Myth of the Week 026

Ivan Bilibin, Baba Yaga, 1902.

Baba Yaga, according to Slavic folklore, is a supernatural entity (or one of a trio of sisters of the same name) who appears as a deformed, ferocious woman. Baba Yaga flies around in a mortar, wields a pestle, and dwells in the heart of the forest, in a hut which stands on chicken legs. She may help or hinder those who her out, and may contribute to the health and wellbeing of forest wildlife that surrounds her.

Baba Yaga is described as one of the most memorable and distinctive figures in eastern European folklore. She is "enigmatic" and often exhibits "striking ambiguity," capable of inspiring researchers to see her as a Cloud, Moon, Death, Winter, Snake, Bird, Pelican or Earth Goddess, totemic matriarchal ancestress, female initiator, phallic mother, or archetypal image.