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SciFi & Fantasy Art / Gallery 131 of 882 / Anya ´broom rider´ Kholodova / Picture 10 of 98 / Baba Yaga

"Baba Yaga" by Anya ´broom rider´ Kholodova

SF&F Picture 10 out of 98 by Anya ´broom rider´ Kholodova

SciFi and Fantasy Art Baba Yaga by Anya ´broom rider´ Kholodova

Baba Yaga is an ugly ancient had of Russian folk-tales who’s said to practicing cannibalism and the darkest sort of witchery (and it’s a typical portrait of a priestess of the Old Gods who was driven into the woods by the coming of Christianity). She is my favorite character of Russian folklore. In fact in the most of the fairy-tales Baba Yaga is a very nice and helpful old lady who always has a great sword for a hero, a magical clew of yarn that will show a hero his way or just a wise advise. Though she always starts with “Fee! Fie! Foe! Fum! I smell the blood of an Englishman (or rather a Russian man:)) “.
Baba Yaga lives in the midst of the woods in the coolest house imaginable: a small wooden cottage (Izbushka) with chicken legs and an attitude: it’s always turns its back to a visitor, but will turn its door to you if you’ll nicely ask it to do so. The mean of transportation of the Russian witch is also absolutely fantastic: she is riding in a huge mortar and driving with a pestle! She also has a traditional broom but she’s mostly using it to swept away her tracks.
Wow, I think that Baba Yaga is extremely cool! I am Russian and I am a witch, so I like to think about her as my grand-grand-grand-grand-grand...(back to the Viking Age)...grand-mother. :)
So why did I make her not an old and ugly hag but a lovely young woman? C’mon, just like every woman Baba Yaga ones was young and beautiful. Every woman wants to be remembered young and beautiful...

Date	Name	Comment
27 Oct 2005	Yana P. Vaseva	Loading... That's not the way I have imagined baba Yaga and how she's always portrayed... You've drawn her like a supermodel! LOL I've been used to seeing her as an old grumpy grannny, you know, and with her back all bent like a walking stick and... erm... yes, but the house na kurinuih nojkah is the same good old place I know so good BTW, it's not a bad idea for her to be a sexy model, it will attract possible victims to her house > Anya ´broom rider´ Kholodova replies: "Yes, I realize that it's a very non-orthodox picture of Baba Yaga As I said in the picture's description: like every woman Baba Yaga ones was young and beautiful. Every woman wants to be remembered young and beautiful Though I tried to make her to look not like a seductive super-model type, not even as a young witch, confident with her knowledge of the secret side of the ordinary things, but rather like an intelligent but unsocial girl who chose to live the way she likes it, and doesn't care for what the others are thinking about her, and is ready to protect her chosen way of life. Kinda like me) Now, putting such a lady into the hearts of the woods... She doesn't like to be disturbed, so the legend of a crazy old hag with caniballistic inclinations suits her just fine to scare away the unwanted visitors, and to put on the test the brave young men. Ever wonder why all those young czarevich's in almost every fairy tale were running around the woods looking for Baba Yaga? Somehow, I find it doubtful, that they were so eagerly looking for an old hag; a looking for a forest-fresh young independent woman would be much more believable Or I don't know men)"
28 Oct 2005	Yana P. Vaseva	Loading... BTW the kitty's so cute, and the izbushka too I remember a model of it in a playground in a tree park, but the ladder was broken after all these years and I couldn't go inside And the furniture was gone too... Anya ´broom rider´ Kholodova replies: " Oh, what a pity! But yes, times fly, things keep changing, and not only for good...sighs Thanks for the compliments about the cat and izbushka! I have a black cat, and he manages to get into my pictures a bit too often"
28 Oct 2005	Yana P. Vaseva	Loading... When you put it this way... yes, there is much logic in this... By the way, here baba Yaga has almost replaced all the witches in childrens' fairy tales, It's like she's the uber model of the witch Even in fairy tales that have their counterparts in Western Europe, she plays the witch, although, as you've said, quite often she's a positive character. seeing baba Yaga is seeing the good old days of your early childhood Anya ´broom rider´ Kholodova replies: ""seeing baba Yaga is seeing the good old days of your early childhood " He-he, yes, you are so right, true for me too..."
3 Nov 2005	Evgenia P. Petkova aka Foxy Jenny	Loading... So. Yana put my thoughts on the comment list first - no need repeating them. Aaah, Baba Yaga... Many fairy tales included her when I was little - I grew up with her. And now kids grow up with Pokemon. Pf. The Irony of it all. I prefer a witch. grin Lovely depiction of Russian folklore. It`s rare in the wooods, so congrats and thanks for drawing a pic of this very interesting woman. Anya ´broom rider´ Kholodova replies: "Thank you! I'd love to see more of Slavic folklore characters in the Woods... And you are so right, the in the comparison of what a classic fairy tale could give to a child to what modern cartoon industry is feeding them... it just too sad to think about it. Being a mom of an almost three years old, rased in a city, I also suddenly had stumbled upon another problem with russian fairy tales: my kid had never seen an izbushka, a stove, a huge mortar like the one Baba Yaga used to move around, etc. ... I am afraid that with no familiar images in them, the fairy tales of my childhood sound for him totally alien"
2 Dec 2005	Inuyasha	Loading... Yea common.I know my show is awesom but common Anya ´broom rider´ Kholodova replies: "Well, may be so, but what it has to do with the russian folklore? Are you sure you have commenter on the right picture, dear?"
13 Oct 2006	Knud Edvinovich	Loading... Very interesting! Not quite the way i pictured her, reading the tales decades ago. Seems that in one tale at least, the cat was had a name -- does anyone remember it? Anya ´broom rider´ Kholodova replies: "He-he, it's not a traditional image of her; very unorthodox, I'd sayThe cat's name is Vaska, or Ivasik - both are russian variations of the name Vasilij (Basil)."
15 Mar 2007	Torunn 'Lady Jane' J. Oscarsdotter	Loading... Oh, I absolutely love the cat! Now, this is a well-composed interesting picture. Both flat and deep, and as beautifully done as the rest of your gallery. Keep up the good work!
11 Apr 2008	Lucka	Loading... Hmmm...I´ve got an book about this character but...I thinks her some .....other like this and on book-jacket she´s other like this. And that book´s so cool I thinks.
11 Apr 2008	Lucka	Loading... "To the me bow, to the moutain back!" Oh, I love this.
16 Aug 2008	Anonymous two	Loading... You’re an idiot interpertating not only Baba Yaga like that, but also reality in a way that suits you, instead of what it is. And too think that people like you indirectly rule the world (because you’re the only one stupid enough to care), sheesh...
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About 'Baba Yaga':

• Status: OK
• Created by:

Anya ´broom rider´ Kholodova
• Copyright: ©Anya ´broom rider´ Kholodova. All rights reserved!

• Keywords: Baba, Yaga, Russian, Witch
• Categories: Wizards, Priests, Druids, Sorcerers..., Woman, Women
• Techniques: Computer Program
• Submitted: 2004-03-27 17:16:50
• Views: 3030
• Resolution: 504x650

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