History Literature / BabaYaga

* In the 2019 ''Xena Warrior Princess'' mini-series, in issue #4, Xena, Gabrielle and Discord end up in the Russian taiga and are taken in by an old woman in her hut with a large pestle and mortar nearby. The old woman is a goddess and the last of a trio of witch deities, thus losing her powers because people do not believe in them anymore. With Gabrielle's help, who is TheStoryteller, the witch woman gain enough power from people's belief in her, and thus the legend of Baba Yaga is born.

** She's explicitly not a god, but only because she doesn't want to be bothered by prayers. Thanks to finding power sources other than GodsNeedPrayerBadly she's around the same power level as beings like Cthulu anyway. However, witches can take her as a [[DealWithTheDevil patron]].

* GoldTooth: She often has a set of ''sharp iron teeth.''

The character of Baba Yaga has made dozens of appearances in popular culture and modern works including Music/ModestMussorgsky's ''Music/PicturesAtAnExhibition'', Creator/OrsonScottCard's novel ''Literature/{{Enchantment}}'', Creator/OtfriedPreussler's fantasy novel ''Literature/TheAdventuresOfStrongVanya'', the ''ComicBook/{{Fables}}'' and ''ComicBook/{{Hellboy}}'' comic series, innumerable Russian cartoons and tales like ''Animation/TheFrogPrincess'', ''VideoGame/{{Runescape}}'', ''VideoGame/QuestForGlory'', ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'', ''VideoGame/{{Blacktail}}'' [[note]] where ''you'' are the Baba Yaga [[/note]], ''WesternAnimation/BartokTheMagnificent'', ''Series/{{Supernatural}}''[[note]]In a MonsterOfTheWeek episode, "[[Recap/SupernaturalS15E16DragMeAwayFromYou Drag Me Away (From You)]]".[[/note]], and (as "Barbara Jagger") ''VideoGame/AlanWake''. She even provides the RedBaron moniker of [[OneManArmy one]] Film/JohnWick. Baba Yaga is also a brand of beer from the Massachusetts-based brewery.

** She's explicitly not a god, but only because she doesn't want to be bothered by prayers. Thanks to finding power sources other than GodsNeedPrayerBadly she's around the same power level as beings like Cthulu anyway.

The character of Baba Yaga has made dozens of appearances in popular culture and modern works including Music/ModestMussorgsky's ''Music/PicturesAtAnExhibition'', Creator/OrsonScottCard's novel ''Literature/{{Enchantment}}'', Creator/OtfriedPreussler's fantasy novel ''Literature/TheAdventuresOfStrongVanya'', the ''ComicBook/{{Fables}}'' and ''ComicBook/{{Hellboy}}'' comic series, innumerable Russian cartoons and tales like ''Animation/TheFrogPrincess'', ''VideoGame/{{Runescape}}'', ''VideoGame/QuestForGlory'', ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'', ''WesternAnimation/BartokTheMagnificent'', ''Series/{{Supernatural}}''[[note]]In a MonsterOfTheWeek episode, "[[Recap/SupernaturalS15E16DragMeAwayFromYou Drag Me Away (From You)]]".[[/note]], and (as "Barbara Jagger") ''VideoGame/AlanWake''. She even provides the RedBaron moniker of [[OneManArmy one]] Film/JohnWick. Baba Yaga is also a brand of beer from the Massachusetts-based brewery.

** [[Wiki/SCPFoundation SCP-352]] is an alternative take on the character. Being [[NightmareFuel an SCP object]], it's quite unnerving in a different way.

* EvilUncle: In some stories, Baba Yaga has a beautiful, younger (but still evil) sister who seduces and marries widowed fathers in order to send her new stepchildren off to their new "aunt". Don't worry, they will usually escape with the help of their dead mother or something...

* ElementalEmbodiment: while not an embodiment per se, according to Website/ThatOtherWiki Baba Yaga represents the element of fire. Though it's not explicitely made clear in most tales, her ambiguous nature (sometimes helpful, sometimes destructive) hints towards this, so does the fact that her hut is based on the funerary huts where ancient Slavs cremated their dead. Not to mention those FlamingSkulls.

* {{Leitmotif}}: "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3R15EdjJgu4 The Hut on Fowl's Legs]]" by Music/ModestMussorgsky from ''Music/PicturesAtAnExhibition'', which is a musical tribute to a picture of Baba Yaga's abode. Wiki/ThatOtherWiki [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pictures_at_an_exhibition#No._9_.22.D0.98.D0.B7.D0.B1.D1.83.D1.88.D0.BA.D0.B0_.D0.BD.D0.B0_.D0.BA.D1.83.D1.80.D1.8C.D0.B8.D1.85.D1.8A_.D0.BD.D0.BE.D0.B6.D0.BA.D0.B0.D1.85.D1.8A.22_.28.D0.91.D0.B0.D0.B1.D0.B0-.D0.AF.D0.B3.D0.B0.29_.5BIzbushka_na_kuryikh_nozhkakh_.28Baba-Yag.C3.A1.29.5D notes]] that it is supposed to invoke the hag herself riding on her mortar.

* ElementalEmbodiment: while not an embodiment per se, according to Wiki/ThatOtherWiki Baba Yaga represents the element of fire. Though it's not explicitely made clear in most tales, her ambiguous nature (sometimes helpful, sometimes destructive) hints towards this, so does the fact that her hut is based on the funerary huts where ancient Slavs cremated their dead. Not to mention those FlamingSkulls.

* in the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' of Creator/AAPessimal, witches from the Discworld's UpToEleven UsefulNotes/{{Russia}} appear to graduate through several informal levels of competence and ability. The starting point is ''devyuschka'' - informally, "kid who is a girl" and "pupil". The Devyuschka, when her tutors agree she is ready, or else, these days, has had advanced training in Lancre, is then a ''ved'ma'', Witch. A witch with lots of experience might eventually be accepted as a ''babiuschka''- "old woman". Only a few, however, go to the state lying on the other side of "Babiuschka" - that of ''Babayaga''. The Babayaga can be seen as a Far Überwaldean take on the theme of Granny Weatherwax - rarely found, but exceedingly powerful, however she chooses to use the power. Flight-minded witch [[ImprobablePilotingSkills Olga Romanoff]], a pupil of such a Babayaga, [[Fanfic/ThePriceOfFlight inherits the flying mortar and pestle]] on her mentor's death. After the death of Natalya the Baba Yaga, her Steading is taken over by a teenage witch, Natalya's approved choice of successor, who is called [[MeaningfulName Vasilisa]].

* ''VisualNovel/CookingCompanions'' has subtle but noticeable nods to Baba Yaga. The game takes place in Tantras Mountains (which is forms a natural border between Slovakia and Poland), the game features [[NoPartyLikeADonnerParty cannibalism with the four hikers]], and [[spoiler:the player character has asked the hikers "Did you come of your own free will, or were you sent?" thousands of times, just like how Baba Yaga would ask her unfortunate victims. Whether or not the player character ''is'' Baba Yaga or somehow alluding to her is unknown.]]

* In one spinoff novel of ''Series/{{Primeval}}'', ''[[https://primeval.fandom.com/wiki/Extinction_Event Extinction Event]]'' a ''[[KingOfTheDinosaurs T. rex]]'' is nicknamed after Baba Yaga, due to how her legs reminded some russians of her chicken-legged hut.

* The English dub of ''Manga/{{InuYasha}}'' episode 31 has this exchange between Inuyasha, Kagome, and the mother of Jinenji:

* BigEater: in ''Literature/VasilissaTheBeautiful'', she eats enough for ten.

* {{Psychopomp}}: Baba Yaga sometimes acts as a guardian between the world of the living and the realm of the dead.

* BlackMagic

%%* EvilOldFolks

* FairFolk: fits the description quite nicely.

* NeverMessWithGranny: She is an old powerful witch after all. Though in some stories, she suffers from BadassDecay.

The character of Baba Yaga has made dozens of appearances in popular culture and modern works including Music/ModestMussorgsky's ''Music/PicturesAtAnExhibition'', Creator/OrsonScottCard's novel ''Literature/{{Enchantment}}'', Creator/OtfriedPreussler's fantasy novel ''Literature/TheAdventuresOfStrongVanya'', the ''ComicBook/{{Fables}}'' and ''ComicBook/{{Hellboy}}'' comic series, innumerable Russian cartoons and tales like ''Animation/TheFrogPrincess'', ''VideoGame/{{Runescape}}'', ''VideoGame/QuestForGlory'', ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'', ''WesternAnimation/BartokTheMagnificent'', ''Series/{{Supernatural}}''[[note]]In a MonsterOfTheWeek episode, "[[Recap/SupernaturalS15E16DragMeAwayFromYou Drag Me Away (From You)]]".[[/note]], and (as "Barbara Jagger") ''VideoGame/AlanWake''. She even provides the RedBaron moniker of one Film/JohnWick. Baba Yaga is also a brand of beer from the Massachusetts-based brewery.