The Crones of Crookback Bog are undeniably one of the most terrifying characters in TheWitcher 3: Wild Hunt. Their intricate model designs and their witchy voices both add to their character, which is why seeing them for the first time has such a large impact on first-time players.
That said, the Crones aren’t just terrifying in visuals. The same goes for their actions and motivations. This is clearly seen in the events of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — in their bestiary entries, their associated quests, and even the smaller details.
The Ladies of the Wood
Brewess, Weavess, and Whispess are the Crones of Crookback Bog, though they’re also known as the Ladies of the Wood or the Good Ladies. No one knows their real names, their origins, or even what form of creature they are. All that’s sure is that they’ve lived in a cabin deep in the swamp of Velen for a very long time. They also have mystical abilities, which they use to exert their power over those who inhabit the area.
The people in a settlement called Downwarren seem to revere the Crones, believing them to be forces of good who help them in their time of need. According to the ealdorman, they are harsh but just mistresses who demand much, but his people are happy to comply. After all, it’s the Crones who cleansed the air and provided seeds for the people of Downwarren to grow. In return for the Ladies’ good deeds, the townspeople had to give back a human ear in return.
While human ears are a strange tribute, there’s reason for this. Whispess, who is believed to be the eldest Crone, collects these ears and hangs them atop trees within the swamp. This allows her to hear anything that is “picked up” by the ears, ensuring that the Crones knew everything that took place in their territory.
As for the next Crone, Brewess, the middle sister, is skilled at crafting all forms of potions. She even knows many ways of making human soup — a dish she and her sisters enjoy as seen during the Crones’ Sabbath. In this spring festival, the townspeople offer three of their own to meet with the Crones. These three offerings are young and healthy, and after they’ve met with the Crones, they return to the village — radiant and happy, as the townspeople describe them.
However, appearances are not what they seem. The young men and women who visit the Crones are not the same ones who return to the village during the Sabbath. In reality, Brewess cooks them up and feasts on them with her sisters. After, the Crones change their form into the three offerings and live in the village for some time, pretending to be who they ate before leaving with the excuse that they wish to see the world.
Lastly is Weavess, the youngest Crone, capable of creating beautiful tapestries with human hair. The hair is collected from nearby villages during Cutting ceremonies, wherein a young child’s hair is chopped off for the first time as a sign of their coming of age. These tapestries became a method of communication between the Crones’ worshippers and the Ladies. With their joint power, the Crones have Crookback Bog and its surrounding villages under their control.
The Crones and She-Who-Knows
That said, the Crones aren’t the only powerful beings in Velen’s swamplands. In a book entitled, “She Who Knows,” it’s written that there used to be four entities living in the swamp. It was the Lady of the Wood who then created three “daughters” for herself, as she felt very lonely. During this time, it was the singular Lady who governed over the people in the swamp. Her daughters simply served as her messengers and mouthpieces.
This arrangement worked well for some time. Villagers offered grain, animals, and even men to the Lady, and she seems to have kept them healthy and safe. However, the book explains that the Lady later fell into madness, making the swamp a more violent place where the Lady’s own worshippers were killed by fearsome beasts. Her daughters did not want this, and so they killed the Lady and buried her in the swamp. However, the Lady’s ancient soul was immortal, so the sisters imprisoned the spirit in its resting place, ensuring that it would never wreak havoc on the swamplands again.
Where the Lady died, there grew a great oak from which curious villagers hear angry whispers. There, the Lady remained until the player decides how to deal with it in the quest “The Whispering Hillock.”
The Fate of the Crones in Witcher 3
In the events of Witcher 3, Geralt goes to the Crones to try and find clues on Ciri’s whereabouts. The Crones then ask him to do a favor for them in exchange for the knowledge — to kill the evil spirit in the ancient oak tree. Whether the player chooses to kill or release the spirit, either action will progress the main quest - though each presents a different set of consequences for the people of Downwarren, the Bloody Baron, and the children in Crookback Bog.
Much later in the game, Geralt and Ciri will return to Velen to attend the Sabbath, intending to kill one of the Wild Hunt members who will be there as well as the Crones. This will be for the Bald Mountain quest. Ciri ends up killing both Brewess and Whispess, but Weavess escapes with Ciri’s medallion, which was once Vesemir’s.
Once the main quest has been completed, Weavess’ fate is not explicitly shown in the game’s epilogue, except in the ending where Ciri never comes back after facing the White Frost. In this ending, Geralt returns to Crookback Bog to take the Witcher medallion back from the lone Crone. After killing her, he sits down in their hut, pressing his forehead to the medallion as countless monsters swarm around him.
Thus ends the story of the Crones of Crookback Bog. Though they’re only supporting antagonists in Witcher 3, they play their role effectively. Moreover, their underlying story makes the Crones’ associated quests much darker, especially knowing that they essentially sent Geralt to kill their own mother — an unsettling deed for an unsettling trio of ladies.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is available now on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
