Becoming a Crone

Besom buddies = crone cronies?

This is all very interesting! If only young people (which these days seems like most under 50) would realize what a lot there is to learn from us oldies. (Most of us!) Then again, when you're young, you're not necessarily wise enough to do that, so it's all a bit confusing!

And as both Lady Bracknell and Miss Havisham could actually be understood when they spoke, any similarities can only be good.

Papa John was lovely, wasn't he? My Mum always fancied him a bit! I'm not certain but I think 'crony' is connected to Kronos/chronos, the idea being 'life-long friend' or 'old friend' ... if Kronos is letting my memory serve.

We really do have a lot to learn from the East about this. Sad that it's been twisted and/or forgotten in our own heritage, but nice that this thread has brought some of that to light.

I'm not a crone but I frequently drone!

Or: " mouse, ferret, hare, bat, snake, dog or bird (particularly the raven or owl"

I'm sure there are alternatives to cats...how about a toad?

I could borrow a cat as long as I can give it back again as soon as possible!

In my mind a crone is an ancient (or maybe only overworked) Greek lady with a wrinkled face and not many teeth dressed in black leading a donkey......while her husband sit smoking with his cronies in the kafenion

Oh, I can’t wait to tell the Offspring that I am now officially a Crone! I’ve been known as Nanny Og ever since I became a gran and they’re all convinced I’m a bit witchy.Perhaps I should investigate my hidden abilities. Do I need a wand?

Precisely.

Don't tell me that owning a kitten is a pre-requisite of becoming a Crone!
Kittens grow into cats

dbDB77 thank you for your comments. I don't post threads that often but I do try to find something unusual and hopefully not too contentious. Nice to know its appreciated.

Only if your hook nose is very large, the warts have multiplied and the cat has had kittens, also all black.

What am I now? Over 80, so am I something different? Have I become a grand crone ?

Well, NanKate, I think that is what the Druids are describing, but with flowers in their hair

I imagine a crone to have a hook nose with a big wart on it. Perhaps with a broomstick in the corner and a black cat curled up next to the cauldron. Maybe with a crystal ball on the table ?

Oh I am enjoying this thread - informative, interesting and fun - pagans, druids et al thank you - I've not quite reached my cronedom - not long to go - but I have the wisdom to recognise & appreciate such lively posts - thanks gransnetters. As for flowers from the hedgerows - where I was brought up in the tough inner city we were lucky to see a dandelion .... ?

Maddy629, Don't you have some potion for the arthritis!

I’m pagan and we honour the Crone, just as we honour the Maiden and the Mother. Too often, the Crone is the aspect of womanhood which is feared or ridiculed or both. We should be proud to be crones, the epitome of wisdom and experience! (As for age, I think it applies to anyone post-menopausal, and no longer in the Mother stage of life.)

We used to live in Hong Kong. They always say you should be young in the west and old in the east.

At the age of seventy, you become (perhaps for the first time in your life) important. Our amah's granny, when she turned seventy, had a huge celebration in the local restaurant. More than a hundred people sat down to an eight course dinner. It probably cost more than a month's income for her extended family. It marked an important point in her life when she was elevated to the status of village elder.

I'm not sure if I would have wanted that when I turned seventy as I was still wondering what I would do when I grew up!

Content to be a happy crone! May put flowers in my hair next birthday and remember a kiss (on my forehead - he’s tall, I’m short) from Papa John Phillips who wrote WYGT San Francisco!

Remember my mum saying she’s an old crone about a difficult neighbour.

Well said MOnica...my husband reached 70 last year , and it’s true he gets more stupid with each year...he refuses hospital appointments , doesn’t get his blood checks done when advised...which led to his ‘near death ‘ three years ago due to blood problems...he had to have a blood transfusion ( 3 units) to get him back to norm.!! Nothing I say or do has any effect on him.We have two great kids ,two lovely grandkids and it’s almost as if he couldn’t care less about any of them . Please ...nobody mention depression, it runs rampant in his family and I think that’s half the trouble...he doesn’t want the label!! I’ve given up on him now, and let him drift on in his own way ...perhaps we should all be masters of our own destiny ...and deserve to meet our fate as we like!?

Essentially the word 'crone' is a technical term in witchery. It means something entirely different outside that esoteric world.

Well, I’m well and truly a crone being in my late 70s and I’ve heard of those three stages of female before - maiden, mother and crone - proud to have been all three! Isn’t female a very powerful force in paganism because of the ability to give life? And shooting off on a little sideline, that’s the second time I’ve seen besom mentioned in the last hour - the first was on Facebook!

Presumably the word, crone, comes from the Greek chronos, meaning time.

This should really be in Pendants' Corner, but crone and crony are two completely distinct words, according to the dictionary.

Crone means an old woman and comes most probably from Old French, while crony is thought to be university slang from classical Greek meaning a friend.

I'm Wiccan and proud to be the Crone - it implies learning patience and wisdom.