Baba Yaga

Baba Yaga was a witch in Russian folklore. She lived in the forest in a hut that stood on chicken's legs, and which was surrounded by human bones.

In one folk tale a young girl, Vasilisa, is sent to visit Baba Yaga on an errand and is enslaved by her, but the hag's servants - a cat, a dog, a gate and a tree - help Vasilisa to escape because she has been kind to them. Finally, Baba Yaga is turned into a crow.

The witch's name derives from Baba, the goddess who personifies autumn in old Slavic mythology. In Hungarian folklore she was originally a good fairy, but later became a witch.

Creative works inspired by Baba Yaga include:

• Baba Yaga (Italian film, 1973, by Corrado Farina)
• Baba Yaga (a drawing of Baba Yaga's hut by Viktor Hartmann that features in Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition)