Becoming Baba Yaga

Explore the magic and mystery of Baba Yaga in this captivating book by Kris Spisak. In it, this complex witchy figure who is both hag, and healer (herbalist), trickster and protector is explored and brought into modern times as an archetype that can help us better navigate our way through life. Baba Yaga is examined as both a force for good and for evil. Spisak even shines a light on Baba's feminist side, and of course her connection to nature.

Publishers Marketing:

BECOMING BABA YAGA: TRICKSTER, FEMINIST, AND WITCH OF THE WOODS

When darkness, fear, and instability inundate our daily lives, folktale figures like Baba Yaga speak to the dichotomy of our existence—the hope and the horror, the magic and the mundane. At once an old hag and an enchantress, a demon and wish granter, a feminist and nothing more than a fairytale, Baba Yaga is an endlessly complex folktale character.

Becoming Baba Yaga provides an in-depth look at the Baba Yaga mythos and history through Slavic folklore. Filled with historical and cultural context, analyses, and the stories themselves that add depth to the conversation. A comprehensive resource for anyone hoping to learn more about this ambiguous character and how her multifaceted presence still ripples through the present day, Becoming Baba Yaga is as thoughtful as it is illuminating.

Spisak explores Baba Yaga’s connection to nature as an Earth goddess and as an herbalist. She also delves into the Shadow Self and Baba Yaga’s aspect as a trickster and places her in a modern context as not merely a witch of the woods but also as an archetype and force for finding your own path. Becoming Baba Yaga shares how she is both a force for good as much as evil and a feminist before her time.