Who is Baba Yaga?

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Baba Yaga is a witch from Slavic folklore who lives in a magical hut in the forest and either helps, imprisons, or eats people (usually children). 

She is among the most famous figures from Slavic folklore as guardian of the fountains of the Waters of Life and is seen as embodying female empowerment and independence.

Her name means "Grandmother Witch"

Tho there are many folktales, and even modern references to Baba Yaga; my favorite tidbits are that she is a wise old woman who lives in a hut in the deep forest, built on four tall chicken legs that can stand up and move the house on command, including attacking unwelcome guests by scratching them with the chicken feet, or even squashing them with the house as the legs fold under. 

When she leaves her house, she rides in a mortar propelled by a pestle wielded like a magic wand with one hand while, she holds a broom to wipe away any trace of her tracks in the other hand. 

 She has always lived beyond societal acceptance and by her own unique set of rules, generally preferring seclusion and privacy.

Deeply knowledgeable of the magik that surrounds us all, drawing power from the life forces of the trees, the water, the earth, plants and rocks. Literally sewing Magik into every task that she does, nothing is done without intention. She teaches the Magik of the Hearth, the Home, Needlecraft, Food Prep etc. She respects the Spirits or powers of everything which we take for granted. 

She is linked thru legends, to the King of Winter (possibly her son), 

She is the guardian of the The Horses of Twilight, Night, and Sunrise, caring for them at the edge of the Waters of Life.  

At times she is depicted not as a solitary witch, but as three "Baba Yagas", sisters, sometimes Grandmother, Mother, Daughter. (The maiden the mother and the crone)

Some tales says she has sons and daughters, daughters in law and grandchildren.  

Through all the stories she is depicted as having great powers good and evil, and capable savage self-protection.  

Baba Yaga is the catalyst for change in her stories, as she acts as an agent of transformation, helping the heroine or hero toward self-actualization, while epitomizing the intelligent trickster archetype. 

 Many believe that her stories originated from the Slavic goddess and Earth Mother Iagaia baba.

Or that she is the personification of nature, which can be cruel or kind, or a plow which cuts deeply into the earth to enable the planting, fertilization, and growth of crops.  

Her true origin is shrouded in mystery, as there is no clear answer as to where her story began. 

For me I have always looked up to her as Grandmother Witch.

"A rose by another name, would still smell as sweet"

Baba Yaga, is my favorite incarnation of the great mother Goddess. But it is my belief, that all Mother Goddesses by any other name are the same entity, presented differently to different cultures and people. The idea of the Divine feminine exists in one way or another in nearly every religion and culture. 

If you find yourself drawn to the divine feminine, and wish to venerate or call upon her, I encourage you to find the Goddess that resonates with you. 

Some others to look into..(of course there are more but these are some of my other favorites)

• Asherah - God's wife of early Judaism (The "mother" in honor your father and mother of the 10 commandments)
• Gaia  - The Greek goddess of the Earth and the mother of all life. 
• Freyja - Norse mythology, is the goddess of love, beauty, youth, and fertility.
• Cybele - Roman mythology, is the Great Mother of the Gods, considered to have given life to gods, humans, and animals. 
• Rhea - Greek earth goddess
• Bast - Egyptian cat goddess who protected mothers and their newborn children.
• Asase Yaa - is regarded as Mother Earth, the earth goddess of abundance, and the upholder of reality by the Akan people of West Africa.