Hello everyone, and welcome to a new episode of Mythos, The Historian.
Once again, I am going to make an incursion through the Slavic Legends.
So my next stop is to the most famous woman in Slavic mythology.
Her name is Baba Yaga…. An evil old lady who frightened generations of children
through the legends of which she is a part of.
Although she has become very well known lately, from movies like John Wick, or Hellboy,
Baba Yaga is a mythological anomaly. I say this because it seems that no one understands whether
the hideous creature is a maternal figure, an evil one, or an anti-hero worthy of comic books.
She is described either as an ugly old bag who loves to eat people, or as a lady from a fake
royal house, who can create a castle like a mirage in the middle of the forest, but who
ultimately achieves her goal by eating the visitor after deceiving him through her witch powers.
Although originally the name is unclear, as is the purpose, it is believed that “baba”
means "old woman" or "grandmother", and “Yaga” means "snake", or "evil".
Despite these oppositions, the character is extremely interesting and difficult to decipher.
Baba Yaga usually appears in Slavic folklore,
as an old woman or as a trio of skinny old sisters with iron teeth and very long noses.
Baba Yaga is related to the forest, her specific house with chicken legs,
human skulls stuck in broom sticks, and other usual utensils needed by a witch.
She is described in most stories as an old woman with supernatural powers who lives in the forest.
But this is the newer version.
In the old legends, she looked like a frog, with twisted arms, claws,
bent, with long and dirty hair.
She usually holds a broom in her hand and flies in a huge mortar through the forest.
Frogs gather around her, and she lives in a house that walks on huge
chicken legs. And everywhere there are always skulls and skeletons.
In Slavic folklore stories,
Baba Yaga either helps the heroes who come to her door or tries to eat them.
In some stories, she helps the main hero, but in most of them, she prevents him from
achieving his goals. Although it does not seem to attack or harass anyone unprovoked,
it is usually enough to disturb her by appearing unannounced at the door of her hut.
But most of the stories with Baba Yaga are not about her and they don't have her as
the main character. In general, these are heroes who meet her on their pilgrimages.
Most myths about Baba Yaga have children in them.
Usually, children of peasants who are left without parents or are victims of the stepparents.
But these children complicate their lives even
worse because they will have to get rid of the evil lady.
But in most stories, they are helped by nature: like animals or plants,
or other elements or objects. Sometimes a gate closes in the witch’s nose,
sometimes the children run over springs or streams because she is unable to enter
or travel in water that flows. And sometimes even the trees keep the old witch from catching them.
Although the story has a happy ending here,
we can see the dual nature of Baba Yaga in Slavic mythology and beyond.
And even now we cannot say for sure if she is a good or bad character for the Slavic folklore.
In the world of mythological characters, Baba Yaga is relatively obscure outside of Russia,
but tends to be passionately admired by those who discover her.
In recent years, she has amassed a large number of devoted fans.
From ancient Russia to internet fans, she remains such a powerful and fascinating character
due to her ability to live beyond social norms and within the boundaries of paradox.
Do you remember if you ever heard of Baba Yaga?
Moreover, if you grew up with the legends of Baba Yaga, please share your experience
and if you have any thoughts regarding the video, write them in the comments below.
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Yours truly: Mythos, the Historian.