Who is Baba Yaga?

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On this week’s show we snuggle in for an overly caffeinated discussion about the rich, mythological heritage of Baba Yaga, the quixotic, multivalent witch-woman of Slavic-Russian origin whose character is both enchanting and frightening. More than just the Russian archetypal bogeywoman, Baba Yaga can do just about ANYTHING and frequently does as her personification of perennial wisdom in its naturally raw and ferocious feminine aspect. We discuss how deeply the themes in “John Wick” and “Hal’s Moving Castle” snugly fit the traditional descriptions and stories of Baba Yaga’s various cultural mythologies. At one point we stop everything and settle in for a reading of “Vasilissa the Beautiful” in its entirety.

Topics Include:

-Baba Yaga’s origin story
-The Chicken Footed Hut
-Reasons to visit
-Dos and don'ts with Baba Yaga!
-The Wooden Doll
-The Magickal Formulae of Baba Yaga redemption
-Vasalissa the Beautiful in its entirety
-Baba Yaga’s various magick powers
-What it all has to do with John Wick (seriously)

On the Extended Show:
-The historical origins of Baba Yaga
-Hal’s Moving Castle is a masterful Baba Yaga story of epic proportions.

Sources:
Baba Yaga:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Baba-Yaga
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baba_Yaga
https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Baba_Yaga

Vasalissa Story:
http://www.arvindguptatoys.com/arvindgupta/65r.pdf

Mikhail Lomonosov:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikhail_Lomonosov


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