The Legendary Tale of Baba-Yaga and Vasilisa the FairDive into Slavic folklore with the story of Baba-Yaga and Vasilisa the Fair. Read what happened when one young girl entered the witch's hut.
A long time ago, a merchant and his wife had one child, a girl named Vasilisa. When the mother placed a small doll in the child's hands one day, she said, "I'm dying, my child. Please accept this doll as my blessing. Always keep it with you and never show it to anyone. If something bad happens to you, feed the doll and seek her advice." The mother died not long after.
Soon after, the Merchant became lonely and decided to remarry. He married a widow whom he thought would make a good mother, but she and her two daughters were both envious of Vasilisa's beauty. They gave her heavy outdoor work to make her thin and her face ugly in the wind and sun.
Despite this, Vasilisa got more beautiful every day. She fed her doll every day and consulted it for guidance. After finishing her meal, the doll would assist with the chores and even bring herbs to Vasilisa to protect her from sunburn.
Vasilisa continued to grow in beauty as her stepmother's animosity for her rose over the years.
The family was then relocated to the edge of a thick birch forest by the stepmother when Vasilisa's father was away on business. This was not just ordinary birch woodland; Baba-Yaga, a fearsome witch, dwelt there. A witch who consumed human beings like chickens.
Vasilisa was thrown into the wilderness by her stepmother every day, but the young girl always came back, guided by her magical doll, safe and sound.
The stepmother eventually sneaked through the house one night and put out all the candles. She spoke loudly when the final candle went out.
"In the dark, we cannot complete our work. Someone needs to visit Baba-Yaga and request a light."
The first stepdaughter, who was making lace, declared, "I'm not going. I can make out my needle.”
"And I'm not going," the second stepdaughter, who was knitting stockings, explained, "because I can see my needle."
So, Vasilisa was cast out into the foreboding forest. Despite her trepidation, she fed her magical doll and sought its guidance.
"Don't be afraid, Vasilisa," the doll murmured. "Go to Baba-Yaga and request a light from her."
Vasilisa travelled uneasily into the woodland that night, holding the doll that guided her path. Then she noticed a horseman charging past. He had a white face and clothes, and he was riding a white horse. The first rays of dawn spread over the sky as he passed. Suddenly another horseman appeared. He had a red face and clothes, and he was riding a red horse. The sun began to rise as he passed. Vasilisa had never seen such weird men before, and she was taken aback.
She journeyed all day till she arrived at Baba-cottage, Yaga's which stood commandingly on its big chicken legs. The cottage was enclosed by a fence constructed of human bones. Human skulls were used to crown it. A sharp pair of teeth functioned as a lock on the gate. Vasilisa was frightened.
Another horseman galloped by unexpectedly. He had a black face and clothes, and he was riding a black horse. He galloped through the gates and then vanished. Night descended as he passed.
The eyes of the skulls began to glow as the sky darkened. The forest was lit by their light. Vasilisa shook, wanting to run but her legs refused to move. Shortly after, she heard a horrifying sound. The earth trembled, the trees groaning, and there she was, Baba-Yaga riding in her mortar. She came to a halt and sniffed the air.
"I smell human!" she exclaimed. "Who's there?"
Vasilisa took a step forward, trembling. She stated, "My name is Vasilisa. My stepmother directed me to you to request a light."
"I've heard of her," Baba-Yaga said. "Just bear with me for a moment. I'll give you light if you work hard. If you don't, I'll cook and eat you."
Baba-Yaga rode in after commanding the gates to open. Vasilisa followed, and the gates quickly closed behind her.
As they approached the hut, Baba-Yaga directed Vasilisa to bring her whatever was cooking on the stove. There was enough food to feed ten men, and she then gathered kvas, mead, beer, and wine from the pantry. Baba-Yaga consumed everything. She only left Vasilisa with a crust of bread.
"I'm exhausted," Baba-Yaga admitted. "You must clean the yard, sweep the hut, make supper, and wash the linen tomorrow, Vasilisa."
"Next you must go to the corn bin and separate the mildewed corn from the good corn seed by seed, taking care to remove all the black parts," she continued. If you don't finish these tasks, I'll eat you."
Baba-Yaga soon began snoring, her long nose rattling against the hut's roof. Vasilisa pulled her doll from her pocket, handed it a crust of bread, and whispered, "Please assist me. Baba-Yaga has assigned me an impossible mission, and if I fail, she will devour me."
The doll responded, "Vasilisa, don't be afraid; eat your supper and go to bed. Mornings have more wisdom than evenings."
Even though Vasilisa awoke early the next morning, Baba-Yaga was already awake. Vasilisa walked to the corn bin and discovered the doll scooping off the last remnants of black corn. The additional jobs were also completed. "All you have to do now is make supper, and then you can rest," the doll remarked. Vasilisa thanked the doll and started to cook dinner. She prepared the food, set the table, and waited.
The trees groaned the earth rocked, and there was Baba-Yaga as the skulls' eyes began to glow.
"Have you done everything I told you?" she said of Vasilisa.
"Look for yourself," the girl said.
Baba-Yaga was furious because she wanted to eat the girl, but all of the tasks had been done. She answered, "Very well," hiding her rage, and then said, "My faithful minions mill the wheat!"
Three sets of hands emerged out of nowhere. They seized the wheat and disappeared.
Baba-Yaga ate her meal and told Vasilisa, "You must repeat these activities tomorrow, and then you must go to the storehouse and separate the dirt from the poppy seeds."
Baba-Yaga rode off in her mortar the next morning. Vasilisa completed the tasks with the assistance of her doll. The elderly lady returned in the evening and double-checked everything. There were three pairs of hands. They seized the poppy seed bin and vanished.
Baba-Yaga took a seat to eat.
"Why do you sit there so quiet and still?" she inquired.
"I'm terrified to speak," Vasilisa said. "Do you mind if I ask you some questions?"
"Ask if you want," Baba-Yaga added, "but keep in mind that not every inquiry has a good answer."
Vasilisa paused "It's simply that I saw a white horseman on my way here. What was his name?"
"That was my Bright Day," Baba-Yaga replied.
Vasilisa went on, "Then I noticed a red horseman. What was his name?"
"It was my Red Sun," Baba-Yaga said.
"Then, as I stood outside your gate, a black horseman charged at me. What was his name?"
"It was my Black Midnight," Baba-Yaga said. "These riders are my devoted servants. Do you have any more questions?"
Vasilisa remembered the three pairs of hands but kept her mouth shut.
"I have a question for you now. How did you manage to finish everything so quickly?"
"My mother's blessing helped me," Vasilisa said.
"I knew it," Baba-Yaga said. "You'd better get out of here. Those with blessings will not be welcome in my home."
The old woman then pulled Vasilisa out of the hut and through the gate.
Then she grabbed one of the skulls, attached it to a stick, and handed it to the girl, saying: "Here's a ray of hope for your stepmother and her daughters. Isn't that what you came here for?"
She walked all day and arrived home in the evening. She was ready to throw away the skull as she approached the gates when she heard a muffled voice say, "You must keep me, your stepmother and her girls need me."
The skull was carried into the house by the girl. The skull locked its gaze on the stepmother and her two girls as she entered. Its eyes were like fire to them. They tried to flee, but the piercing gaze followed them and never let them go. Nothing remained of the three women by dawn but three mounds of ash on the floor. Vasilisa was not hurt.
She hid the skull in the garden and fled to the neighbouring town for safety. She stayed with an elderly lady in this town.
The old lady handed Vasilisa some flax. Vasilisa wove the most beautiful thread out of it, so fine it was like hair. She then wove the thread into the most beautiful fabric. It was dazzlingly white, silky, and stunning. "Grandmother, you have been so good to me, sell this cloth and keep the money," Vasilisa remarked to the old woman.
The elderly lady looked at it and said, "This is too beautiful to sell, my child. I'm going to present it to the Tsar."
As a result, she presented it to the Tsar as a gift. Before sending her home, the Tsar thanked her and lavished her with gifts.
The Tsar was so taken with the gorgeous material that he tried to find someone who could create shirts out of it. But all of the tailors denied the job because the fabric was too fine for them to work with. Finally, the Tsar summoned the elderly woman and instructed her, "You must also know how to stitch the cloth as you fashioned it."
The elderly lady responded, "No way, your Majesty. It was not my work. It was done by a woman I had taken in."
As a result, the Tsar asked the old woman if Vasilisa could manufacture the clothing. Vasilisa made the shirts, and the old lady delivered them to the Tsar.
One of the Tsar's servants entered while she waited for the old woman to return. "His Majesty wishes to see the needlewoman who has fashioned his lovely robes," he remarked loudly. Vasilisa then headed to the palace.
Vasilisa and the Tsar were smitten with each other and finally married.
When Vasilisa's father returned, he and the old woman were both welcomed to live at the palace. The small doll was also present at the palace, as Vasilisa carried it in her pocket till the day she died.
