Baba Yaga

Baba Yaga lives deep in the forest in a hut with a personality of its own. It can move around on it's supports because its supports are chicken legs. If you come upon Baba Yaga's hut in the forest, you'll likely just see the back side of it. If you try to walk to the front and aren't paying attention - if you look away for just a second or blink - the chicken legs will have again turned the backside of the hut toward you.

Around Baba Yaga's place is a special fence but if you've not got a strong stomach, you'll certainly not like her fence because it's made of bones. Atop of some of the fencepost/bones are skulls with blazing eye sockets to light up the darkness right outside of Baba Yaga's home.

You have to know a special incantation to stop the chicken legs from spinning the hut/house around, but if you're able to know and say this, the house will settle with a giant thud and the front door will open with a great crash. Baba Yaga is waiting for you to enter.

When you enter, you'll be asked by Baba Yaga if you were sent or whether you came of your own free will. Answer carefully here, for there's only one correct answer.

Baba Yaga's harmful powers won't hurt those pure of heart - those blessed with the power of love, the power of virtue or a special mother's blessing - so don't go looking for Baba Yaga's hut if you're not a well-loved person, virtuous or especially blessed by a loving mother!

Baba Yaga holds power over the elements and they are her faithful servants. They are: The White Horseman, The Red Horseman, and The Black Horseman, and Baba Yaga calls them, "My Bright Dawn, My Red Sun, and My Dark Midnight."

Once you've been inside Baba Yaga's home, it won't be long until you meet her "soul friends" - sometimes called the friends of her bosom. These are three bodiless pairs of hands which help Baba Yaga around the home.

If you've met with no harm thus far, you're probably in the presence of Baba Yaga in her "Earth Mother' state, and not the "Terrible Old Crone" state so universally feared by people. If you're with the Earth Mother then she might be able to help you with some minor matters and she might teach you a few of her wise earth ways - or she may even give you gifts - but only so long as you remain pure of heart in her presence.

I haven't been to Baba Yaga's hut yet. I don't get out for hiking in the forest often because I live in a large city. Let me know if you get to go searching in the forest for Baba Yaga and her strange hut. I'd like to know what the correct answer to her question is - should I say I was sent or that I came of my own free will? That is, once I get the chance to go search.

Well, I've got to go for now - let me know how your visit works out.

I suppose tho' that I won't be hearing from you if you don't provide Baba Yaga with the right answer once you get to her place...