Definitions

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • proper noun In Russian tales, a hag who lives in hut that stands on chicken legs and who flies through the air in a mortar, using the pestle as a rudder.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Slavic баба (baba, "grandmother"), and Yaga, a probable diminutive of Jadwiga.

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Examples

  • We thought she was the witch, Baba Yaga, and what twists in the wound every time I think about it is I now can see she knew we thought that.

    Cognitive Therapy in Russian Benjamin Matvey 2011

  • Toda looks like Baba Yaga, the witch in the Russian fairy-tale book our father sent from far away.

    The Memory Palace Mira Bartók 2011

  • Toda looks like Baba Yaga, the witch in the Russian fairy-tale book our father sent from far away.

    The Memory Palace Mira Bartók 2011

  • I see her in my mind, motionless and shriveled in her bed, yet still wicked, like an old, long-nosed witch from a tale of the brothers Grimm, or Baba Yaga from our own folktales, who lives in a hut that is perched on chicken legs.

    A Mountain of Crumbs Elena Gorokhova 2010

  • The Oriental culture refers to them as "Suburu" and the Russians call them "Baba Yaga" – the witch with the fiery broom.

    Astronomy For Kids: Bull Ridin' Taurus | Universe Today 2010

  • Baba Yaga is a tough bad guy to beat, and all the stories are about defeating her, not killing her.

    8 Books in 8 Weeks: Week Three beccastareyes 2010

  • The Three Mothers trilogy deals with an unholy triumvirate of black magic; three ancient witches in the tradition of the monstrous Baba Yaga of Russia, who with their entrenched power, wealth and influence, rule the world.

    Mother of Tears: The Third Mother (2008) 2010

  • Deena: Baba Yaga is our fear of old, and women, and magic, the magic of the hearth, of chicken legs.

    Transcript: Mythic Fiction « Coyote Con 2010

  • He and the princess must battle with the witch Baba Yaga to find happiness.

    Fairytales in Fantasy Freedomstar 2010

  • He and the princess must battle with the witch Baba Yaga to find happiness.

    Archive 2010-05-01 Freedomstar 2010

Comments

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  • A little girl  goes to see Baba Yaga, the witch who lives in the forest in a house that walks about on chicken legs. Baba Yaga keeps her there and when the little girl escapes Baby Yaga chases her - she flies about in a mortar and uses a pestle to propel it forward. The girl has an ally though, in the doll which lives in her pocket; and who instructs her to throw a comb over her shoulder when the witch gets closer - which turns into a forest - and then a handkerchief - which turns into a river. This delays the witch long enough for the girl to return safely to her home and her family. 

    July 13, 2015