Baba Yaga

Baba Yaga
Appeared in	Series 1 The Video Game The Quest
Number	18
Point Value	15

Baba Yaga is monster #18 from the Series 1 figures.

Legend of Baba Yaga

In Russian tales, Baba Yaga is portrayed as a hag who flies through the air in a mortar, using the pestle as a rudder and sweeping away the tracks behind her with a broom made out of silver birch. She lives in a log cabin that moves around on a pair of dancing chicken legs, and/or surrounded by a palisade with a skull on each pole. The keyhole to her front door is a mouth filled with sharp teeth; the fence outside is made with human bones with skulls on top — often with one pole lacking its skull, so there is space for the hero or heroes. In another legend, the house does not reveal the door until it is told a magical phrase: "Turn your back to the forest, your front to me." In some tales, her house is connected with three riders: one in white, riding a white horse with white harness, who is Day; a red rider, who is the Sun; and one in black, who is Night. She is served by invisible servants inside the house. She will explain about the riders if asked, but may kill a visitor who inquires about the servants. Baba Yaga is sometimes shown as an antagonist, and sometimes as a source of guidance; there are stories where she helps people with their quests, and stories in which she kidnaps children and threatens to eat them. Seeking out her aid is usually portrayed as a dangerous act. An emphasis is placed on the need for proper preparation and purity of spirit, as well as basic politeness.

In the folk tale Vasilissa the Beautiful, recorded by Alexander Afanasyev, the young girl of the title is given three impossible tasks that she solves using a magic doll given to her by her mother.

In the Christianised version of the story, Vasilissa is sent to visit Baba Yaga on an errand and is enslaved by her, but the hag's servants — a cat, a dog, a gate and a tree — help Vasilissa to escape because she has been kind to them. In the end, Baba Yaga is turned into a crow. Similarly, Prince Ivan in The Death of Koschei the Deathless is aided against her by animals whom he has spared.

Baba Yaga in Polish folklore differs in details. For example, the Polish Baba Jaga's house has only one chicken leg. Bad witches living in gingerbread houses are also commonly named Baba Jaga. Baba Jaga, flying on a mop, wearing black and red striped folk cloth of Świętokrzyskie Mountains is an unofficial symbol of Kielce region.

In some fairy tales, such as The Feather of Finist the Falcon, the hero meets not with one but three Baba Yagas. Such figures are usually benevolent, giving the hero advice or magical presents, or both.

Series 1 figure

Baba Yaga is a fifteen-point monster that comes in original red and olive green, as well as all four later neon colors. She is depicted with her pot and two small skeleton heads with her.

Trading card text

Species: Witch

Born: In Russia during the 12th Century

Size: 6 Feet Tall

Habitat: Lives in remote areas of Russian forests

Even Russia has its famous monsters. In this case it's Baba Yaga, an evil old hag who flies through the sky in a large black kettle, propelled by a fiery broomstick. She is known to give children rides and bring them home for dinner - unfortunately, the children are the main corse! Baba Yaga lives deep in the forest in a "tastefully" decorated house. It sits atop hen's legs and is surrounded by a fence made of dead men's bones. On the fence are human skulls with candles burning in them. So next time you are outside after dark, look into the sky. Perhaps you will see the sparks from Baba Yaga's broom as she heads out to pick up her next dinner guest!

Trading card front

Baba Yaga

In other media

Konami video game

Baba Yaga appears as an enemy monster in the Monster in My Pocket video game. She is found in the Construction Site, where she flies around and attempts to strike the player.

The Quest

Baba Yaga was planned to appear in the CGI series Monster in My Pocket: The Quest as a neutral enemy for both the heroic Warlock and the evil Morlock. As the show was cancelled before airing, there is very little information about it. It is known, however, that Baba Yaga was a powerful witch who, as in folklore, lived in a house on chicken legs. The proposed episode "Baba Yaga's Revenge" has Baba Yaga outsmarting both Warlock and Morlock and kidnapping the protagonist, Jason.

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