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Message board > Happy Baba Marta!
Happy Baba Marta!
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Pelletrine
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Dear Allisa,
I have always wondered about the origin of Baba Yaga... What does HER name mean?
Lovely 1st March to you :o)) |
1 Mar 2010
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moravc
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Baba Yaga is Slavic - Russian, I think... Old ugly witch (living in an old hut) she is...
I first heard her name while listening to Russian folk stories (fairy-tales...)
We don �t have Baba Yaga. Czechs call her "yedgibaba" (Je�ibaba).
Baba Yaga is a witch-like character in Slavic folklore. She flies around on a giant mortar or broomstick, kidnaps
(and presumably eats) small children, and lives in a hut which stands
on chicken legs. In most Slavic folk tales she is portrayed as an antagonist; however, some characters in other mythological folk stories have been known to seek her out for her wisdom, and she has been known on occasion to offer guidance to lost souls, although this is seen as rare.
The second element, yaga, is from Proto-Slavic (j)ęgа, which is probably related to Lithuanian ingis �lazybones, sluggard �, Old Norse ekki �pain �, and Old English inca �question, scruple, doubt; grievance, quarrel �. It has also been suggested that Yaga may be a diminutive of the feminine name Jadwiga.
Believe me, baba Yaga and Czech Yedgibabas are hooorible. I used to have nightmares about them. I woke up in my dream and heard a noise coming from your living room. Guess what? Yedgibabas were having a meeting there!!! Booo!  
I don �t want to see them in my dreams anymore!
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1 Mar 2010
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