Baba Yaga is a mysterious creature that is described in many Russian fairy tales. To this day, scientists are worried about the still unsolved mysteries surrounding this mysterious creature. Who is Baba Yaga?
Scientists translate the strange name of this old woman in different ways. Some are convinced that "yaga" corresponds in some Indo-European languages to the meanings "vexation, illness, sorrow." But from the Komi language “yag” is translated as “pine forest” or “boron”, and the word “baba” means a woman. Therefore, Baba Yaga is a forest woman.
Baba Yaga lives in the forest, she flies in a mortar. Engaged in witchcraft. She is assisted by geese-swans, red, white and black riders, and also “three pairs of hands”. Researchers distinguish three subspecies of Baba Yaga: a warrior (in a battle with her, the hero moves to a new level of personal maturity), a giver (she gives magical objects to her guests), and a kidnapper. It should be noted that at the same time, she is not an unequivocally negative character.
They describe her as a terrible old woman with a hump. At the same time, she is also blind and only senses a person who has entered her hut. This dwelling, which has chicken legs, gave birth to scientists a hypothesis about who Baba Yaga is. The fact is that the ancient Slavs had a custom to erect special houses for the dead, which were installed on piles, towering above the ground. Such huts were built on the border of the forest and the settlement, and they were placed in such a way that the exit was from the side of the forest.
It is believed that Baba Yaga is a kind of guide to the world of the dead, which in fairy tales is called the Far-Away Kingdom. In performing this task, the old woman is helped by certain rituals: ritual ablution (bath), "deceased" food (feeding the hero at his own request). Having visited the house of Baba Yaga, a person for a while turns out to belong to two worlds at once, and also receives some certain abilities.
According to another hypothesis, Baba Yaga is a woman medicine woman. In ancient times, unsociable women who settled in the forest became healers. There they collected plants, fruits and roots, then dried them and prepared a variety of medicines from this raw material. People, although they used their services, were at the same time afraid, since they considered them witches associated with unclean forces and evil spirits.
Not so long ago, some Russian researchers put forward another very interesting theory. According to her, Baba Yaga was nothing more than an alien who arrived on our planet for a research purpose.
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The legends say that a mysterious old woman flew in a mortar, while covering her trail with a fiery broom. All this description is very similar to a jet engine. The ancient Slavs, of course, could not know about the miracles of technology, and therefore interpreted the fire and loud sounds that the alien ship could make in their own way.
This interpretation is supported by the fact that the arrival of the mysterious Baba Yaga, according to the descriptions of the ancient peoples, was accompanied by the fall of trees at the landing site and a storm with a very strong wind. All this can be explained by the action of a ballistic wave or the direct action of a jet stream. The Slavs who lived in those distant times could not know about the existence of such things, and therefore they explained it by witchcraft.
The hut, standing on a chicken leg, was apparently a spaceship. In this case, its small size is understandable. And the chicken legs are the stand on which the ship stands.
The appearance of Baba Yaga, which seemed so ugly to people, could be quite ordinary for alien beings. Humanoids, judging by the descriptions of ufologists, do not look more beautiful.
The legends also claim that the mysterious Baba Yaga was allegedly a cannibal, that is, she ate human flesh. From the point of view of the new theory, various experiments on people were carried out on the ship. Later, all this was overgrown with legends and fairy tales that were told to children. In this form, this story has come down to us. It is difficult to prove something when so many years have passed, but still the mysterious Baba Yaga left its mark on history, not only fabulous, but also, perhaps, quite material. It's just that it hasn't been found yet.