Baba Yaga - Bone Leg TALE
1 Stepmother.
Once upon a time there lived a man and a woman, and they gave birth to a girl - white and beautiful.
The girl grows up year after year, her parents cannot be happier with her. Once trouble knocked on their door - the woman died. The man grieved, he grieved, and he married someone else. And she was an angry, quarrelsome woman. She disliked the girl at first sight and decided to throw her out of the world. One day, the father went to the city to the market, and the stepmother said to the girl: “Go to my sister in the forest and ask her for a needle and thread.” I want to sew you a shirt.
And my stepmother’s sister was not easy. Baba Yaga - called the Bone Leg. The girl found out about this and burst into burning tears. And first she went to her dear aunt, dear. That aunt taught her: “You take butter, a handkerchief and sausages with you to Yaga, the old woman.” When you arrive, they will beat the gate and not let you in. You pour some butter under their hinges.
The black cat will tear at you with its claws. Give him a piece of sausage. Baba Yaga's servant will light the stove for you and boil the cast-iron cauldron, and you give her a silk handkerchief. And when you sit down at the table and eat, don’t throw away the bones. Put them in your bosom. Perhaps they will come in handy.
Baba Yaga's home
The girl did everything as her dear aunt said and went to Baba Yaga. And that one has a house in the dense forest. There is a palisade fence around the house, and human skulls are hanging on the stakes, and slivers of light are shining in their eyes.
The girl knocked on the gate. She wanted to enter, but no matter where, the gate did not allow her passage. They creak menacingly, and at any moment they will kill him. Then she poured a little oil under their hinges, and the gates were opened.
The girl walked into the yard and wanted to go up to the house and wherever! The black, shaggy cat growls at her, hisses, doesn’t let her pass, and at any moment he’ll scratch out her eyes. The girl gave him a piece of sausage, and he relented. A girl entered the house. Baba Yaga sits on the stove - a bone leg, looking at her with her terrible eyes: - Why did you come? - speaks. “My stepmother sent me to get a thread and a needle,” the girl answers.
Old Yaga laughed. She called her servant, told her to feed and drink the girl, light the stove, and evaporate the girl in the stove. And then cook in a cast iron cauldron.
She said so and left the hut herself.
So the servant fed her, gave her something to drink, and began to light the stove. And the girl put the bones in her bosom and asked her: “Tell me, tell me, what awaits me?” — and also gave her a silk handkerchief. The servant was delighted and immediately told the girl everything. “The Yaga will eat you,” he says, “for dinner, and give your bones to the dogs.” The girl began to cry and asked her: “Let me go free, have mercy!” The servant felt sorry for the girl. She says: “I’ll heat the bathhouse until it’s hot, while you run as fast as you can.” Maybe you'll be safe.
The escape
The girl ran without looking back. Just away from the threshold, and then the cat meets her. But he doesn’t bite, doesn’t growl, and doesn’t scratch his face with his claws. So affectionate. The cat gave her a comb and a towel for the trip and punished her:
“When Yaga Baba starts to catch up with you, throw a towel behind you and it will become a wide river.” The old woman cannot swim across it. As soon as you catch up again - throw the comb behind you - it will become a dense forest. The old one can't get through it.
The girl ran through the gate away from the hut, and it only opened wider towards her and quietly closed by itself. A girl runs from a hut, and mad dogs come towards her. She took out some bones from her bosom and threw them at them. The dogs pounced on the bones, became quiet and fell behind.
Meanwhile, Baba Yaga - Bone Leg - returned home.
She asks her servant: “Is the girl ready?” “Oh, I’m not ready yet,” the servant answers, and just know she’s heating the bathhouse.
How much time passes, Yaga asks again: “Is the girl ready?” “Soon, soon,” the servant answers.
How long or short, for the third time, Yaga asks: “Is the girl ready?” “Oh, just a little,” the servant responds. The old woman suspected something was wrong. She ran into the bathhouse and saw that the girl was gone.
Didn't hold back
Then Baba Yaga began to scold the servant at all costs: “You are so melting, why did you let the girl go?!” And the servant answers her: “I haven’t even seen a white rag from you in all this time, but she gave me a handkerchief.”
The old woman rushed into the yard, and there was a cat. She screams at him: “Why did you let the girl go?” Why didn't he scratch out her eyes? The cat answers her: “I’ve never seen a dry piece of bread from you, but she gave me sausages.”
The old Yaga rushed to the gate: “Well, why did you let the girl through?” The gate answers: “You never poured raw water under our hinges, but she poured oil on us.”
Then Baba Yaga rushed through the forest - she flies and hurries, the trees bend to the ground. The girl runs and feels that Yaga is catching up with her, that she is about to catch up. She threw the towel behind her and the river became wide. Baba Yaga fell behind. Some time passes and the old woman catches up with her again. Then the girl threw the comb and a dense forest grew behind her. No matter how much Yaga gnawed at him, no matter how much she broke the trees, she could not get through.
Meanwhile, the girl reached home safely. Then my father returned from the market. As soon as I found out about everything, I immediately kicked my wife out of the house. And they and the girl began to live together, get along and make good things.
I.
Far, far in the northeast, where the absurd rivers flow their waters, sparkling like precious stones; where the crowns of firs and pines are so high that they are like the Tower of Babel, stretching from the earth to the very sky; where wild animals fearlessly challenge man's right to be called the ruler of nature; at the very edge of the black forest, there is an ordinary wooden hut .
The random traveler who has wandered so far into these lands becomes joyful. It is not surprising, because for many miles around, sometimes it is not possible to meet a single living soul. There is not a hint that a human foot has ever touched these brown soils, saturated with centuries of rot.
This hut is small. It can hardly accommodate one tiny room. Its ceiling is so low that an adult has to bow his head to avoid touching the old rickety beams that support the sloping roof.
From a distance, it seems as if the hut is hovering above the ground, and from this vision an involuntary shiver runs through the skin. However, upon closer inspection, the gaze falls on two thin sticks, no wider than a woman’s wrist, embedded in the ground and supporting the hut with a canopy. Images of ancient Russian fairy tales involuntarily come to mind...
But, all this, of course, is folk fiction, a play of someone’s wild imagination and nothing more.
A little about fairy tale folklore
Do you know what is unique about traditional Slavic folklore? He is very bloodthirsty! No, seriously, if we told fairy tales today the way our ancestors did, children probably wouldn’t be able to fall asleep at night. Who knows, maybe this is typical for any nation.
Over time, as society became more and more “cultivated,” traditional fairy-tale heroes also changed. The modern fairy-tale Baba Yaga, although scary, is no longer as frightening, inspiring chilling horror as she was before. Although, some descriptions still inspire genuine horror to this day:
“...a fence around the hut is made of human bones, human skulls with eyes stick out on the fence; instead of doors at the gate there are human legs, instead of locks there are hands, instead of a lock there is a mouth with sharp teeth.”
This is from the fairy tale Vasilisa the Beautiful . It's creepy, isn't it?
Well, here is one of the most famous versions of the fairy tale about Baba Yaga. Quite kind, and at the same time, preserving the spirit of traditional Russian culture.
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How myths are born in mythology Mjolnir Vanaheim
As we have already said, these days such people who have knowledge about the miraculous properties of herbs and plants are called healers. Our fairy tales often mention facts that Baba Yaga knew how to brew love and healing potions. In addition, in her hut there is constant mention of some herbs and roots that she dries.
In ancient times, healers were respected and often used. But they were also afraid, because... It was believed that they could use their powers for both good and evil deeds. In general, people turned to healers only in cases of extreme need, because... fear sometimes exceeded common sense.
II.
Alyoshka had no idea how brave he really was! And hardy! Well, and, if we continue, also smart. Because, as their leader, Anatoly Sergeevich, says, stupid people are simply not accepted into the environmental circle.
Three whole days of walking, together with the counselor Romka, through the taiga, God knows how far from civilization - this is a real adventure! And the main thing is that now none of his classmates will dare to call him a coward.
When Alyoshka voluntarily sentenced himself to spend two whole weeks of summer vacation in an environmental camp at the Romantika base, he firmly believed that this sacrifice would bring him universal glory. Everything turned out even better than planned.
The bus that was supposed to take the kids back to the village broke down, the phones at the base didn’t work, and the prospect of being home before others, coupled with a subsequent departure to the sea, was so attractive that the most timid boy in the school himself volunteered to walk back with the counselor to report a breakdown and send help to the base.
The plot unfolded as it should. Then, if you’re lucky, you can lie a little more and you’ll get the glory of a hero worthy of chronicles. Well, about all sorts of difficulties. Although, I must say, it was not entirely without difficulties. For example, when, while crossing the river, Alyoshka got his shoe wet.
Or, when on a slope, about thirty meters away, they saw a real bear. But, if you wanted, you could drown in the river for a very long time and, only by luck, survive. And an encounter with a bear could turn into a real battle. No... Well, okay. Not a battle. But they could collide almost head-on, which is also extremely dangerous!
Alyoshka slowly hobbled after his guide, and these thoughts gave him strength. They spent the first night in an old abandoned forester's lodge. We gathered in a tent. But luckily we discovered this shelter. The nights here at the end of summer are no longer warm at all. In a sleeping bag, and in the open air, teeth don’t fall on teeth. And in the lodge, although it is damp, it is warm.
We pitched a tent right inside - and the mice didn’t interfere, and larger animals couldn’t get out of the forest. Now, as Romka said, there is no hope of finding a roof over your head until the village itself. He knew these places very well. That's why he volunteered to go for help. He also took a sixth-grader with him. And, after all, I didn’t want to. But since they imposed it, within the framework of the exchange of experience, so well.
IV.
It turned out to be quite spacious inside. From the outside, it would have been impossible to think that in such a tiny house there could be a senza with a decent room - a large stove, a long wooden table and wide chairs around it. In general, the decoration was quite restrained. No paintings, no little things like wall clocks or forgotten books.
Immediately from the threshold, the old woman seated them at the table and began to pull treats out of the oven. What was missing here! Baked chicken, pickles, new potatoes in oil, pies, cheesecakes, sweets, preserves...
After the day's meager field lunch of buckwheat and stewed meat, the guests' mouths were watering. Now even Alyoshka stopped doubting. He wanted to eat it all at once so much that nothing else mattered. Having set the table, the grandmother sat down next to her and watched with affection as her guests finished off their food.
Throughout the meal, silence reigned in the room, only occasionally broken by the slurping and clinking of dishes. Alyoshka ate and ate, but the feeling of satiety never came. Looking at his counselor, he was surprised to find that he swallowed pieces of meat whole, without chewing or separating it from the bones. He did the same with all other food.
Alyoshka pushed him under the table and whispered:
“It’s probably not good to eat so much at a party.”
Romka became embarrassed and, having swallowed the last piece, pushed the plate away from him:
- Thanks a lot. Everything was delicious.
- What, are you full already? – the old lady became worried. - You didn’t eat anything at all! – there was annoyance in her voice.
“Thank you, we really don’t want any more,” Alyoshka confirmed.
“Well then, it would be nice to wash off the road,” suggested the grandmother.
The guys looked around, wanting to understand where this could be done.
- Do you live here alone? – asked Romka.
The old lady smiled - no, of course not. One is sad. Matthew is with me, my faithful friend. He should come soon. So let's get acquainted.
The guys looked at each other. With these words, the old woman stood up and, reaching the opposite wall, opened the previously inconspicuous door and disappeared behind it.
Alyoshka began to shake the counselor by the sleeve:
- Rom, and Rom, well, let's leave! I really don't like all this! Now Matthew also appears somewhat strange. Coming soon.
“It’s somehow inconvenient,” the counselor muttered embarrassedly. She's so hospitable.
At that moment the old woman returned to the room:
- Well, guys, the bathhouse is ready. You can take a steam bath. In the meantime, I’ll prepare the samovar.
In the next room there really was a real bathhouse. Russian. On the wood, with fragrant brooms. Having steamed and felt that the dirt accumulated over two days of travel (and even earlier, during two weeks of living at the Romantika base without amenities) had disappeared without a trace, flushed and fresh, the guys returned to the old woman.
The samovar was already smoking on the table. The smell of aromatic tea spread throughout the room, and this caused some inexpressible languor to appear in the body. My arms and legs became heavy, and my eyes closed on their own. Romka drank tea. A lot of. Mug after mug.
But Alyoshka, for some unknown reason, didn’t drink. While the old lady kept adding more and more portions of tea, Alyoshka slowly exchanged mugs with the counselor. Suddenly, a grinding sound was heard behind the door.
- What is this? – Alyoshka asked worriedly. The old lady smiled slyly:
“It’s my Matthew who has returned from hunting,” with these words she stood up and headed towards the door. Alyoshka stared at the counselor in fear, but he looked indifferent, continuing to drink his tea at ease. The door opened with a creak and someone entered the room...
Cat. Average, black, slightly shabby. He walked importantly past the table, looked around at those sitting and jumped straight onto the stove.
- Matthew! Well, what a shame! – the old woman said reproachfully. “I prepared a warm place for the guests.” And today you can sleep in the senets. The cat meowed displeasedly, but left the stove.
- Does he really understand? – Alyoshka asked in surprise.
- Certainly. He is very smart to me. Romka hasn’t said anything for a long time. How much tea can you drink! Only now Alyoshka noticed that while sitting at the table, the counselor somehow gained a little weight or even swelling. He was all sort of jelly-like and clumsy.
- Romka, Romka! What happened to you? – Alyoshka shouted in fear. There was no answer. Instead, the old woman quickly jabbered:
- He’s tired, my dear. You must have not had much rest. Let's go to bed already. Otherwise, it’s late. After that, the grandmother put them in a warm place on the stove, for good measure, covering them with two warm blankets.
Romka fell asleep immediately, and Alyoshka lay for a long time and listened to the hostess fussing behind the curtain: clearing the dishes from the table, sweeping the floor, and doing something else that he couldn’t make out. As a result, the dream overcame him too.
