Becoming Baba Yaga: Trickster, Feminist, and Witch of the Woods

by Kris Spisak, GennaRose Nethercott (foreword)

Explore the folklore of the trickster, villain, and rescuer known as Baba Yaga in a new light.

“With Becoming Baba Yaga, Kris Spisak presents a robust work of scholarship. Baba Yaga is a wily shapeshifter, nearly impossible to pin down—but Spisak miraculously transforms alongside her, ever keeping up.” —from the foreword by GennaRose Nethercott, bestselling author of Thistlefoot
 
When darkness, fear, and instability inundate our daily lives, folktale figures like Baba Yaga speak to the dichotomy of our existence—the hope and the horror, the magic and the mundane. At once an old hag and an enchantress, a demon and wish granter, a feminist and nothing more than a fairytale, Baba Yaga is an endlessly complex folktale character.
 
Becoming Baba Yaga provides an in-depth look at the Baba Yaga mythos and history through Slavic folklore. Filled with historical and cultural context, analyses, and the stories themselves that add depth to the conversation. A comprehensive resource for anyone hoping to learn more about this ambiguous character and how her multifaceted presence still ripples through the present day, Becoming Baba Yaga is as thoughtful as it is illuminating.
 
Spisak explores Baba Yaga’s connection to nature as an Earth goddess and as an herbalist. She also delves into the Shadow Self and Baba Yaga’s aspect as a trickster and places her in a modern context as not merely a witch of the woods but also as an archetype and force for finding your own path. Becoming Baba Yaga shares how she is both a force for good as much as evil and a feminist before her time.

Genres: Nonfiction, Mythology, History, Folklore, Feminism, Witches, Occult

213 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 3, 2024

About the author

Kris Spisak knows that well-written words and well-told stories have the ability to change the world. A graduate of the College of William and Mary (B.A.) and the University of Richmond (M.L.A.), Kris wrote her first three books — Get a Grip on Your Grammar: 250 Writing and Editing Reminders for the Curious or Confused (Career Press, 2017; HarperCollins India 2020), The Novel Editing Workbook: 105 Tricks and Tips for Revising Your Fiction Manuscript (Davro Press, 2020), and The Family Story Workbook: 105 Prompts & Pointers for Writing Your History (Davro Press, 2020) — to help writers of all kinds sharpen their storytelling and empower their communications. Her Grammartopia® events and Story Stop Tour programs follow the same mission. Her award-winning debut novel, The Baba Yaga Mask (Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing, 2022; Tantor Audio, 2023), was inspired by her family’s experience in the post-WWII Ukrainian diaspora and has been called “A complex, poetic tale” by Kirkus Reviews and “edu-tainment at its best” by the Historical Novel Society. Her fifth book, Becoming Baba Yaga: Trickster, Feminist, and Witch of the Woods (Red Wheel / Weiser, 2024; Tantor Audio, 2024), acclaimed as a “nuanced work of feminist literary criticism” by Foreword Reviews and "a delicious read" by Atlas Obscura, explores the complex origins of this Slavic folktale character and her lingering lessons for empowering us all.

Kris has been spotlighted in Writer’s Digest and The Huffington Post for her work as an author dedicated to helping other writers, and she is passionate about transforming book signings and storytelling events into humanitarian aid efforts when the opportunity allows. Kris is an active speaker, workshop leader, and literary historian.

Reviews

[Tamara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this more than I did. Unfortunately I could not get on board with the author's voice or tone of the book. There was an air of self-importance to the writing alongside that sorta 'cool, trendy girl persona, and trying way too hard to act like your friend'. At times, I found the author's writing condescending, asking us if we knew that words for things existed, and at other times, she referenced her own fictional book on Baba Yaga a little often, alongside other pop culture references sprinkled throughout. Im sorry, but I do not believe Super Mario's mushrooms or Sonic being a hedgehog have anything to do with Baba Yaga, bc oh, mushrooms and hedgehogs show up in her stories on occasion. It was moments like these that tried to stretch Baba Yaga's already extensive history and lore that made this book more eye-rolly than interesting.

I don't doubt the author did her research, and this book had moments I enjoyed, but again, any of the interesting thoughts and ideas put forward are shadowed by the book's tone. I'm not quite sure who the intended audience for this book is. At times it feels like a credible study in folklore, and in others it feels like a word salad written with flourish by an inexperienced author.

The book's set up reminded me a lot of Women Who Run With Wolves, and I'm still undecided if I think the author pulled it off. Some Chapters I would say yes, others not so much.

Overall, gave it three stars, though i think that might be generous, except there were some really good moments and ideas here that i enjoyed. It's just having to wade through some of the pomp to find them.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is equal parts folklore, history, anthropology, and etymology, the fragments of which come together to form a portrait of a very complicated woman. Baba Yaga lives on her own, shunning the rules of society for herself, yet enforcing them onto others.

She is sometimes old and sometimes not, she is sometimes a witch and sometimes a goddess, she is sometimes a hero and sometimes a villain, but in every case, she is a catalyst, a force for transformation.

So to write about such a complicated and sometimes "nasty" woman that you'd think that getting to the root of her history would be as impossible as nailing down one canonical version of Baba Yaga, yet Spisak takes on this herculean task like she has just been asked by the (sometimes) old woman herself whether she has come to do deeds or run from them.

Spisak also connects these stories to the modern world with ease, from cottagecore to tradwives to the true "divine feminine."

I will also say that I might be biased, since the author is local to my area and I got to meet her and she was just lovely. But I would say that if you like fairy tales or folklore or witches, this is a perfect read for spooky season.

[Latasha]

DNF @33%. I wanted to love this book so much. Just don’t it’s the right for me at this time.

[Amaris · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was very disorganized and difficult to get through. I think the concept is great, and some of the sentences show a potential for great storytelling and diction. But the author’s trains of thought start and end all over the place. The retellings are cursory, and the research doesn’t feel well-integrated. I had to start skim reading in order to not get lost.

[Ellen Scheid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Baba Yaga has had a special place in my heart for a long time. I was enchanted with her stories as a child, and she's been living in the back of my mind rent-free ever since. When I saw Becoming Baba Yaga: Trickster, Feminist, and Witch of the Woods listed in a catalog I knew I needed to read it and add it to the library's collection.

Becoming Baba Yaga, written by Kris Spisak, is a combination of folklore, history, etymology, and anthropology. Spisak uses her research and talents to rebuild the character of Baba Yaga from the stories told by people all over Eastern Europe for centuries. Baba Yaga has many shapes, sizes, forms, and powers. Her stories vary from place to place, and morph over time. Sometimes she's beautiful and young, other times she's a hag riding in her mortar welding her pestal. In some tales she has human offspring, and other times she claims the bugs and vermin as her children. 

Baba Yaga isn't just a malicious character. There are times when she is truly helpful. She's a woman living on the outskirts of society, and people dislike what they don't understand. This is why her reputation is far from perfect. There is more to her than cackles, spells, and a cottage on chicken feet. When she deems a soul worthy of her help she becomes quite the benefactor. Baba Yaga is a force to be reckoned with.

"Are you here to do deeds or run from them?"​

[Maddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this exploration into the folklore of Baba Yaga, a character I’ve admired for some time. Spisak reintroduces the old Slavic crone to us a catalyst of personal transformation and a gut check of who we deeply are and want to be.

This book incorporates retold stories of Baba Yaga and the subjects she meets into the larger discussion of the themes that encompass Baba Yaga, which I thought was a great vehicle. Some discussions were more profound and stuck with me more than others, maybe due to the nature of the themes or the depth of the material. Spisak did a nice job using elements of historical context, storytelling, cultural significance, and spiritual exploration to make these discussions thoughtful and intriguing.

This book is an easy, fun read for folks who enjoy the tales of Baba Yaga and folklore as a whole. As a woman, some of these chapters stirred something deep within me that I’ll hold with me for a while. There are profound and important things to learn from this book and the stories of Baba Yaga, about the world and ourselves.

[Zen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Baba Yaga has always been such an interesting character. She appears in literature everywhere and always brings such flair and color to the story. I have never looked into origin stories, and this book did a great job of providing an into to her mythos.

[Sunny :) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reframing Baba Yaga as a complex character that is sometimes evil, yes, but also has motivations that aren't evil, and could perhaps even be empowering to those who willingly walk into her clutches. There's something compelling about a wise and intelligent (FICTIONAL) woman using power and fear to inspire agency, creativity, and competency in young girls and women, and how that may reflect, and Spisak does a great job of illustrating this as a feminist move when placed into historical context.

I didn't always jive with the writing style, which sometimes felt repetitive, a bit too conversational, or straight up out of place (looking at you, Knuckles from Sonic reference). This did take me out of it a bit more than I felt was reasonable.

Spisak also argues that tales of Baba Yaga gives women and girls permission to acknowledge and express their darker urges in contemporary contexts, but I'm not sure how successful she is at doing this.

I truly enjoyed Spisak's rewrites of common(ish) folktales, and felt that they were very successful in setting the tone for each chapter and kept the pacing quick and easy to follow. I also appreciate that she kept the talk of the "divine feminine" as a whole to a minimum, instead keeping the focus on the aspects typically attributed to the divine feminine. This made for a much more precise and interesting reading of Baba Yaga and her history, and prevented a reductionist narrative of "female knowledge" that could have very easily overtaken her argument.

This really scratched an itch and I'm really glad that I read it.

[Sarah Stubbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has been a saving grace over the last few days. Not only is it informative in terms of the lore of Baba Yaga, it’s insightful as well. I will continue to ask myself, “do I come to do deeds, or run from them.”

[Ashley Belle · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 🌟

[Grace Seidel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this look at Baba Yaga’s folklore! Is it a stretch to give yaga credit for things like the mushrooms in Mario? Maybe. But that’s the great thing about folklore: who can say exactly?

This is a delightful read about how an old witch might not be all that she seems. We should all be so lucky!

[katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fuck yeah Baba Yaga! Gobbled this one right up.

[Trisha Swed · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5- rounded up!

[Coco Sanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved every word of this book!

[Ftpagain · Rating 1 out of 5]

a western grogressive/woke woman projecting herself and rewriting a character that is already developed. it seems like there are thousands of authors who are exact copies of each other. same lack of unique ideas, same need to make everything about themselves, same moral greyness, same inability to see things as anything else but their generic Hollywood politics. 90% of the substance of these books are fillers, "pretty adjectives," and they run on and on and on. one can't help but get a sense of these books being written by the same AI.

[Kat · Rating 1 out of 5]

Reads like an 18-year-old watched the Barbie movie and was forced to write a paper on Baba Yaga for English 101. What could have been a compelling exploration of one of folklore’s most powerful and enigmatic figures is reduced here to a rambling, self-satisfied blog.

The book collapses mythic resonance into incoherent metaphor, with entire chapters circling vague ideas without developed insight. The prose often contradicts itself, reaching for meaning it never earns, then moving on as if something profound has been said. It hasn’t.

The author regularly references personal anecdotes or passing thoughts with the same authority she assigns to critical scholarship. She presents this format as if it’s clever��when in fact it reveals a disregard for the complexity of folklore, history, and culture.

Much of the text reads like filler: long, shapeless paragraphs padded with tangents, unearned assertions, and self-referential musings. The tone is glib and self-justified, as if unreflective musing is a substitute for structure or clarity.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The marketing around this book sells it as an "in-depth" look at "historical and cultural context" and "analyses". The book is short on history, though, and long on repetitive ruminations on the many facets of Baba Yaga as a cultural icon. What history and cultural context were included were interesting, but were maybe 20% of the book. The Baba Yaga stories were the best parts, but the author often changed up minor details in order to help her make points that weren't evident in the stories or history/cultural context themselves.

The kernel of a good book is here, but it was poorly executed.

[Willow · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been a while since I read an occult book! Lately, I have been focusing on reading fiction as a way to help dissociate from reality. Don't get me wrong, I am still doing the work, but we all need a break and to take time for self-care. Reading is one of the ways I do that. Despite focusing mostly on fiction lately, I finally got around to reading Becoming Baba Yaga: Trickster, Feminist, and Witch of the Woods by Kris Spisak. I was obviously meant to wait to read this book until after the election, as Baba Yaga has many lessons to teach us during such trying times.

Unlike many other occult books I have reviewed here on Flying the Hedge, this book is purely a breakdown of folklore. There are no discussions of practical application, just pure folklore analysis and history. In case you haven't figured it out yet, I am a sucker for folklore. The stories we tell and pass down ring with truth and give us amazing insight into how our ancestors lived, survived, and taught lessons. Baba Yaga is one such figure and boy oh boy does she have some lessons to teach us, despite the lack of practical application, if only one knows where to look.

Spisak does not hold your hand in this book, leaving the reader to do the majority of the work. Sure she breaks down some of the lessons we can garner from the stories about Baba Yaga, but you are required to figure out how to use the knowledge and lessons contained in the stories and analysis. Media literacy is a skill that must be honed through trial and error, and what better place to start than with a teacher such as Baba Yaga?

Each chapter opens with a story, many of which Spisak added to without taking away from the lesson within. These stories are an amalgamation of hundreds of stories passed down through the generations, which have transformed with the people telling them. Following the short stories, Spisak breaks down some of the meaning and history behind the tales, sometimes going so far as to discuss language throughout the centuries. I am such a sucker for language. That analysis of each tale is fascinating and paints Baba Yaga in a completely new light, giving more depth and meaning to her stories than what modern media has. I found myself unable to put the book down once I got started, having to remind myself that it was time to sleep as I had work in the morning.

As I mentioned, this book does not offer practical application, but I don't feel it needs to. The purpose is to ground Baba Yaga in our reality and learn from the lessons she has to share with us. She teaches us to be loud when others are silent; to be cunning and self-sufficient; to be a great power capable of great transformations. She also reminds us that to be such things as a woman will transform us into a "witch" as nothing hates a loud, outspoken, sexual woman more than the patriarchy. In times of great change and turmoil, Baba Yaga reminds us to go against the grain, even if it's difficult to do so. According to Timothy Snyder in his book On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century, one of the greatest ways we can fight back against tyranny and authoritarianism is to not get comfortable and to not go quietly into the night. What better way to do so than to turn into Baba Yaga ourselves?

I highly recommend reading Becoming Baba Yaga: Trickster, Feminist, and Witch of the Woods by Kris Spisak and even pairing it with Baba Yaga's Book of Witchcraft: Slavic Magic from the Witch of the Woods by Madame Pamita which touches on many of the same stories with practical application built in. Between the two of these, you are well on your way to becoming Baba Yaga herself.

[Mark Slauter · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are interested in folklore you'll want to add this to your TBR list. Baba Yaga has a unique position in the library of global folklore, one I did not understand or consider prior to reading this book. Though I would have liked more of her tales presented, that is not the purpose of this book. This is a closer look at Baba Yaga, the what and who of her existence, her context in various time periods and the changeability of her roles.

Myths, fables, parables, legends, folklore, fairy tales—whatever you want to call them—have always interested me. One question this book brought to mind is whether there is another character with the extent and consistency of existence as Baba Yaga. Maybe, but I can't think of one.

I can't help but wonder what Baba Yaga would think of today's world and her potential role in it. Maybe we need some updated tales.

[Kaela Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great read. I was able to go a little learning, a little exploring deeper into the folklore and even different religious texts on Baba Yaga.

I think the author did a great job at highlighting her own thoughts and ideas on some of the stories, giving a detailed background on characters from stories that I tabbed during annotations to look up and learn more about - and I was able to see a lot of connections and why I feel drawn to Baba Yaga spiritually and emotionally.

She’s this force of feminine energy and power.

Highly recommend if you’re wanting some more insight on the Witch of the Woods

[Shayshkers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't remember the last book I enjoyed this much. I found it informative and poetic, entertaining, and thought provoking. We get a sense of Spisak's personal connections to Baba Yaga through childhood experiences without reading like an autobiography. And though I'm familiar with a lot of the tales mentioned in this book, it was still entertaining and had no flow problems. I might be a little biased as I'm working on a folklore based story, but Spisak's turn of phrase at times transported me to places usually reserved for fiction work. It certainly makes me want to read more by this author.

[Brylynn Ellis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this book definitely had potential. I love learning about the founding of folklore and how a peoples culture was formed around their folklore. I did learn some new things about Baba Yaga and Slavic folklore, however, I felt that this book was disorganized. I also felt that the author was reiterating herself in every chapter. She could've saved 50 pages from how much she reiterated herself. I also felt like she was over-analyzing everything and attributing Baba Yaga to more popular culture than what is realistic.

[Miz Lizzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brief retellings of a wide variety of Baba Yaga tales are followed by the author's ruminations on the long-lasting power and relevance of the menacing yet sometimes helpful figure of Baba Yaga. There is a bibliography but I was frustrated by the lack of notes or citations. It is a rare collection (at least in English) of a large number of Baba Yaga tales in one place, including some reference to her connection with Koscheii the Deathless.

Book Pairings:
Baba Yaga Laid an Egg
Katherine Arden's trilogy starting with The Bear and the Nightingale

[Diablica · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Baba Yaga’s legacy comes from goddesses. It comes from witch hunts. It comes from nomadic women of strength hidden within ancient Eastern European history. It comes from a lack of explanation, when a powerful women steps into the scene unintimidated and ready to take action. Feminists have their many influences.”

If you are interested in folklore or witchcraft I would highly recommend Becoming Baba Yaga. Kris Spisak’s exploration of Baba Yaga and influences-folkloric, anthropological, and historical-that have shaped her.

[Lorin (paperbackbish) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Hampton Roads for my free ARC of Becoming Baba Yaga by Kris Spisak — available now!

» READ IF YOU «
🧙 consider yourself to be a trickster feminist witch
🖤 have ever been the villain in someone else’s story
🍗 love learning about Slavic folklore and mythology

» SYNOPSIS «
A deep exploration of the history and metamorphosis of the figure of Baba Yaga — at times villain, other times teacher, but never quite the protagonist herself. Here, she takes center stage (as she rightly should) and proclaims herself as relevant to life today as she was to the Slavic fairytales of old.

» REVIEW «
I absolutely loved this short little book about one of my favorite folklore characters! Baba Yaga is at best, maligned, and at worst, deeply misunderstood, so I found Kris Spisak’s exploration of her lore and history refreshing and insightful. My favorite bits were the new retelling of classic stories, as Slavic fairytales are so unique. Definitely pick this up if you’re curious how an old witch who lives in a house with chicken legs is linked to the human experience as a whole.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Narah · Rating 3 out of 5]

The folktales were fun but a lot of the book was conjecture or pointing out obvious themes with a very condescending voice.

Also as a side note, trying to apply the feminist label to historical figures and characters is not only incorrect but does a disservice in trying to understand any woman who has not lived in the last 150 years since the movement began. Women can be strong and complicated without using contemporary standards to justify their existence.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was everything I wanted it to be. Academic, knowledgeable about the importance of folklore and art, and written by a Slavic American woman who recognizes the Baba Yaga is having a moment and shows why! My desire to know more facts was sated, but then was surpassed by the deep appreciation for this character who continues to enlighten and inspire and call us to be better versions of ourself. I LOVE BABA YAGA. I think she'd like this book.

[Anntonette · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave this book 3 stars but it’s more like 2.5. I think that the author is a charming writer. I think the subject matter is fascinating. So, I’m not sure why this book didn’t work for me. Since there is a dearth of material on Baba Yaga in the English language, I don’t want to dissuade anyone from reading this book. You won’t hate it and you will like the author’s voice. For me, it was missing something big that I am still looking for about Baba Yaga.

[Misty D · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️
I was expecting this to be another story from GN, as I read her Baba Yaga retelling, but this was more about the evidence of Baba Yaga throughout folklore, religion, region of the world, etc. I found myself making little notes to recall for future inspiration on a few occasions... I even looked up Bilibin's Baba Yaga art!

[Coraly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a difficult book to describe. Its part folklore, part history lesson, part non-fiction research, and part motivationally feminist.
The author starts each chapter with her own twist on old Baba Yaga folktales, using it as an example for what that chapter will cover regarding Baba Yaga's origins, characteristics, and evolution throughout 1000+ years of history. While also highlighting how we can adopt some of Baba Yaga's characteristics to help our own self-realization. Its not a fast read but not difficult. Its written beautifully imo.