Case file · Witch trials
Baba Yaga
The witch of Slavic folklore who flies in a mortar, wields a pestle and lives in a hut on chicken legs, sometimes eating children, sometimes helping heroes.
1755 CE · 55.63, 37.61 · status: legend
The account
The first clear reference to her dates from 1755. Variants of the name appear across many Slavic languages.
The sceptical view
A fairy-tale figure; scholars debate whether she preserves older pagan beliefs.