INTRO:

Hello and welcome to Myth Monsters, my name is Erin and I’ll be your host for these little snack bite size podcasts on folklore and mythical monsters from around the world. 

These podcasts focus on the actual cryptids, folklore and mythic monsters from global mythology, rather than focusing on full stories of heroes and their big adventures.

I’ll also be dropping in some references that they have to recent culture and where you can see these represented in modern day content so you can learn more, and get as obsessed as I am about these absolute legends of the mythological world.

It is halfway through December if you can believe it! The World cup is about to finish up, and holidays are around the corner. I’ve started my Yule celebrations for the year, so it’s certainly getting nice and cosy in my house this time of year. 

DESCRIPTION:

This week though, we’re focusing on a monster that is known to have a not so cosy house, and one that we would normally associate with cold wintery months in Eastern Europe. Yes, we are looking at Baba Yaga and her spooky house this week, just before the holidays - how festive. 

Baba Yaga is typically described as an old crone looking figure who lives deep in the woods in Poland and Russia especially, however, is well known throughout Eastern Europe - although some of these countries might have their own versions of her called different names. She is blind, has an elongated nose, one bone leg, sharpened metal teeth, and is usually dressed in a typical babushka outfit, with a draping dress and a headscarf. She is known to be a witch, and can cast spells and craft potions - as well as being a maternal figure to the woods she lives in at the time, having a deep connection with nature and the animals who live around her. Unlike other witches in Europe, she flies around in a mortar, and wields a pestle, rather than a broomstick.

Now she also lives in a hut on the edge of the forest - it’s a usual log cabin type hut, surrounded by a bone fence of her previous victims and hidden to those she does not wish to find. The inside of the hut is always full of meat and wine, as well as skulls adorned with candles. The most important feature of this house is that it stands on two chicken legs, and can walk from place to place. To enter the house, Baba Yaga says the incantation "Little House, turn your back on the forest and turn towards me." It is also guarded by the invisible hands, who grab at you and attempt to strangle you if you try to get into the spooky hut without her inside. If you do manage to get inside, Baba Yaga will remove you if you have any kind of blessing on you at the time of the visit - if she figures out you have one of course. When you find Baba Yaga in the house, she is actually way too big for it, with her nose going through the ceiling and her body stretching from corner to corner, which I imagine was quite a sight to behold.

Now I said meat in that last bit, and unfortunately I do have to say that she only eats people - so it would be people meat. She is known to tempt locals away from the path in the woods to get them to find her house in desperation - then kill them with her pestle, eating them later on with her favourite snack being children. However, she’s not massively keen on people, so she only interacts when she has to eat, as it is said that she will age one year every time she is asked a question, and she has to drink a tea made with blue roses in order to rejuvenate herself, which she offers a large reward for if people bring them to her. 

There are apparently three Baba Yaga who prowl through the Slavic woods - but all have the same name, and do the same things. But if you fancy going to find one, you would need to call out: “Dear hut, please turn your back to the forest and your front to me!” much like Baba Yaga does when she summons it. If you can outwit her, or help her in any way - she is more than happy to help you, but only if you’re not a child of course.

ORIGIN:

In terms of etymology, Baba Yaga is a Slavic word, but it most likely comes from the Polish Baba Jaga (which is just spelt with a j instead of a y). Baba usually means old woman, usually one who is dirty or foolish. However, Yaga is one that has never been figured out, but it does mean sacrifice in Sanskrit. It’s been proposed that it is similar to similar words within Eastern European languages such as ‘jeza’ in Serbo-Croatian, meaning horror or shudder, ‘jeze’ in Old Czech meaning witch, or Polish ‘jedza’ meaning witch or evil woman. But it’s also been linked to Slavonic, which was the first Slavic language ‘jeza’ meaning disease. But honestly, we don’t know where it comes from, it might have even been an actual name that’s stuck with the character and we have nothing written down about it - that happens quite a lot, especially in folklore and mythology.

For the history of this character, Baba Yaga was first mentioned in 1755 in Mikhail V. Lomonosov’s book Russian Grammar, where she is mentioned twice alongside other Slavic monsters so we imagine that she has existed for quite a long time before this to make it into a book through word of mouth. She is usually depicted as a more old-timey character, looking like she’s come straight out of a Grimm tale - so we can attest that she was most likely in folklore from this same time, and 1755 does match up with the Grimms stories. Although, they were German - so most likely had limited influence on Slavic tales and storytelling at the time. 

She is mentioned in lots of Slavic fairy tales and I have my favourite to share with you which is called Vasilisa the Beautiful. 

Vasilisa is very much a Cinderella type character, with two evil stepsisters and a stepmother, after her parents die. However, before her mother dies, she gives her a doll talisman, which she tells Vasilisa to always keep on her person - turns out this talisman has powers. Years later, she is a slave to her new and monstrous family, and after a day of horrid chores which were only achievable through the doll, they force to bring light back to her home, and is told to get some from Baba Yaga. She finds Baba Yaga's hut, with its beautiful gothic skull and skeletal decorations outside. She pleases the witch, by cleaning her house and garden, washing her laundry and cooking a banquet for twelve people - which Baba Yaga eats herself, I mean, I could too to be honest. Then Vasilisa is asked to sort rotten grains of corn from the good ones and sorts poppy seeds from soil, where she cries that she cannot do it - so the doll talisman does this for her. She wakes up to find the tasks complete, and Baba Yaga is finally pleased. She tells her that she can take back a human skull with gleaming eyes, and can also talk, so she carries through the forest back to her family. When she returns, the skull tells her to place it on the table, and the light from the skull's eyes burns her stepmother and stepsisters to ashes. Vasilisa buries the skull so it cannot do anymore damage, and goes off to make clothes in the city where the Tsar notices her work and marries her - what a happy ending.

Baba Yaga is mentioned a lot more throughout Slavic stories through history, however, becomes more of a folk figure and her popularity soars after being in a whole load of modern media, which of course we’ll talk about later. 

However, there are some questions as to why with Baba Yaga. Why is her house on legs? Why the mortar and pestle? What’s the deal with her being blind and having one bone leg? So many questions, but I actually have the answers here and they relate to the more intricate stuff about culture in these places at the time she was going around.

We talked earlier about how she is completely blind, but she can smell the living - and the living can see her completely fine. This is actually a really interesting point about her, and it’s suggested that she is the gatekeeper between the living and the dead, highlighted by her one bone leg and one flesh leg, and the lack of visibility over the living, as it’s told that the dead do not see or notice the living. As also her hut and herself live on the edge of the forest, implying that the forest is the realm which is protected - but often known in the Slavic myths to be a common place of death. 

With the house, this actually makes even more sense because in Central Russia, it was common for a certain ethnic group called the Mokshas to bury their shamans about the ground, and their usual method was to place the coffin on legs. This was to prevent revered members from departing this world, as being suspended above it was keeping it on the border between the two worlds - living and dead, with the world of the dead being on the ground or in it. Therefore, with her house having legs much like these coffins, and Baba Yaga firstly a being of supernatural power, and being stretched corner to corner whilst inside it, implies that the hut is one of these coffins and that she lives between the two worlds. The myth has just taken this one step further and more focused on the idea that she and her house are the gatekeepers of the two worlds, as they so openly roam between both.

To finish up, the mortar and pestle are also a part of this idea of the myth, as they were common with witches and shamans of the time. Mortars were for crushing grain back in these days, and were often linked with older women, as it took a lot of time rather than strength - as well as the idea that city folk at the time would be surprised at the idea of a giant mortar and pestle, and would link this to people living more in the countryside like it was a ridiculous thing that they had never seen.

CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE: 

Now onto modern media, there are loads this week actually for a Slavic monster, we really do have quite a few which is a nice change. 

For art, we have Baba Yaga and Baba Yaga's hut by Viktor Vasnetsov which are two separate pieces from 1917. Another common one is of Baba Yaga by Ivan Bilibin from the story of Vasilisa the Beautiful from 1899, which has loads of pictures depicting Baba Yaga within it which you can find. Or there is Illustration to the The Tale Synko-Philipko by Elena Dmitryevna Polenova from the 1890s, and lastly, Baba Yaga depicted in Tales of the Russian People by V. A. Gatsuk from 1894 which is a pretty good depiction of her in her mortar or by her oven too! Otherwise, check out some independent stuff for some really good spooky portraits like the one I have in my advertising

In movies, we have; Baba Yaga: Terror of the Dark Forest, John Wick, Vasilissa Pre kras naya, Morozko, Hellboy, New Adventures of Puss-in-Boots, Spirited Away, Polish Legends: Jaga, The Frog Princess, Secret Magic Control Agency, Frosty, Vodi, Dobrinya and the Dragon & The Vanquishing of the Witch Baba Yaga.

For TV, we have; The Witcher, The Owl House, Lost Tapes, Bartok the Magnificent, Ever After High, Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, DragonBall, Arthur, Legend Quest, Supernatural, Be Cool, Scooby-Doo, Legends of Tomorrow & The Magical Music Box.

In video games, we have ones such as; Roblox, Fortnite, SMITE, Scribblenauts Unlimited, Alan Wake, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Pathfinder, Runescape, Quest For Glory, Shadow Man: Second Coming, Baba Yaga, Monster in my Pocket, Sobor, Ragnarok Online, Lord of Vermillion, Cabals, Road Not Taken, Gems of War, Rock of Ages 2: Bigger & Boulder, Russian Subway Dogs, Cthulhu Saves Christmas & Blacktail.

My book recommendation this week is Baba Yaga: The Wild Witch of the East in Russian Fairy Tales by Helena Goscilo & Martin Skoro for some specific Baba Yaga stories or Slavonic Fairy Tales by John T. Naaké for some more Slavic stories if you’re interested in this specific mythos that certainly does not get enough love!

DO I THINK THEY EXISTED? 

Now it’s time for, do I think they existed?

You know what, I love this one so much that I’m having trouble saying a flat out no - mainly as well because there could totally be an old witch in a wood, what's wrong with that? For her to have bones as fence posts is a bit more intense, but it’s certainly possible. The house thing is definitely a stretch of course, but maybe it’s a case of they just thought the house was parading through the woods because they couldn’t find it again once they’d lost it? Who knows!?!

I’m actually only familiar with Baba Yaga through this podcast, I didn’t know anything about her or her spooky house before I started properly researching mythology in the last 2 years - so it’s definitely a new one for me, but so recognisable within modern media once you know about her. I remember watching the last season of the Witcher and being like BABA YAGA YES, when she turned up - although she’s not called that in the series. Also I love the Owl House series and when that house started walking with witches living in it I was equally as excited, although not as much surprised. 

But what do you think? Did Baba Yaga roam the Earth? Let me know on Twitter!

OUTRO: 

I’ve been wanting to cover this monster forever. It's such a legendary one that most people at least know about that I really have loved researching and talking about her. But also, a proper creepy one too, and really reminds me of the cannibal witch in Hansel and Gretel, which freaks me out to my childhood core.

Next week, it’s the pinnacle of the holidays so I’ll be taking a week off for the celebrations. However, we’ll be back on the 29th, just before the new year for a wonderful holiday special up in the Himalayas with the Yeti! Keep an eye out for this snowy bigfoot on the slopes not next Thursday, but the Thursday after!

For now, thank you so much for listening, it’s been an absolute pleasure. If you enjoyed this podcast, please give it a rating on the service you’re listening on - I’ve got the twitter for any questions, or suggestions on what monsters to cover next and I’d love to hear from you. The social media handles for Tiktok, Youtube and Instagram are mythmonsterspodcast, and twitter is mythmonsterspod. But all of our content can be found at mythmonsters.co.uk - you can also find us on Goodpods and Patreon if you want to help me fund the podcast too.

Come join the fun though and share this with your pals, they might love me as much as you do.

But for now, stay spooky and I’ll see you later babes.