noun
- Plural of hagrider; people or creatures believed to ride on or torment someone during sleep, especially in folklore or superstition.
Usage: archaic; folklore; chiefly historical or literary
Examples
- In medieval folklore, hagriders were blamed for the nightmares that plagued sleeping villagers.
- The old woman spoke of hagriders that visited her in the dead of night.
- Superstitious beliefs about hagriders persisted in rural communities for centuries.
- The legend described hagriders as malevolent spirits that sat upon the chests of sleepers.