Ancient Slavic Mythology: Baba Yaga or the Evil Witch

Gusiachkin Anastasia

Ancient Slavic Mythology: Baba Yaga or the Evil Witch

   Vladimir Dal, one of the greatest Russian lexicographers, writes that Baba Yaga belongs to a very specific category of witches or is an evil spirit which shows up in the form of an ugly old woman. He says that her bones are coming from under her skin in some places; she lusts for human flesh and kidnaps children to prey on them later. Devils are carrying her flying mortar which is made of iron. She lives in a dark far away forest in an old twisted house. She would normally try to murder a poor traveler who would happen to be unlucky enough to come across her shack. Even though I am not able to recall any old legend or a fairy story in which Baba Yaga would actually murder someone, her image is constantly accompanied with the presence of death. Everyone knows that she preys on human meat but only a few would be able to recall the actual situation.

   Vladimir Yakovlevich Prop, the Soviet folklorist, differentiated between three types of Baba Yaga in Russian mythology. The first type is Yaga the Gift Giver; she is the type of witch who would ask the lost hero a question about his or her journey, and give away a strong war horse or valuable items to assist the hero while on his or her quest. The second type is Yaga the Kidnapper; witches of this kind would steal children from their parents and try to fry them alive. Luckily, there are no stories in which Yagas succeed; the children are always rescued. However, the description of human skulls in the Yaga’s shack suggests that one of them must have succeeded at least once. The last type is Yaga the Warrior. This type is very vague and rare in Russian folklore. These witches would supposedly invade the house for whatever reason they would have on their mind.  Baba Yaga is also believed to be the guardian of an underworld and the guide for the dead.

   Baba Yaga is a typical witch that relies on her magic spells and potions. Long time ago, peasants from far away regions of Russian would call a woman Baba Yaga if she was making various healing potions from herbs or practice the witchcraft. Nowadays, we tell our children that if they act naughty, Baba Yaga will definitely come for them and take them to her twisted house which stands lonely in the dark woods.

   I was always fascinated by the stories my grandmother would tell me before the bed time. Witches, werewolves and other characters of a Slavic mythology were common inhabitants of my imaginary little world. When I was a little kid, I used to spend my summers in a faraway village where my grandmother lived back in the days. I can still remember a magical sound of the wind going through the leaves, and a calming murmur of a mountain creek. When you are small, things seem to be bigger. The local forest seemed to be enchanted to me; massive green trees, the singing of birds and gentle sunshine, which could hardly make its way through the leaves. Every minute I was hoping to stumble across a magical creature, or to see Baba Yaga’s shack. I decided to choose this character because it was a prominent figure in fairy tales I grew up with. My fascination with a Slavic mythology later led me to the department of humanities and literature studies.

Works Cited

    “Герои славянской мифологии: Баба-яга, Яга, Ягишна.” Герои славянской мифологии: Баба-  яга, Яга, Ягишна. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 May 2015.                        <http://slavyans.myfhology.info/herous/babayaga.html>.