Baba Yaga is known throughout Russian folklore, as and old fearsome whitch whom lives in a wooden hut with chicken legs. Her appearance can only be compared to an old toad like creature, with tree-like, gnarly, dry skin and dark claws. This magical creature lives deep in the russian forrest in a house perched on chicken feet and surrounded by glowing skulls. Baba Yaga is known for seeming rather helpfull at start as she helps young visitors who stumble upon her hut. But due to some cannibalistic tendencies the visits are often cut short. She is supposedly a manifestation of cultural anxieties in that time and era the folklore first starting to circulate in.
An article written by 'vice', seems to capture the different conflicting roles Baba Yaga can undertake in connection with the messages the storyteller wants to come through with.
"In the tale of 'Vasilisa the beautiful', arguably the most famous story in which Baba Yaga appears, Baba Yaga takes on several, seemingly conflicting roles. Beautiful Vasilisa lives with her wicked stepmother and two homely stepsisters, who all conspire to have her killed. After several unsuccessful attempts, they finally send Vasilisa directly to Baba Yaga's hut, knowing that the crone eats humans "as one eats chickens." But instead of devouring the girl, Baba Yaga forces her to do a series of seemingly impossible menial tasks, such as separating grains of rice from wheat kernels before dawn. When Vasilisa succeeds at this, she's granted one of the skull lanterns that rings Baba's house; upon returning home, the lantern immediately engulfs her horrible family in flames, freeing her from their tyranny. Eventually, beautiful Vasilisa ends up marrying the Tsar.
Here, Baba acts as trickster, villain, and savior, ultimately helping Vasilisa to rid her of her stepfamily, albeit through shockingly violent and roundabout means. Unlike the traditional godmother figure, Baba is outside the bounds of morality, and her aid often comes in menacing forms."
Across folklore and within single tales, Baba Yaga shifts between a maternal helper and a cannibalistic villain.
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Myths and Legends
De TodoHere I will share with you all a collection of myths and legends. Which vary from new to old, maybe even ancient stories. i will also include tales of mythical creatures and beings. The tales I tell come from different cultures and parts of the worl...
