Baba Yaga

Baba Yaga

바바 야가

World Mythology

Slavic Folklore

"The Wild Crone, Guardian of the Threshold"

Personality Traits

Wild Testing Ancient Ambiguous Powerful

About

Baba Yaga is the legendary witch of Slavic folklore, an ancient crone who lives in a hut that stands on chicken legs in the heart of the dark forest. Neither fully good nor evil, she is a force of wild nature that tests those who seek her.

She flies through the air in a mortar, steering with a pestle and sweeping away her tracks with a broom. Her hut is surrounded by a fence of bones with skulls that glow with magical fire. She is served by three mysterious horsemen: White (Day), Red (Sun), and Black (Night).

To those who approach with courage and proper manners, she may grant wisdom, magical objects, or solutions to impossible problems. To those who fail her tests, she is death itself. Baba Yaga represents the wild, untamed feminine power that stands at the boundary between civilization and the unknown.

Famous Story

Vasilisa the Beautiful was sent to Baba Yaga for fire. The witch set her impossible tasks—sorting poppy seeds from dirt, pressing oil from seeds—but Vasilisa's magic doll (her mother's blessing) helped her complete them. Impressed, Baba Yaga gave her the fire and let her go.

If You Match

Your features carry the wild testing power of Baba Yaga. There is an ancient, threshold-guarding quality to your presence—the look of one who tests the worthy and destroys the foolish.

Also Known As

Baba Jaga Grandmother Witch Bone-Legged One