What Is The Mystery Of BABA YAGA

Baba Yaga

"For me, witch represents all of that repressed agency... . which constantly bubbles up to the surface in an unsettling vision of female power, female sexuality, female independence. "

                                                         - Rebecca Tamas.
       

Rebecca Tamas

       
             It was a point of view of Tamas that made the whole world crazy about the mystery of the witches specially a witch of Slavic folklore "Baba Yaga" who is considered to be the first witch of Eastern European myths. I was also interested in that topic. So I started to research on Baba Yoga and found some interesting facts. I wanted to share these facts with you. So read it till the end.

A Witch

            What is a witch?
       We all have some sort of opinion about a witch. We all heard of witches in the folklore who are bad and intend to do harm to people. But is it everything the witches do? So my answer is a big NO. A witch is a woman who has a lots of magical powers. The novelist Madeline Miller said that " A witch is a woman with more power than men have felt comfortable with".

A Painting Of Baba Yaga

           Now coming to the main topic that who is Baba Yaga?
       So for your answer Baba Yaga is a supernatural being in Slavic folklore. We can also find the existence of Baba Yaga in the Russian fairytales. Andreas John identifies Baba Yaga as " One of the most memorable and distinctive figures in Eastern European folklore".

           But why is her name Baba Yaga?
     So in old Russian the word Baba means 'sorceress' or 'fortune teller'. In modern Russian the word Baba is derived from the word babushka which means 'Grandmother'. In Polish the word Baba is a synonym of woman. The word Yaga also has conflicting theories of meaning from 'snake' to 'wicked'. This associations have led variety of theories on the name of Baba Yaga.

House With Chicken Legs

           Where did Baba Yaga lived?
     According to Russian fairytale Baba Yaga lived in the middle of a dark forest in a hut that usually described as standing on chicken legs. The windows of her house had spying eyes. The house of her fence is topped with human skulls.

          How did Baba Yaga look like?
       The most common portrayal of Baba Yaga is as either an old woman or a trio of old sisters. But in all cases she is depicted as skinny, with iron teeth and nose so long that they touch the ceiling when they sleep. She is also called 'bony leg'.

        What did she do?
    The character of Baba Yaga is full of uncertainty. She varies between acting as a benefactor and a villain. She either helped the hero of Slavic myth or hindered him or her. She is also projected as Mother Earth. She plays meternal role and has associations with forest wildlife. She is also considered to be the Guardian of The fountain of The water of Life.

       Baba Yaga in folklore

     The first clear reference of Baba Yaga occurs in 1775 in Mikhail V. Lomonosov's "Rossiiskaia Grannatika".

Vasilissa in front of Baba Yaga's House

      In the folktale "Vasilissa, the Beautiful" the young girl visits Baba Yaga in search of light and is enslaved by her. But Baba Yaga's servants - a cat, a dog, a gate, a tree help her to escape because she has been kind to them. In the end Baba Yaga is turned into a crow.

     In some fairytales such as "The Father of Finist the Falcon" the hero meets not only one but three Baba Yaga. Such figures are usually giving the hero advice or magical present.

Children Escaping From Baba Yaga's House

       In another fairytale two children are sent to Baba Yaga by their stepmother. But they escape from Baba Yaga's house with the help of the trees of the forest and the animals.

Ivan in the House of Baba Yaga

       In Alexander Afanasyev's "The Maiden Tsar" Ivan a handsome merchant makes his way to the home of Baba Yaga in search of the three horns but Baba Yaga tries to eat him. A bird saved him from the hands of Baba Yaga.

               Though Baba Yaga is considered to be a deity akin to mother nature, in most of the stories the natural world turns against her. This is why everyone finds her so difficult to place in any of the category.

     

Sculpture of Baba Yaga in London            

          Recently on Christmas Day a sculpture devoted to the Russian fairytale heroine Baba Yaga is installed on Beauchamp Place, London.

Baba Yaga in the Film Hellboy

                Other than that a character is also given the name of Baba Yaga in the comic book series Hellboy. This character appeared in the 2019 film Hellboy.
           
              It is because of her elusive nature Baba Yaga remains a mythical figure and continues to be discussed. She adds a level of mystery in her character. The dilemma of whether she is good or wicked remains in our mind throughout.