, somewhat harsh older lady.
%%* The [=NORNs=] of ''VideoGame/TooHuman''.
* ''VideoGame/TheSeventhGuest'' has the young(ish) chanteuse Martine, the pudgy, motherly Elinor, and the old, acerbic Julia competing against one another.
* In ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'', bringing both Annah and Fall-From-Grace with you when you visit Ravel Puzzlewell causes her to lampshade this trope. Fiery, yet naive, Annah is the maiden, calm and nurturing Fall-From-Grace is the mother (in a figurative sense, she is the TeamMom), and Ravel is the (very obvious) crone. Ravel uses her shapeshifting ability to appear in front of you in all three guises.
* ''{{VideoGame/Lusternia}}'' directly references the ''Moirae'' of Greek mythology: Clotho, the maid (who spins the threads of life), Lachesis, the mother (who measures the threads) and Atropos, the crone (who cuts the thread upon death). They govern the destinies of all mortals who are marked by the Portal of Fate - namely, [[PlayerCharacter every player character]].
** Lisaera also takes on the form of the maiden, mother and crone as and when it pleases her.
* Alma in ''[[VideoGame/FirstEncounterAssaultRecon FEAR: Project Origin]]'' has three appearances she manifests in: Her [[CreepyChild child form]], representing last memory of herself before she was locked in the psychic insulator and her need for help and contact with others (the maiden), an emaciated, pale and haggard woman representing how her body actually looked when she died and her desire for vengeance on those who did it to her (the crone), and an idealised, healthy-looking woman [[spoiler:who turns out to represent Alma's desire to have a 'real' family by seducing the main character (the mother).]]
* In ''VideoGame/{{The Legend of Dragoon}}'', Rose is the crone, Shana is the woman, and Meru is the maiden.
* Referenced in ''VideoGame/PuzzleQuest 2''; the Mother narrates sections of the game. The Maiden adorns the splash screen when you win, and the Crone adorns the splash screen when you lose.

* The female playable characters in ''VideoGame/LastScenario'' are this. Lorenza is the maiden, [[spoiler:Zawu]] is the mother, and Matilda is the crone.
* ''VideoGame/HeroinesQuest'' presents the Norns this way when they pop in to give the heroine [[CrypticConversation advice, hints, and warnings.]] Urth, who sees the past, appears as an elderly, white-haired woman wrapped in a heavy shawl. Verthandi, who watches the present, manifests as a middle-aged brunette woman wearing lighter but more formal clothing. Skuld, who guards the future, takes the form of a blonde woman in her late teens or early twenties, with flowers in her hair and a light summer dress.

* In ''VideoGame/TheSims3'' Supernatural expansion pack, the Crumplebottom family in Moonlight Falls fall into this, being a ShoutOut to ''Charmed''. Beatrice, the oldest, is the Crone, Belinda, the middle child, is the Matron, and the youngest, Bianca is the Maiden.

* ''VideoGame/DragonQuestV'' has the Hero's three potential brides: Bianca (the Maiden) is a beautiful, somewhat innocent blonde woman; Nera (the Matron) is ladylike and motherly; and Debora is a very snarky and {{Tsundere}}ish Crone.
* The three main female party members from ''VideoGame/DeadInVinland'': Kari is the Maiden, an energetic, tomboyish JerkWithAHeartOfGold who's [[RunningGag comically oblivious]] to sexual innuendo. Blodeuwedd is the Mother, being Kari's literal mother and also the kind, levelheaded TeamMom. Blodeuwedd's older sister Moira is the Crone; she's Kari's match in snark, she likes to troll everyone, she's a pessimist with WellIntentionedExtremist tendencies... and of course, she's a witch. Moira, however, is middle-aged rather than elderly and has a [[ReallyGetsAround brazen sexuality]] that plays counter to the rest of her archetype.

* The Maryam family from ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' seem to qualify--Kanaya, the youngest and the one who's still figuring herself out, is the Maiden; the Dolorosa, who raised the [[CrystalDragonJesus Sufferer]], is the Mother; Porrim, who is more laid-back and witty than her two counterparts, is the Crone.
* ''Webcomic/KillSixBillionDemons'': The Demiurge Nadia Om is an old woman who is capable of de-aging herself [[spoiler:through eating a fruit made from HumanResources]], usually switching between her ancient, withered form (her 'true' age), the form of a preteen girl (which represents her life before she was married) and a young to middle-aged woman (as 'Mother Om' and the wife of Hastet Om). The trope gets almost directly referenced [[https://killsixbilliondemons.com/comic/breaker-of-infinities-1-30/ when she uses one of her most powerful attacks]] in the fifth book.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': The Bouvier women. Lisa is the Maiden, Marge is the mother, twins Patty and Selma are the crones.
** The Simpson women. Maggie is the maiden, Marge is the mother, and Lisa is the crone (as the aforementioned Patty and Selma note “the bitterness is strong in this one.”)

* 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.

* The holiday special ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyBestGiftEver'' features the Gift-Givers of the Grove, three gift-giving reindeer who function as the setting's equivalent of SantaClaus while also adhering to this trope. Aurora the elderly Crone specializes in knowing about gifts given in the past, Alice the youthful Maiden on gifts yet to be given, and Bori the matronly Mother on staying in the moment and keeping her sisters in line.

* Creator/EdwardAlbee explores this trope in his play ''Three Tall Women.'' The titular women, who are [[NoNameGive only referred to with letters]], form this trio: "A" is a thin, sharp-tongued 92-year-old (Crone), "B" is A's 52-year-old caretaker (Mother); and "C" is a vivacious young lawyer who represents A's estate (Maiden). The first act is a standard drama, but things veer into surrealism in Act II, when A, B, and C (played by the same actresses) become representations of the same woman at different points in her life--for example, A and B have bitter memories about their estranged son, but C has no idea who he is because she hasn't had him yet.

The maiden is like the sexy one, the mother like the admirable one, and the crone like the mannish one of the FourGirlEnsemble.

* The new rulers of Asgardia in ''[[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor]]'' -- Freyja the Crone, Gaea the Mother, and Idunn the Maiden. Together, they're the All-Mother.

[[folder:Mythology, Religion and Legend]]

[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
* ''ComicStrip/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.
[[/folder]]

* ''Webcomic/KillSixBillionDemons'': The Demiurge Nadia Om is an old woman who is capable of de-aging herself [[spoiler:through eating a fruit made from HumanResources]], usually switching between her ancient, withered form (her 'true' age), the form of a preteen girl (which represents her life before she was married) and a young to middle-aged woman (as 'Mother Om' and the wife of Hastet Om). The trope gets almost directly referenced [[https://killsixbilliondemons.com/comic/breaker-of-infinities-1-30/ when she uses one of her most powerful attacks]] in the sixth book.

* When ''Comicbook/{{Fiends of the Western Front}}'' goes into Constanta's {{backstory}}, a trio of life-sucking witches get involved who are explicitly designed after this trope.

* Before UsefulNotes/{{Islam}}, the people who lived in and around Mecca worshipped a trinity of goddesses. The first was Manat, the oldest and the mistress of fate (crone). The second was Al-Lat, who was worshipped during the times of war and peace and dispensed prosperity (matron). The third was Uzza, the GodOfLove (maiden). The three were said to be the daughters of Allah, who was the TopGod but seen as too remote for anyone to give prayers to, so it's up to his daughters to deal with the people. These goddesses were mentioned in Literature/TheQuran and were the subject of the infamous Satanic Verse incident.[[note]]According to a certain Muhammad ibn Ka'b, {{Satan}} tempted UsefulNotes/TheProphetMuhammad to worship for the goddess' intercession after [[ArchangelGabriel Gabriel]] revealed the verses (QS 53:19-20) questioning what the prophet thought about them. New verses were subsequently passed down which chastised the Prophet for this (QS 53:21-22).[[/note]]

** the Moon Goddess is said to appear in three aspects, Artemis, the protector of chastity, on earth, Selene, the mother of the stars and devoted spouse of Endymion, in the heavens, and Hecate, the aged and crafty guardian of the crossroads, in the Underworld. There [[http://www.paleothea.com/SortaSingles/Hera.html is a legend]] that the goddess Hera was given the titles Maiden, Mother, and Widow over her life, which, considering that she was a protectress of all women, would certainly make sense. Lastly, Hecate returns as the go-between of Demeter, the EarthMother goddess, and her daughter, youthful Persephone, queen of the Underworld.

* Prior to Mohammed and Islam, the Arab world appeared to worship a triple moon-goddess in a cult based on Mecca. Judging by the way the "Three Sisters" are excoriated in the Koran, Mohammed must have had very great difficulty in eradicating her worship and exterminating or expelling her followers from the Islamic hegemony.

** Another bit of note is that actual technical qualifications can matter less than your temperament. Nanny notes that she was never really a 'Maiden', not "ment'ly", before noting to Agnes, who's the "maiden" of her coven, that she blushes like her aunt who, despite having six children, blushes spectacularly when sex comes up. Likewise, Nanny and Granny are exactly the same age, but people consistently call in Nanny to deliver babies -- and they call on Granny to escort a dying soul to their rest. ''Literature/{{Maskerade}}'' implies that much of Granny's power comes from qualifying as all three: she's [[CelibateHero still a Maiden]], as fiercely protective as any Mother, and definitely old and ruthless enough to be "the other one".

* ''Literature/TheLastDragonChronicles'' features Lucy Pennykettle as the maiden, Liz Pennykettle as the mother and Gwilanna as the crone.

* [[Literature/{{Dragons}} The Last Dragon Chronicles]] features Lucy Pennykettle as the maiden, Liz Pennykettle as the mother and Gwilanna as the crone.

* It's tempting to read this into Myth/GreekMythology, though one must remember that the explicit plotting of Maiden, Mother, and Crone is a more recent invention. However, there are several intriguing triads: the Moon Goddess is said to appear in three aspects, Artemis, the protector of chastity, on earth, Selene, the mother of the stars and devoted spouse of Endymion, in the heavens, and Hecate, the aged and crafty guardian of the crossroads, in the Underworld. There [[http://www.paleothea.com/SortaSingles/Hera.html is a legend]] that the goddess Hera was given the titles Maiden, Mother, and Widow over her life, which, considering that she was a protectress of all women, would certainly make sense. Lastly, Hecate returns as the go-between of Demeter, the EarthMother goddess, and her daughter, youthful Persephone, queen of the Underworld.

* ''Series/{{Charmed|1998}}'' really deserves a mention here as the three sisters filled the roles without much of an age difference - however, Prue was always the responsible leader (Crone), Piper the cautious caretaker (Mother) and Phoebe, tellingly enough named after one of Artemis's epithets, was the 'wild child' (Maiden). After Prue's departure, Piper and Phoebe 'moved up one' role and half-sister Paige filled the Maiden's position. On a larger generational scale, the three sister were all Maidens to their more magically experienced ghostly Mother and living Grandmother-Crone.