| Sea Hag | |
|---|---|
 Art by E. C. Segar | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | King Features Syndicate |
| First appearance | Thimble Theatre (December 26, 1929) |
| Created by | E. C. Segar |
| Voiced by |
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The Sea Hag is a fictional character owned by King Features Syndicate. She is a tall, masculine-looking witch featured in comics/cartoons as a nemesis to the character Popeye. The Sea Hag was created by Elzie Crisler Segar in 1929 as part of the Thimble Theatre comic strip. [2]
The Sea Hag is one of the central enemies of Popeye the Sailor. She is the last witch on earth, and a pirate who sails the Seven Seas in her ship "The Black Barnacle". She has a headquarters on Plunder Island, where she keeps a pride of lions that she uses to dispatch her enemies. [3] She also has a deep knowledge of magic artifacts, and has used many of them to great effect over the years. She is able to practice Voodoo magic and powerful enough to capture the equally magical Eugene the Jeep (though in the 1961 cartoon "Myskery Melody" she declares her magic is powerless against him, and is subsequently shown running as Eugene attacks her with magical electricity from his tail), and on one occasion Santa Claus. She can even alter her appearance to that of her alter ego, "Rose of the Sea". The Sea Hag has a pet vulture named Bernard as her familiar. [4] Bernard is abnormally strong and can easily carry a human in flight. [5] The Sea Hag also commands an army of Goons. The most famous of the Goons is Alice the Goon.
Because she is a woman, Popeye cannot physically attack her. His honor says that he would never hit a woman, even someone as evil as the Sea Hag. In such cases, it is Olive Oyl herself who steps in and does physical damage to her. One notable exception to this is in the 1960s cartoon "Old Salt Tale", where Popeye grabs her whip and uses it to fling her into the sea.
Upon meeting Popeye, she falls madly in love with him. Discovering that Popeye already has a girlfriend named Olive Oyl, she tries her best to be rid of Olive and win Popeye over to her favor. Popeye makes it clear to her though that under no circumstances would he be interested in a relationship with her. Enraged, on one occasion she gave Popeye's archenemy Bluto a potion to become young and handsome as a means to win Olive Oyl's heart. Later after thinking that the Sea Hag had died, Popeye had this to say once he discovered that she wasn't: "I yam glad she ain't dead even if she is a exter bad woman. If they wasn't no bad women, maybe we wouldn't appreciate the good ones. Anyway, she yam what she yam!" Despite this, the Sea Hag has tried to kill Popeye on occasion when upset that Popeye remains uninterested in her romantically.
Some 1960s comics had the Sea Hag being the mother of Bluto, although this relationship wasn't mentioned in subsequent stories.
When he took over the strip, new writer/artist Randy Milholland introduced an intern, Linden, for the Sea Hag. Linden is a young non-binary person with an interest in the mystical arts, so they have become the Sea Hag's "intern", or apprentice in the secrets of witchcraft. However, they are most often seen performing various chores at the Hag's lair. Linden is also a member of the LGBT community, having mentioned only dating girls, and has been shown to be in a relationship with Sutra Oyl.