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One of the most beloved (and feared) figures in Russian and East Slavic folklore, Baba Yaga is more than just a witch. She’s a rumored cannibal who lives in a strange rotating house and flies around in a magical mortar and pestle--but she’s also a helpful grandmotherly figure.

Who is Baba Yaga really? Pagan goddess? Evil witch? Scary old lady? Find out in this episode, which takes a look at traditional gender roles in Slavic history, pagan deities, burial practices of Neolithic Central Europe, and why this monstrous woman continues to endure. #BabaYaga #SlavicFolklore #mythology #MonstrumPBS

Written and Hosted by: Dr. Emily Zarka
Director: David Schulte
Executive Producer: Amanda Fox
Producer: Stephanie Noone
Illustrator: Samuel Allen
Editor: Sara Roma
Produced by Spotzen for PBS Digital Studios.

The world is full of monsters, myths, and legends and Monstrum isn’t afraid to take a closer look. The show, hosted by Emily Zarka, Ph.D., takes us on a journey to discover a new monster in each new episode. Monstrum looks at humans' unique drive to create and shape monster mythology through oral storytelling, literature, and film and digs deep into the history of those mythologies.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Armknecht, Megan, Jill Terry Rudy, and Sibelan Forrester. “Identifying Impressions of Baba Yaga: Navigating the Uses of Attachment and Wonder on Soviet and American Television.” Marvels & Tales: Journal of Fairy-tale Studies, vol. 31, no. 1, 2017, pp. 62-79.

Baba Yaga: The Wild Witch of the East in Russian Fairy Tales. Ed. and Trans. Sibelan Forrester. University Press of Mississippi, 2013.

Johns, Andreas. Baba Yaga: The Ambiguous Mother and Witch of Russian Folktale. Peter Lang, 2004.

Oleszkiewicz-Peralba, Malgorzata. Fierce Feminine Divinities of Eurasia and Latin America: Baba Yaga, Kali, Pombagira, and Santa Muerte. Palgrave Macmillan, 2015.

Ralston, W.R.S. Russian Fairy Tales: A Choice Collection of Muscovite Folk-lore. Hurst & Co.

Rudy, Jill Terry and Jarom Lyle McDonald. “Baba Yaga, Monsters of the Week, and Pop Culture’s Formation of Wonder and Families through Monstrosity.” Humanities, 5(2), 2016.

Scielzo, Caroline. “An Analysis of Bába Yága in Folklore and Fairy Tales.” American Journal of Psychoanalysis, vol. 43, is. 2, 1983.

Warner, Elizabeth. Russian Myths. University of Texas Press, 2002.