BABA-YAGA was originally a very old Slav goddess of death and regeneration, along with her skeletal son Koschei. Nowadays she has gone seriously down-market and ekes out a living as a hideous hag of horror.

She lives in a house built of human bones. If that doesn’t worry you, her home security is guaranteed to scare anyone away — the house is surrounded by a bone fence containing inset skulls whose eye sockets light up in the dark. And it’s a mobile home — it runs around supported on gigantic chicken legs. Coming soon to a forest near you.

If this doesn’t make you chicken out, one stare from Baba Yaga’s own eyes will turn you to stone, and her mighty mouth has knives for teeth. She can also pole herself around in a giant pestle and mortar, which she uses to crush, grind up and unpetrify her victims.

There is only one way to defeat her and that’s to be invited in for dinner. If this happens, under no circumstances allow her to eat you. If you survive the ordeal, she will be forced to give you useful advice over dessert.

Share this page Cite this article

Article last revised on May 25, 2019 by Rowan Allen.
Editors: Peter J. Allen, Chas Saunders

References: Coming soon.

Permissions page

---