The secret of Baba Yaga

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

We all know from childhood about a character from Russian fairy tales - Baba Yaga. Many books have been written and several films based on fairy tales have been shot, in which the hedgehog grandma appears. But how much do we know about her?

In fact, Baba Yaga is a very ancient deity in the Slavic pantheon of gods, who was worshiped by our ancestors. However, after the adoption of Christianity in Russia, a whole program was developed to get rid of the old heritage, and especially from the pagan gods. All of them were given evil, demonic qualities and ugly physical features. Baba Yaga did not escape this either. But the people continued to keep the customs and traditions associated with the faith of their ancestors for a long time. Some of these traditions have survived even to this day. For example, Shrovetide or Ivan Kupala - these are all pagan holidays that have never been eliminated from the traditions of the Russian people. Probably, many do not know, but even fairy tales, in the early stages after the adoption of Christianity in Russia, were considered taboo, because they featured pagan acts and characters. However, this old tradition has not been dealt with either. Fairy tales have been read to children and are still being read, including about Baba Yaga. Although, she is already there in the form of an evil, terrible sorceress who devours people. But not everything is so simple.

If we recall the fairy tale about Baba Yaga and her behavior with those who wandered into a dense forest and found her hut, then we recall that before placing the "guest" in the stove, the hedgehog grandma washed the good fellow, fed him and only after I wanted to send this to the stove. Everything described is nothing more than an ancient pagan ritual, which was allegedly performed before traveling to the afterlife. Remember the "thirtieth kingdom"? This is what he is, only in a fabulous interpretation. The repulsive features were betrayed to Baba Yaga, but they did not take into account the moment where these rituals are described, which say that Baba Yaga is a pagan deity among the Slavs who served a guide to the underworld … Even a description of the appearance can testify to this to us. Remember about "Baba Yaga - Bone Leg"? So, among the pagan Slavs, our distant ancestors, they were very careful about the traces left on the earth. For it was believed that on the trail of a person it was possible to bring damage to him. Therefore, Baba Yaga had a bone leg, she did not leave traces.

It was believed that Baba Yaga could help a person get into another world in order to correct a situation or defeat a certain villain. Remember, she always presented her "guests" with various miraculous gifts, self-propelled sleighs, a ball, which will lead to the goal, etc. … According to the beliefs of the ancient Slavs, Baba Yaga was a link between the two worlds. There is a version that Baba Yaga is another name for the pagan goddess Makoshi (mokoshi), who was worshiped by the Slavs. But it "acquired" negative properties only after the adoption of the Christian faith.

The very name "Baba Yaga" has several versions of its origin. According to one of them, this name passed to the Slavs from the Finno-Ugric tribes (Mordva, Mari), who lived in the neighborhood and even mixed with them. In the ancient Figo-Ugric dialect, "Yaga" is a fur coat turned inside out, and a woman is a figure of a female deity. Often it was made of gold, so they tried to hide it so that the enemy could not kidnap it, but hid it, usually, in that very "yaga," an inverted fur coat. The area in which the Finno-Ugric tribes lived was marshy, so they tried to build their dwellings on large piles that resembled chicken legs - this served as the "appearance" of the dwelling of Baba Yaga, a hut on chicken legs. Well, according to another version, more Slavic, "yaga" is a derivative of "yasha" or "foot and mouth disease / ancestor." The ancestors, as you know, were the ancestors of all living people. That is, it was believed that she was the progenitor, along the female line, of all living people. However, there are more than two versions about the origin of the name "Baba Yaga", and a completely accurate answer can hardly be established now.

There is a widespread version among researchers of the ancient Slavs that fairy tales are a coded message to descendants for many millennia to come. Allegedly, the ancient Slavs believed that someday "troubled times" would come and fairy tales would help the descendants of the Slavs find the right solutions in various life situations. It seems that the Baba Yaga case also belongs to a coded message system that describes the true purpose of a given character.

An analogue of Baba Yaga in other cultures is the ancient Greek goddess of moonlight, hell, everything mysterious, magic and witchcraft Hecate. In the hands of Hecate "the key to all doors", two torches, a snake, and a whip for dogs and demons. She flies over the graves in the moonlight. Controls the "intersection of three roads".

Let's compare, Baba Yaga is a witch. Helps Ivan Tsarevich on his way to the kingdom of Kashchei. Baba Yaga has a flying stupa, a broom-chase, a ball-guide, helpers of a snake, dogs. The path to Baba Yaga lies from the "intersection of three roads".

The intersection of three roads is clearly depicted on ancient, pre-Christian tombstones

More about stones here:

Stones of pre-split Russia. Part 1

Stones of pre-split Russia. Part 2

Stones of pre-split Russia. Part 3