Baba Yaga ~ she was depicted as a fierce, cruel, and penetrating witch who would wear down the insignificant with her curt tongue. It is thought that Baba Yaga was a representation of the grinding away of the soul through passive resistance. Baba Yaga was also considered to be the life force present in the harvested grain, and in Russia her representation was distorted into the old witch who lived deep in the forest and ate children, which inspired the well known fairy tale Hansel and Gretel. In old Hungarian folklore, Baba (“old woman”) was originally a good fairy but was later degraded to a witch. A Baba Yaga is a hard bargainer, and will threaten to eat those who do not fulfill their part of an agreement. [x][x][x]
