One Hundred Witches

18- Baba Yaga

18- Baba Yaga (Slavic Folklore).

This classic witch originates from Russian mythology and Slavic fairytales. Baba Yaga appears in various legends, often occupying the role of the witch residing deep in the woods that the main character must interact and barter with. She is the predecessor to witches like those found in the fairy tales of Charles Perrault, as well as those found in the Grimm Brothers’ works. Baba Yaga retains many unique characterizations and attributes not found in any other witch, however, making her singularly iconic.

Baba Yaga is described as a hideous, deformed, and vicious looking woman, resembling the classic hag archetype. In some versions of her story, Baba Yaga is not one, but three sisters all named Baba Yaga, each sister being older than the next. In this way, Baba Yaga is intimately connected to both The Graeae and the Moirai (#64), and illustrates the triple goddess. More specifically, Baba Yaga is a representation of the Crone phase, and is associated with death, darkness, and winter. Her function in the legends she appears in further matches this archetype, as she “may help or hinder” the characters that beseech her. She stands at the crossroads of death and mystery, allowing some to pass unscathed.

Baba Yaga is best known for two specific attributes that have defined witch iconography and contributed to Baba Yaga’s mythological uniqueness. Her residence, as well as her choice of aerial transportation, are some of the most distinctive out of any witch in this series. While most fairy tale and fictional witches fly through the sky on their iconic brooms, Baba Yaga sits her little old body inside a mortar, and steers her “spice-craft” with a pestle as rudder. The iconography and symbolic nature of this, with the mortar representing the divine feminine/womb and the pestle representing the divine masculine/phallus, shows Baba Yaga to be a character in balance with nature, called by some as a “phallic mother”. Other depictions show Baba Yaga riding through the sky in a cauldron, further solidifying the relationships between witches and their love of these cast iron pots (Ceridwen #56).

Baba Yaga’s hut is similarly iconic and unique, and has influenced centuries of witch-lore. Her house sits upon a pair of chicken legs (sometimes just a single claw). It jumps in the air and spins around, constantly moving from place to place and turning direction. I’ve seen dozens of references and depictions of witch-homes on chicken legs, but they are all imitations of Baba Yaga’s. Her yard is surrounded by a fence impaled with skulls, furthering her placement at the gates of death and dying. Her fowl-legged home appears in the earliest references to Baba Yaga, so whatever this strange attribute means, its intimately connected to her being.

The etymological roots and significance of her name are disputed. It’s generally agreed that the Baba is the same root as babushka, meaning grandmother. Other roots in Old Russian bring the shared meaning of Baba to “midwife, sorceress, and fortune teller”. The Yaga part of her name is less conclusive, however, with no root universally agreed upon. Some believe it has its origin in “serpent, snake”, while others see it from anything from “horror”, “witch”, “evil woman”, and “pain and worry”. In this way, Baba Yaga principally means Grandmother Witch, the Slavic etymological counterpart to the Italian version, Strega Nona (#21). Both Strega Nona and Baba Yaga are examples of the tradition of witch names ending in an A, with Baba Yaga perhaps being the earliest (See: Hilda and Zelda #36, Sabrina #62, Samantha/Endora/Clara #s 89/54/39, Glinda 76, et. al.).

In modern times, Baba Yaga has become more of a bogeyman character, used to scared children into good behavior. She’s described as flying through the air in her cauldron, stealing kids away to eat them. She is often shown as a consort to the personification of Death, sealing her Crone status. This association expands beyond the original source material for her, however, and while she is now often seen as evil, she was more thoroughly understood as being morally ambiguous. Baba Yaga’s ultimate good or evil was brought out by the decisions and/or actions of the main character in the fairy tale who interacted with her, serving as a reminder of caution, thoughtfulness, and sure-footedness.

Baba Yaga remains one of the classic hag witches from world folklore and mythology. I am absolutely enamored with her flying around in a Mortar/Pestle, as I find her to be one of the prototypes for modern Kitchen Witch iconography. Her witch residence goes down in history as one of the most unique, rivaled only by the far removed castles of witch/queens. I find her manifestation as three Baba Yagas, each living in a chicken-clawed home, to be her most allegorical and fascinating. In this way, Baba Yaga illustrates the singularity and unity of the Triple Goddess into one character, promoting the final stage of Crone as the most pertinent to the archetypes of witchcraft.

Basic ideas for kitchen witchery

These are not recipes, but ideas - what meal could serve what purpose. They are simple, so you either should have your own recipes for them, or find them on the internet easy enough. 

Happy cooking!

BANISHING

chili (cayenne pepper, black pepper, chili - generally spicy things)

lemon-infused water (lemon is a repellant, and water is uncrossable for some entities)

sugarfree coffee with cinnamon (coffee and cinnamon are both banishing ingredients)

curry (cayenne pepper, black pepper, chili - generally spicy things)

PROTECTION

caprese salad (basil, tomatoes)

margarita pizza (basil, tomatoes)

apple pie (apples)

corn-on-a-cob (corn)

mint tea (mint)

herb soup (rosemary, basil, mint, thyme, bay leaf…)

HEALING

apple pie (apples)

golden milk (milk and turmeric)

elderflower tea (elderflower)

mint tea (mint)

onion syrup (onion and honey)

chamomile tea (chamomile)

lemon-infused water (lemon)

ginger tea (ginger)

nettle soup (nettle)

pumpkin soup (pumpkin)

pumpkin cookies or bread (pumpkin)

curry (turmeric, garlic, onion)

LUCK

cinnamon rolls (cinnamon)

orange juice (orange)

chamomile tea (chamomile)

corn-on-a-cob (corn)

pineapple juice (pineapple)

poppyseed buns or bread (poppy)

HAPPINESS

orange juice (orange)

honeyed tea (honey)

mint tea (mint)

lemon-infused water (lemon)

vanilla-flavoured ice cream (vanilla)

sunflower seed buns or bread (sunflower)

sugar cookies (sugar)

PEACE

lemon balm tea (lemon balm)

lavender-infused water (lavender)

cucumber-infused water (cucumber)

vanilla-flavoured ice cream (vanilla)

PROSPERITY

milk with honey (milk and honey)

apple pie (apple)

pumpkin soup (pumpkin)

pumpkin cookies or bread (pumpkin)

chocolate chip cookies (chocolate) 

sandwich - any (bread)

fried rice (rice)

curry (rice)

fries (potatoes)

I saw this on r/mademesmile and reminded me of this sub lol

I was high off my ass last night and had this dream where I was in this dense ass forest and sitting there was a tall woman. She was so tall I couldn’t see her face but she was wearing gold and I was like “uh…hi?” And she said “I made you, do you know that?” And I nodded and she was like “I hear your thoughts. Why do you hate my creation? Why do you try to destroy yourself? I made you perfect as you are. Please don’t break my heart”. Then she started crying and it flooded and I woke up with fucking heart palpitations like what does it Mean™️????

Free readings

Hi welcome to our blog!

We are Angel and Comet !

We are offering free readings ,before requesting a reading please read the rules.

Rules :

1. For the moment we prefer to answer them in private, so if you send us an anonymous ask we can’t do your reading .

2. Be patient , doing readings for free is not easy and is time consuming,so it gonna take some time .

3. Don’t be rude (say a hello and a goodbye , please tell us your nickname, if you have preferred pronouns let us know we don’t wanna make anyone uncomfortable)

4. Even if you requested before a reading for us make sure to tell us again what you wanna know , your nickname etc . After completing a reading we are going to erase the messages .

5. We are more than happy to hear some feedback , but please be polite .

6. It’s ok to ask for another reading but consider that other people want readings too so again be patient .

7. Try to refrain yourself from asking us what you should do , you have your own life so you should take your own decisions.

8.(temporarily rule) Right now we are going through some personal matters , so we gonna start doing the readings starting with 15 February, until then we aren’t able to respond at all but you can send us your requests.

Template for asking for a reading :

Hello , I’m… , these are my pronouns….  .

I’m here to ask for a reading ….

………..

Have a nice day/Goodbye/Etc.

Have a nice day !

⚠️Disclaimer⚠️

We can’t ask everyone and make sure you are old enough to ask for a reading or that you aren’t gonna hurt yourself after you get our reading. Everyone has their own triggers and their own mental state . So make sure before you ask for a reading to check with yourself if : you are mentally ok with hearing something you might not like and second you are mature enough to not have a harmful reaction towards yourself or other .

Mary Oliver, from “Evidence”, Devotions

Acorn - Good luck, personal power, protection and wisdom. Dried acorns are a natural amulet for youthfulness. It's associated with the Sabbat of Litha and the element of water.

Angelica - Also called Archangel. It is a very powerful protection herb, healing, creates harmony and courage and helps in exorcisms. Aids vision. Element Air.

Apple - Garden magic, love, healing and wisdom, also vanity, marriage and beauty. Associated Mabon & Samhain. Element water.

Basil - Also called witches herb. Use in spells for Love, exorcism, wealth, sympathy, and protection. Associated with Imbolc. Aids astral projection. Element Fire.

Bay Leaf - Protection, success, purification, strength, wisdom and healing, also increases psychic powers. Element Fire.

Belladonna - Also Called: Deadly Nightshade. Toxic. Use for forgetting past loves. Protection, beauty and original flying ointments. Adds energy to rituals. Element Water.

Bergamot - Money, prosperity and sleep. Protects from both evil and illness. Good for luck and wealth. Increases magical power. Element Fire.

Black Pepper - Banishing negativity, exorcism, and offers protection and help with inner strength. Element Fire.

Blueberry - Protection of children, keeps evil out, and strengthens the aura. Associated with the Great Spirit. Element Water.

Calendula - Also called Marigold. Attracts success and justice in legal matters. Increases psychic/spiritual powers and aid prophetic dreams. Dispels negativity. Element Fire.

Cardamom - Lust, love, and fidelity. Sweetens the personality Use in handfastings. Element Water.

Chamomile - Love, sleep, protection and purification, also reduce stress. Use for meditation work and to attract money. Solar Magic. Element Water.

Cinnamon - Also called Sweet Wood. Use for Solar magic. Meditation and astral projection. Increases spirituality, success, healing, protection, power, luck, strength, and prosperity. Element Fire.

Clove - Use to protect, banish negative forces, and divination. Also helps with any teeth spells. Aids money and draws love. Element Fire.

Dandelion Root - Magical uses include divination, wishes and calling spirits. It also enhances dreams and works well in astral projection. Element Air.

Evening Primrose - Ideal for moon magic. Also use in love charms and to attract fae. Element Water.

Ginger - Increases magic power. Success, love, money and power. Element Fire.

Hibiscus - Attracting love and lust. Use in divination. Associated with lunar magic. Element Water.

Horsetail - Use for strength and resolve. Protection, cleansing and clearing unwanted emotions. Element Earth.

Jasmine - The herb of attraction. Helps prophetic dreaming, money and love. Element Water.

Lavender - Magical uses include healing, sleep and peace. It also promotes chastity and love. Increases longevity of life, tranquility and happiness. Element Air.

Lemon Balm - Also called Melissa. Love, success and healing. Aids psychic/spiritual development. Supports mental health disorders and compassion. Element Water.

Lemon Grass - Psychic cleansing and opening. Use in lust potions and when using Dragon Magic. Element Air.

Lime Tree Leaf - Healing, calm and love. Aids strength and tranquility, Element Air.

Marjoram - Use for cleansing, purification, and dispelling negativity. Also aids grief and sadness. Element Air.

Mint - Promotes energy, communication and vitality, protection and draws custom. Element Air.

Mugwort - Use for strength, protection and healing. Mugwort amplifies magic. Aids astral projection, and psychic power. Element Earth.

Nettle - Uses include dispelling darkness & fear,and curse breaking. Healing and protection and increases lust in partners. Renewal. Element Fire.

Orange Peel & Flower- Attracts abundance, luck. Love and happiness and strengthens divination. Element Fire.

Passion Flower - Attracts friendship and passion. Caming, peace and instills passion into stale relationships. Good for house blessings too. Element Water.

Patchouli - Used in spells for connecting with spirits. Money attracting, increases fertility and lust. Calming and peaceful. Element Earth.

Peppermint - Use for headaches and other forms of healing. Increases sleep and love. Use for increasing psychic power and divination. Element Air.

Rose - Use for divination, increased psychic power, love, lust and healing. Helps strengthen close friendships. Place around sprains and bruises to help them heal faster. Element Water.

Rosemary - Use in healing poppets and love/lust spells. Improves memory. Increases sleep, mental power and protection. Burn to help purification and removing negativity. Associated with faery magic. Element Fire.

Sage - Used for self purification and cleansing. Helps grief and loss. Healing and protection, also increases wisdom. Element Air.

Strawberry Leaf - Attracts success, good fortune, and favorable circumstances. Increases love and aids pregnancy. Element Water.

Thyme - Attracts loyalty, affection, and love. Increases good luck and psychic power. Drink in tea to aid sleep. Element Air.

Verbena - Psychic protection, peace and purification. Healing and helps depression. Increases beauty and love. Mind opening and clearing. Ideal use for exams. Element Earth.

Willow - is Used for lunar magic, drawing or strengthening love, healing, and overcoming sadness.. Element Water.

From the Herbal Grimoire by the blog The Wiccan Lady. Here's the link to the blog for the complete list and further reading:

After a BIZI day: