Appearances are deceiving, or what Baba Yaga looks like. Appearances are deceiving, or what Baba Yaga looks like: Possible Mary Magdalene

website- The site’s editors previously conducted a survey . The girls' answers turned out to be varied - each has its own ideal. Today we conducted a survey among men to find out the point of view of the opposite sex. When asked what an ideal Kyrgyz girl looks like, 10 men from different fields of activity answered.

Omar, singer, 30 years old
I would like to answer briefly. There are God-given qualities for girls and for men. Everyone is ideal if you try to develop them in yourself: for girls this is femininity, and for men it is masculinity, and that says it all.
In our girls, I value thriftiness, who independently develop their erudition, I respect those who are in search of knowledge and love to welcome guests, because for them, comfort in the house comes first.

Not everyone is like that, but every girl is beautiful in her own way (smiles).

Ersultan Ulukbekov, student, 22 years old

The concept of ideal is flexible; each person perceives it through the prism of his life and experience. I believe that the ideal girl has no nationality, mentality or certain social norms. She is interested in something specific or everything at once, because she is the inspiration. The ideal girl is a muse who knows how to inspire and create a family. She knows how to love life. The appearance of a Kyrgyz girl, of course, depends on her genes and mixed blood.

I haven't met perfect girls, again based on my perception. I believe that what distinguishes our Kyrgyz girls from girls of other nationalities is the influence of cultural and social perception and mentality.

Azamat Baimatov, football player, 28 years old
I believe that there are no ideal people. If there was an ideal Kyrgyz girl, then I would be married to her. Kidding! (smiles). She must be educated and purposeful. At the same time, be able to stand up for yourself, cook, get involved in sports or dancing. Also love to travel, develop as a person. I think that every girl in our country, regardless of nationality, should be eager to make a contribution to our society, that is, not be afraid to leave and study abroad. She must study foreign languages ​​and know her native one. Even knowing only English, you will not be lost.
A real man is looking for someone like himself, who does not sit in one place, constantly travels, and searches for herself. And as for appearance, there is no arguing about tastes, all our girls are beautiful, each in their own way.

Tilekkabyl Adil uulu, theologian, 21 years old

The ideal Kyrgyz girl has a keen eye, and her clothes cover all her beauty. But at the same time, I believe that she should not be a gray mouse. She stands out for her character, wisdom, loyalty and has clear goals. Her goals must necessarily be based on the pleasure of the Almighty. She inspires her husband, makes her loved ones proud, and her children find warmth and compassion in her. The ideal Kyrgyz girl adorns her man, and he decorates her. After all, behind every successful man there is a woman.
I have never met such a girl before. I try to cultivate in myself the qualities of an ideal Kyrgyz horseman. As L. Pasteur said: “Luck favors prepared minds.”

Nurmukhamed Abdyldaev, dentist, 26 years old

For me, the ideal Kyrgyz girl will not go too far with her make-up, she will not go too far with her clothes, she is fragile, modest, but with character, because it should be interesting to be with a girl.
She must take care of herself, any man wants to proudly walk next to a luxurious girl, but without a ton of makeup. Not stupid, with something to talk about, with a good sense of humor, and knew how to cook well.
I met my ideal Kyrgyz girl and have been married to her for two years. Her name is Meerim. She gave me a son, for which I am very grateful to her.
I believe that there are no special differences among our girls. Every nation has good, kind and beautiful girls.

Askat Osmonov, model, 17 years old

This is a self-confident person who does not pay attention to criticism. She creates her own canons of beauty, and does not follow already established ones. Such ladies know how to think, fantasize, create, create. They are immediately noticed in a gray crowd by their confident look, correct posture and self-satisfied appearance, even if she went out for a walk in ordinary cheap sneakers and jeans.
It is not necessary to wear super expensive and fashionable things; a real girl knows how to choose clothes taking into account all the advantages and disadvantages of her figure.
My ideal Kyrgyz girl should be like this - not wearing makeup and looking better than those who have a ton of makeup on. She must be well-groomed. As for character, the ideal one is the one with whom you are comfortable under any circumstances.

Bekten Aibekov, police officer, 24 years old
The appearance of every girl in Kyrgyzstan is beautiful in her own way. They are all different, but they have some zest. It’s hard for me to say about character. I just haven't met girls with ideal character.

Our Kyrgyz girls, compared to other girls of other nationalities, are much more modest, cleaner, and more beautiful in appearance.

Samuel Saktanbekov, photographer, 22 years old

Yes, I met the perfect Kyrgyz girl. She was very well-mannered. Her eyes were brown, beautiful, large, and her smile was attractive. I believe that Kyrgyz girls are the most beautiful in the whole world (smiles). The ideal girl should be well-mannered, know how to cook and clean. The character should be sweet, caring, kind and a little capricious (erke).

What distinguishes our girls from others is their manners and attractiveness.

Timur Osmonaliev, teacher, 25 years old

The ideal Kyrgyz girl should look outwardly: modest, neat, well-groomed, without unnecessary makeup, her figure should be slim and her clothes should not be vulgar. The character should be calm, reserved, a little selfish, cheerful, positive, sociable.

I have not yet met the perfect Kyrgyz girl.
Kyrgyz girls are distinguished from others by modesty, restraint, reticence and respect for elders and parents.

Daniyar Aitaliev, 33 years old, entrepreneur, father of three children.

For me, the ideal Kyrgyz girl should be long-haired, with big eyes, fair-skinned, medium lips, tall, slender.
Yes, I met such a girl. This is my wife who gave me three children.

I believe that Kyrgyz women differ from girls of other nationalities in that they honor their elders and show respect to their husbands.

In the section on the question: What did Baba Yaga look like in her youth? given by the author Lina the best answer is The tale of Baba Yaga, who really wanted to get married...
In a dense thicket, among berries and mosses,
Where - strictly according to the rules of children's poems -
No human has ever set foot,
There lived a lonely Baba Yaga.
She wasn't that dense:
She had an iron and slept on silk.
And the computer was her only friend.
And she whiled away her leisure time with him.
And since she wasn’t bad in appearance -
Yaga dreamed of finding her groom.
And so that the smell of compote and cabbage soup
Some kind of Koschey wandered in to see her.
And she studied dating sites,
But everything was not satisfied,
Since clients of such agencies
They wanted busty and young brides.
And then one day the eternal motto burst out:
"Hut, hut, turn to me!"
From the shadow of the spruce tree - thick and gray -
The young prince came to the hut.
Baba Yaga is confused: “I don’t understand,
Where should I take you? Adapt to what?
Why did you give in to me, you demonic agility?
Boil you? Or should I adopt? "
Grandma is upset, she curses everything
Nature, fate and the bad Internet:
“I was looking for a gray-haired, older husband!
And this one is a child! Milk on the lips! "
The Tsarevich feels sorry for upsetting Yaga:
“Let’s try, grandma, to start again!
Do you need a husband? My dad is a widower.
I'll introduce you - and that's the end of the matter! "
Yaga was stunned: “To dad? To the king?
Oh, fathers... I'll burn with shame!
There are neither shoes nor decent dresses!
I haven't done my hair in a thousand years! "
But female talent is not forgotten, not killed -
And now Yaga is standing at the parade.
And this beauty the young prince
He led him in a solemn march to the palace.
The widower dad even lost his footing:
"Madam, wow, I'm in love, I'm dead!"
This is the end of the fairy tale, guys.
Not only models go down the aisle...

Answer from 22 answers[guru]

Hello! Here is a selection of topics with answers to your question: What did Baba Yaga look like in her youth?

Answer from Vasya[guru]
Sobchak

Answer from User deleted[guru]
Who saw her in her youth? Koschei the Deathless? So I was left without an egg

Answer from Sova 13[guru]
So she doesn't age

Answer from Serega Novoselov[guru]
I can't even find examples. Every morning when I wake up I see it in reality!

We know what Baba Yaga, known to everyone since childhood, looks like thanks to Russian folk tales, animated films and cinematographs. As a rule, she is presented as a negative character, with an eccentric and even harmful character, and a rather unattractive appearance.

However, very few people know that in people’s minds she was not always an ugly old woman plotting all sorts of intrigues for the main characters of fairy tales. How did this one arise and what external changes did Baba Yaga undergo, descriptions of which are found in various sources? We will try to answer all these questions in the article.

Appearance

Such a fairy-tale character as Baba Yaga is present in the Slavic mythology of various peoples. In different regions of Russia it has several names: Yagikha, Yagabova and Yagaya Baba. In Bulgaria, Poland, Serbia and the Czech Republic, there are also similar mythological characters, albeit under different names, but their appearance and most of their habits are very similar. Baba Yaga lives far from people, in a deep forest. He practices witchcraft and communicates with various forest inhabitants.

People are reluctant to communicate with her, since Baba Yaga looks rather ominous: old, hunched over, with a hooked nose and an ugly face, “decorated” with many warts, with long gray hair. And the character, according to fairy tales, is quite harmful: if he helps, it is reluctantly, trying to complicate the life of the main character as much as possible.

Prototypes

Having learned in childhood what Baba Yaga looks like, it is quite difficult to imagine that in the distant past our ancestors saw her as young and full of strength, a rather powerful young beauty with light brown braids, capable of taking on any form: a thunderstorm or an animal, a bird or a cloud.

In the pantheon there was a good goddess - the keeper of secret knowledge, clan and traditions, the teacher of children and orphans - Aga Yaginishna, the Yogin, who later turned into Baba Yaga. She lived on the border of Navi - the Dark Kingdom, and Reveal - physical reality. Since Yaga has one foot in the kingdom of the dead, and the other in the world of the living, she had to move around our world with the help of a stupa - a special flying device. Do you agree that the resulting portrait of Baba Yaga is significantly different from the image familiar to us since childhood? A similar goddess, guarding the border between the world of the living and the dead, exists in the mythological tradition of most European peoples: this is the German Holda, or, as she was also called, Perkhta, the Greek Hecate and the Hindu Kali.

A completely logical question arises: “How did the powerful goddess-beauty turn into an old hermit of a rather unpleasant appearance and evil character in folk tales?”

Transformation

We are told about what Baba Yaga looks like from folk tales, recorded mainly by researchers and literary revised relatively recently. Until this time, such stories were an element of oral creativity and were passed on to descendants through storytelling.

The transformation of the young goddess into a creature closer to nature and forest spirits occurred after matriarchy gave way to patriarchy. With the change in the social system, there was a change in the supreme gods - the female deity gave way to more aggressive male ones. Researchers suggest that such a change in objects of worship was negatively perceived by the priestesses of the Yogini Yaga cult, who left the tribes that, in their opinion, betrayed their faith. Having knowledge about the healing properties of plants and practical skills in their use, and being able to heal various ailments, witches (knowledgeable, knowledgeable) settled away from people, in the depths of the forests. Ordinary people, although they were afraid, quite often turned to witches that were incomprehensible to them and therefore terrible.

The adoption of Christianity in Rus' led to the fact that priestesses and followers of the cult of the pagan goddess Yogini began to be viewed as purely negative characters, and over time they turned into a collective image of Baba Yaga.

Terrible on the face, but kind inside

Having analyzed most fairy tales about Baba Yaga, it is quite difficult to say whether she is a positive character or not. A similar problem arises due to the fact that her actions quite often seem to be directed against the main character of the fairy tale. However, as the story develops, you understand that it is Baba Yaga, whose description depicts an evil old sorceress, who guides along the right, albeit strange, path and saves the heroic character from various misfortunes. Thanks to Yaga, the temporary transition of a good young man from our world of Yavi to Nav and his safe return back become possible.

Today it is difficult to say what the real Baba Yaga looks like. Hardly the way folk legends and fairy tales describe it. But each of us has the opportunity to fantasize and imagine it the way we like it best!

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 of “annoyance, illness, mourn.” But from the Komi language “yag” is translated as “pine forest” or “pine forest”, 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. Practices witchcraft. She is helped by geese-swans, red, white and black riders, and also “three pairs of hands.” Researchers distinguish three subtypes of Baba Yaga: a warrior (in the battle with her the hero moves to a new level of personal maturity), a giver (she gives magical objects to her guests), and a child abductor. It is worth noting that she is not a uniquely negative character.

They describe her as a scary 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 rise to scientists’ hypothesis about who Baba Yaga is. The fact is that the ancient Slavs had a custom of erecting special houses for the dead, which were installed on stilts, rising above the ground. They built such huts on the border of the forest and the settlement, and placed them 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 carrying out this task, the old woman is helped by certain rituals: ritual ablution (bathhouse), “dead” food (feeding the hero at his request). Having visited Baba Yaga's house, a person temporarily finds himself belonging to two worlds at once, and also receives some specific abilities.

According to another hypothesis, Baba Yaga is a female healer. 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 potions from these raw materials. People, although they used their services, were at the same time afraid of them, as they considered them witches associated with evil spirits and evil spirits.

Not long ago, some Russian researchers put forward another very interesting theory. According to her, Baba Yaga was none other than an alien who arrived on our planet for research purposes.

Legends say that a mysterious old woman flew in a mortar, while covering her tracks with a fiery broom. This whole description is very reminiscent of a jet engine. The ancient Slavs, of course, could not know about the wonders of technology, and therefore they interpreted in their own way the fire and loud sounds that the alien ship could make.

This interpretation is also supported by the fact that the arrival of the mysterious Baba Yaga, according to the descriptions of 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 impact of a ballistic wave or the direct effect of a jet stream. The Slavs who lived in those distant times could not know about the existence of such things, and therefore explained it as witchcraft.

The hut, standing on a chicken leg, apparently was a spaceship. In this case, its small dimensions are quite 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 have been quite ordinary for alien creatures. Humanoids, judging by the descriptions of ufologists, do not look any more beautiful.

Legends also claim that the mysterious Baba Yaga was supposedly 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 became overgrown with legends and fairy tales that were told to children. This story has come down to us in this form. It is difficult to prove something when so many years have passed, but still the mysterious Baba Yaga left her mark on history, not only fabulous, but also, perhaps, quite material. It just hasn't been found yet.

Slavic mythology is distinguished by a variety of magical creatures. Among all kinds of creatures, Baba Yaga occupies a special place. The image of this sorceress is one of the most widespread and influential in Slavic folklore.

Young Baba Yaga

Yaga or, as she is also called, Yagishna, Yagibikha is one of the most memorable and controversial images formed within the framework. It is believed that Yaga is the daughter of the ruler of the other world - Viya. The look of a monster can instantly kill any person. Another peculiarity of this creature is that it has excessively long eyelids and requires outside help to lift them.

At a young age, Yagishna could compete in beauty. She often wandered through the underworld, due to which:

• gained extraordinary physical strength;
• studied the art of dark magic;
• learned to understand the language of animals and plants;
• became an unusually strong warrior.

The Lord of the Kingdom of the Dead tried for a long time to marry off his daughter, but this was not destined to happen, because... Yaga's main condition was that her future husband must defeat her in a duel.

In the modern world, the more common image of Baba Yaga is as an ugly, frightening old woman, forced to live between the worlds of the living and the dead. It is believed that the gods cursed the immortal sorceress for her deeds, taking away her eternal youth and unearthly beauty. She is often credited with the role of a guide of souls between worlds.

Character appearance

In Slavic mythology, Baba Yaga looks like a hunchbacked, ugly old woman with a long, hooked nose and a wrinkled face. One of the main distinguishing features in the appearance of a sorceress is considered to be a dried out, bony leg. She has long gray hair, false iron teeth and saggy breasts.

It is impossible to determine the age of Baba Yaga, since she has existed since ancient times and has the gift of immortality.

There are several options for Baba Yaga's clothing. She is usually depicted wearing an old, long green dress. On the head is a traditional headdress with horns called a kika. On the feet are bast shoes woven from straw. In some versions, she is described as wearing a bright red skirt and boots.

Incarnations of Yagishna

In ancient Russian legends and fairy tales you can find completely different descriptions of what Baba Yaga looks like. There are various versions of her incarnations, differing in the mission of the sorceress and her behavior towards people. More often than others you can find 3 images of a witch.

1. Baba Yaga is predominantly portrayed as a cruel witch who steals human children and feeds on their flesh. Sometimes she returns the dead bodies of a stolen child by throwing them on the roof of her parents' hut.
2. There is also the image of the warrior Yaga. She fights enemies, skillfully handling a magic sword.
3. There is also a positive image of the old woman Yagibikha. She lives deep in the forest, meets travelers, feeds them and gives them a rest from the road. In Russian fairy tales, she often helps the heroes achieve their goal, gives wise advice or gives magical objects.

Magical attributes of Baba Yaga

It is also worth paying attention to the magical attributes that accompany the image of Yagibikha in Slavic legends and fairy tales. They play a special role in revealing the image of the witch.

A hut on chicken legs

Baba Yaga's hut, according to Russian legends, is located in the very center of the forest, i.e., where the border between the world of the living and the world of the dead is located. The image of such a hut was based on the ancient Slavic rite of burial of dead people. Human ashes were placed in so-called “houses” - small wooden houses located on tree stumps. The appearance of chicken legs near the hut is associated with the fact that such stumps often had roots protruding above the ground, which from a distance resembled chicken legs.

The entrance to the house of the deceased must be located towards the forest, that is, the world of the dead, and in the opposite direction from the settlement of living people. Therefore, Yagibikha’s hut, located on the edge, is always turned towards the forest.

Glowing skulls near the house

Often in Russian fairy tales you can find a description of a witch’s hut, where it is said that around her house there is a wooden fence made of stakes. Horse and sometimes human skulls hang on these stakes, glowing with magical fire in the night. They also serve to scare away mortals.

Mortar and broom

Baba Yaga moves in an iron mortar. In some legends she flies through the air, and in others she jumps on the ground. The broom helps the sorceress adjust the mortar and cover her tracks.

The image of Baba Yaga in literature

Thanks to its versatility and uniqueness, the character of Baba Yaga has gained great popularity in literature. This character appears both in Russian folk tales and in modern science fiction works.

In Russian folklore

The sorceress Yagibikha played an important role in the development of the plot of many folk Slavic fairy tales and legends.

1. In the fairy tale “geese-swans”, Baba Yaga’s bird assistants stole Ivanushka and carried him to a hut on chicken legs. The witch was going to eat the boy, but his elder sister Alyonushka managed to save him.
2. The witch also appears in the fairy tale about Vasilisa the Beautiful, whose mother died, leaving the girl a doll as a gift. The girl’s new stepmother often sent Vasilisa into the forest, hoping that Yagishna would eat her there.
3. You can also meet this image in the famous folk tale about Marya Morevna, a warrior maiden who defeated Koshchei the Immortal with her beauty and charm.

In modern works

The folklore image of a witch with a bone leg formed the basis for the image of Naina Kievna Gorynych from the novel “Monday Begins on Saturday” by the famous Soviet science fiction writers the Strugatsky brothers. In this book, the old woman Naina is the caretaker of the magical museum IZNAKURNOZH, which stands for “Hut on Chicken Legs.”

Also, a similar image is present in the book series by Dmitry Yemets about the sorceress girl Tanya Grotter. The book series is a parody of JK Rowling's cult Harry Potter series.

The main feature of the parody version is the adaptation of the story about the school of magic and wizardry, beloved by children around the world, to the Russian reader, based on national folklore and peculiarities of mentality. Within this series, Yagga is an ancient goddess of the fictional world.

The image of Yagini in the film industry and animation

In 2006, a full-length cartoon directed by Valery Ugarov entitled “Grandma Ezhka and Others” appeared on Russian screens. The animation work is based on Slavic mythology and culture. The plot tells the story of a little girl who was brought up by Baba Yaga, the Vodyanoy, and Koshchei the Immortal. In this story, a witch took on the task of raising a human child.

Also, the image of the witch gained popularity in Soviet cinema. The role of Yaga went to the famous actor Georgy Millyar in many films:

• "Morozko";
• "Vasilisa the Beautiful";
• "Golden Horns" and others.

Baba Yaga is one of the most significant images in Slavic folklore. There are many stories of the origin of the witch. She is often called the daughter of Viy, the ruler of the underworld of the dead. In Russian folklore, Yaga is depicted as an ugly old woman. The witch lives in a hut on chicken legs. The image is distinguished by its versatility and ambiguity. The character is often found in folklore and modern literature, and appears in films.