Baba Yaga: The Ambiguous Mother and Witch of the Russian FolktaleBaba 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. |
Contents
Interpreting Baba Yaga | 8 |
The Witch at Home and Abroad | 44 |
Baba Yaga and Children | 85 |
The Hut on Chicken Legs | 140 |
The Ambiguous Baba Yaga | 169 |
The Evil Witch | 227 |
Conclusion | 257 |
Selected Tale Texts | 277 |
Index of Tales | 303 |
315 | |
353 | |
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Common terms and phrases
Aarne-Thompson Afanas'ev ambiguous animals asks Baba Yaga appears Baba Yaga's hut Balashov Bandarchyk Belarus Bony Leg bride brothers bylina chicken legs child comes culture daughter death egg Dobšinský dragon Dun'ka-Durka East Slavic East Slavs episode fairy tale father female figure finds folklore folktale folktale characters forest frog Frog Princess Gorodtsov grandmother gusli hero hero's heroine heroine's horse hut on chicken ibid Ježibaba Karnaukhova Khudiakov kills Koshchei Lutovinova magic objects male marry Meletinskii mortar Moscow mother motif narrator Nauka Nikiforov 1961 Nikolai Novikov Novikov ogre old woman Onchukov oven Perchta Perchten pestle Potanin Prince Ivan princess Propp Razumova and Sen'kina realm ritual role Russian scent Sadovnikov Shastina skazki Slavic fairy Smirnov snake Sokolov spinning supernatural symbolic tale types tells traditional tree Tsar Maiden turns unkind girls versions villain Vladimir Propp wedding wicked stepmother wife witch women Yaga-Baba Yaga's young Zelenin Perm Zelenin Viatka