Baba Yaga
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"Baba Yaga" by Rima Staines |
So the
time has come for me to step into Baba Yaga's forest again. I have been here
many times before. Of all the stories in my collection, the Slavic folktale of
Vasalisa and Baba Yaga is one of my favourites. You can’t step into the same
river twice – and the same goes for stories. And every time I tell this story I
find myself stepping foot into a new forest and coming face to face with a new
aspect of Baba Yaga.
There are
some truly gruesome tales about Baba Yaga. She can be both dangerous and
helpful. One might wonder if she is good or evil. I would say both, or neither.
She is so much older than the kinds of stories that have tried to catergorize
the world in terms of "good versus evil." Baba Yaga belongs to the
group of mythological Crones/Wise Women/Bone Women that appear in various
forms throughout the stories and myths of the world. The Ancient Grandmothers
who form the land and sing the bones to life.
Baba Yaga
stands by the hearth of life/death/rebirth. She stands guard by the portal of
initiation, here to test us, open our eyes and give us the lessons we need in
order to wake up and see with all of our senses intact. If you pass her tests,
she will give you fire to guide your way through the darkness and transform your inner shadows to ash.
Now, Baba
Yaga will be joining me for a Vildkvinnans Väg (Path of Wild Woman) rewilding
women's retreat in Stjärnsund, Sweden on the 13 - 15 of November. This retreat
has now been fully booked three years in a row! The retreat will of course be a
bit different this year as we will keep a safe distance and (if the weather
allows) be outdoors as much as possible. All the same, after holding courses
and telling stories online for most of this year, I am REALLY looking forward
to gathering with the wild women in Stjärnsund!
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Min version av sagan om Vasalisa och Baba Yaga (på svenska) finns att köpa som CD (100 kr inklusive frakt) eller som nerladdningsbar ljudfil (50 kr). Beställning: sagoheim@gmail.com |
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