Baba Yaga is a well-known witch from the folklore tradition of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. A fascinating and colorful character, she resembles witches of other traditions but is in many ways unique. Living in the forest in a hut that stands and moves on chicken legs, she travels in a mortar with a pestle and sweeps away her tracks with a broom. In some tales she tries to harm the protagonist, while in others she is helpful. This book investigates the image and ambiguity of Baba Yaga in detail and considers the meanings she has for East Slavic culture. Providing a broad survey of folktales and other sources, it is the most thorough study of Baba Yaga yet published and will be of interest to students of anthropology, comparative literature, folklore, and Slavic and East European studies.

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You thought the Wicked Witch of the West was evil, but have you met the Wicked Witch of Eastern Europe? If you’re familiar at all with Baba Yaga, you’ll likely say she is a cannibalistic witch. This infamous Slavic fairy-tale character is also perhaps one of the most complex you’ll find. While most others are strictly good or bad, Baba Yaga can be both simultaneously. Tales about Baba Yaga have terrified children throughout the ages. Not all are scary, though; some are enlightening or amusing. But who was she really? Did she ever exist? And, more importantly, does she still exist today? This in-depth study of Baba Yaga looks at not only academic studies, but it also digs deeper into her character and looks at popular and even controversial topics. You’ll discover a side of the witch as she is perceived by those who say they have had an encounter with her. By the time you finish reading her story, you’ll either want to crawl back into bed with the covers over you, or you’ll seek out the witch of witches for her guidance.

Dubravka Ugresic retells the myth of Baba Yaga - one of the most famous stories in Russian and Eastern European mythology

A beautiful illustrated collection of fairy tales about the most iconic and active of Russian magical characters

From the beloved New York Times bestselling author-illustrator of Thank You, Mr. Falker and Pink and Say. Baba Yaga is a witch famous throughout Russia for eating children, but this Babushka Baba Yaga is a lonely old woman who just wants a grandchild--to love. "Kids will respond to the joyful story of the outsider who gets to join in, and Polacco's richly patterned paintings of Russian peasant life on the edge of the woods are full of light and color." -- Booklist "A warm, lively tale, neatly mixing new and old and illustrated with Polacco's usual energetic action, bright folk patterns, and affectionate characterizations." --Kirkus Reviews

Finding Baba Yaga is a mythic yet timely novel-in-verse by the beloved and prolific New York Times bestselling author and poet Jane Yolen, “the Hans Christian Andersen of America” (Newsweek). A young woman discovers the power to speak up and take control of her fate—a theme that has never been more timely than it is now... You think you know this story. You do not. A harsh, controlling father. A quiescent mother. A house that feels like anything but a home. Natasha gathers the strength to leave, and comes upon a little house in the wood: A house that walks about on chicken feet and is inhabited by a fairy tale witch. In finding Baba Yaga, Natasha finds her voice, her power, herself.... "Jane Yolen is a phenomenon: a poet and a mythmaker, who understands how old stories can tell us new things. We are lucky to have her."—Neil Gaiman