I. Reading and analysis of Russian folk tales, where one of the characters is Baba Yaga

Bibliographic description: Tkachenko A. O., Eliseeva N. P. The image of Baba Yaga: from myths to folk tales// Young scientist. 2018. No. 3. P. 130-133..04.2019).



Various versions of the origin of the image have been clarified Baba Yaga. Negative and positive deeds of Baba Yaga in folk tales. Revealed attitude towards Baba Yaga's students primary school And users social network"In contact with". Proposed collective portrait Baba Yaga based on survey results.

Keywords : myth, folk tales, Baba Yaga, collective portrait.

Various versions of the origin of the image of Baba Yaga are specified. Analyzed are the negative and positive actions of Baba Yaga in folk tales. The attitude towards Baba Yaga of the pupils of the primary school and users of the social network “VKontakte” has been revealed. A collective portrait of Baba Yaga is proposed based on the results of the survey.

Key words: myth, folk tales, Baba-Yaga, collective portrait.

Baba Yaga is one of the most famous and most mysterious creatures on Earth. It is believed that the first mentions of it are found in the myths of the ancient Slavs of the 6th–9th centuries AD. According to some reports, she got her name from old word YAGAT, which means to scream, make noise, swear. In Rus', such women were often called Yagishna.

Some scientists consider Yaga to be an ordinary evil witch. The latter call her the ancient Slavic goddess, mistress of the forest and animals, guarding the underground passage to the other world.

According to another version, the prototype of Baba Yaga is a witch, a healer who treated people. Baba Yaga’s desire to fry children in the oven on a shovel is very reminiscent of the so-called ritual of “over-baking” or “baking” sick babies: the child was wrapped in a “diaper” made of dough, placed on a wooden bread shovel and thrust into the oven three times. Then the child was unwrapped, and the dough was given to the dogs to eat. And this really often helped.

There is also a version that Yaga’s name comes from the word “yogi”, and she herself is from India. It is not for nothing that she has a hermit lifestyle and lives in the forest, far from people and populated areas.

Other researchers claim that Yaga moved to us from the North. Residents of the northern forests and reindeer herders often built huts on high poles so that wild animals could not climb into them, and so that the houses would not be covered with snow. Hence the “hut on chicken legs”. There is also an assumption that she received this name because she lived in an area where moss grows - reindeer moss, which was once called “yag”.

It is interesting that the first written mention of Baba Yaga was made in the 16th century in the book of the English traveler D. Fletcher, and the first fairy tale about her was written by M. N. Makarov in 1820. At the beginning of the twentieth century, she began to be depicted famous artists on their canvases.

While exploring the origins of the image of Baba Yaga, the task was set to study folk tales about this character. A total of 7 fairy tales were read (Table 1). In 4 fairy tales, Baba Yaga is a positive character, she helps the main characters, gives them advice, and in 3 fairy tales she does bad things: she deceives the heroes, kidnaps and eats children.

Table 1

Baba Yaga's imagefolk tales

In November 2017, a survey was conducted among primary school students and users of the social network “VKontakte” in the form of a questionnaire with the aim comparative analysis attitude towards the heroine and studying the characteristic features inherent in the image of Baba Yaga. A total of 42 students and 37 social network users were interviewed. To the question: “Is Baba Yaga a positive or negative character?” Primary school students in the majority, and this is 86%, answered negative (Fig. 1). However, users of the social network are not sure whether Grandma Yaga is a good or a bad character (49% - negative, 51% - positive).

Rice. 1. Opinion of elementary school students and users of the social network “VKontakte” to the question “Is Baba Yaga a positive or negative character?”

Revealing the characteristic features of Baba Yaga, it was found that the majority (43%) of social network users consider her cunning and funny, and students are inclined to believe that our heroine is evil and harmful (40%) (Fig. 2).

In the questionnaire, students indicated that they were familiar with the character Baba Yaga thanks to the fairy tales “Geese and Swans”, “Ivan Tsarevich and the Gray Wolf”, “The Last Hero”, “The Flying Ship” and “Morozko”. When asked about Baba Yaga’s actions in these fairy tales (Fig. 3), the majority indicated that she “kidnaps and eats children” (57%).

Rice. 2. Opinions of elementary school students and users of the social network “VKontakte” about characteristic features Baba Yaga

Rice. 3. The opinion of elementary school students and users of the social network “VKontakte” about the actions performed by Baba Yaga in fairy tales

To the question “Imagine that Baba Yaga exists, how can you recognize her?” many different ones were received interesting characteristics from elementary school students. We tried to create a collective image of a modern Baba Yaga. In their opinion, Baba Yaga is a very thin, very crooked elderly woman, 600 years old, of short stature with gray hair. long hair, a long and large nose, at the end of which there are 1-2 warts. Her back is uneven, her leg is bony. Has crooked teeth, a scary, wrinkled face, evil eyes, grumpy voice, laughs evilly, but can be funny. He walks in old-fashioned clothes with a crutch, and sometimes flies on a broom or in a mortar. Lives in a hut in the forest, brews potions. Very uncultured, does bad things.

Users of the social network present the modern Baba Yaga somewhat differently: an ugly grandmother with a large nose, cunning narrowed eyes, crooked teeth, and a hoarse voice. Dressed in rags made of burlap, around her neck are beads made of dried fly agarics and an old scarf. Sometimes he wears a robe and a scarf on his hair. Has a bone leg, dashingly controls a broom and a mortar. But appearances are deceiving. At first glance, she seems unkempt, stooped and dangerous. But if you show affection, she will immediately change and become a real sweet, kind granny. Lives in a hut on chicken legs.

Thus, during the study it was revealed that Baba Yaga appears to us as both a positive and negative character, commits both good and bad deeds. The survey results showed an ambiguous attitude towards our heroine, students believe that she is evil and harmful, however, users of the social network, and these are mainly older people, consider Baba Yaga sweet and funny, which can also be seen in the collective portrait of the modern Baba Yaga .

The materials obtained during the study of the image of Baba Yaga can be used in lessons literary reading, when carrying out cool hours and in extracurricular activities.

Literature:

1. Martirosova M. A. Myths of the peoples of the world for children. - White City: 2010, 364 p.
2. Naumenko G. All Slavic mythology. - M.: AST, 2004. - 190 p.
3. Encyclopedia for children. T6, part 1. Religions of the world - M.: Avanta+, 1996. - 720 p.
4. https://ru.Wikipedia.org/wiki/Baba Yaga
5. https://www.larec-skazok.ru/skazki-pro/babu-iagu

Keywords: myth, folk tales, Baba Yaga, collective portrait.

Annotation: Various versions of the origin of the image of Baba Yaga have been clarified. The negative and positive actions of Baba Yaga in folk tales are analyzed. The attitude towards Baba Yaga of primary school students and users of the social network “VKontakte” was revealed. A collective portrait of Baba Yaga is proposed based on the results of the survey.

Among the various genres of oral storytelling, of course, they deserve special attention Russian folk tales. It's no secret that Russian folk tales appeared a long time ago and were passed on from mouth to mouth, thus surviving until the time when writing arose. This allowed fairy tales to gain popularity among more people, and therefore today each of us can enjoy the wealth fairy world, its diversity. A fairy tale is one of the main genres of folklore, popular genre oral folk art with a focus on fiction.

The world of Russian folk tales is unique and mysterious. In it you can meet ordinary people, and merchants and merchantwomen, kings and their daughters, and fictional heroes, among whom Baba Yaga is perhaps one of the most colorful characters.

One day in class we read the fairy tale “Geese and Swans”. One of the characters was Baba Yaga. She was angry - she wanted to wash the girl, steam her, and then put her in the oven, fry her, eat her and ride on her bones.

We wondered, is Baba Yaga the same in all fairy tales? My teacher and I organized the “Book Gatherings” club. After lessons, we gathered in the classroom with our parents, read fairy tales, and discussed the image of Baba Yaga. What have we found out?

The same evil, cruel Baba Yaga was only in a fairy tale called “Baba Yaga”. She wanted to eat the girl too. He rushes in pursuit, gritting his teeth in anger. And when he encounters an obstacle on the way in the form of a river, he begins to drink water from the river. And Baba Yaga burst!

1. We read fairy tales:

"The Enchanted Princess"

“Go there - I don’t know where, bring that - I don’t know what”

"The Tale of Vasilisa the Wise»,

"The Tale of Rejuvenating Apples and Living Water"

“Little Ivan has a great mind”

"Finist - a clear falcon"

"Princess Frog",

"Marya Morevna"

In these fairy tales, Baba Yaga greets those who come to her unfriendly at first, grumbles, and when she learns the reason for their arrival, she feeds, gives water, soars in the bathhouse, talks with the guests, and can even affectionately call: good fellow, child.

And he also helps - gives advice or shows the way.

2. Where does Baba Yaga live?

IN deep forest(or in a clearing), alone, in a hut on chicken legs (or on one chicken leg, or on a sparrow leg, on a spindle heel, on ram horns). The hut has one window, it can turn its back to the forest, and its front to the guests, or maybe from east to west. The hut may not be surrounded by a fence, but sometimes it is surrounded by a fence or a palisade with skulls.

3. What does Baba Yaga look like?

She is old, gray-haired, toothless, or with only one fang. In the hut he sits with his legs spread from one corner to another, his teeth are on the shelf, his nose is rooted in the ceiling. Can be located on the ninth brick on the stove. Despite his age, he moves quickly and even screams in a loud voice and whistles with a valiant whistle. He knows how to spin a tow.

4. Does Baba Yaga have any relatives?

Yes, I have. My own daughter is Princess Marya, the wife of Andrei the shooter. He recognizes his son-in-law by the fly that Princess Marya gave him for the journey. There are sisters: middle and older. There is a niece - the girl Sineglazka, Bogatyrka, the daughter of one of the sisters. The elder sister has a son - Zmey Gorynych, the nephew of the other Baba-Yagas.

5. Are there magical things?

A ball of wool is a guide, a mortar with a pestle and a broom is for movement; towel, comb; has power over violent winds; a silver saucer and a golden egg, a silver hoop and a golden needle, a silver bottom and a golden spindle; silver apples; a herd of magical horses, a raven - a bird of prophecy. He gives many of these things, uses some for his own purposes, and some lead to the death of Baba Yaga.

6. Unusual Baba Yaga.

At one of the meetings we read the fairy tale “Ivan Tsarevich and the White Polyanin” and saw a completely different Baba Yaga!

Baba Yaga has a golden leg, she runs very fast, so it is difficult to catch up with her. He lives underground in a big city in chambers, holding a girl captive. There is a countless army (which is made for it by tailors and shoemakers), it has been fighting the White Polyanin for 30 years. Dies from the sword of Ivan Tsarevich.

7. Baba Yaga in Slavic mythology.

After reading the fairy tales, we wanted to know where the image of Baba Yaga came from. Here's what we learned.

Our distant ancestors gave Baba Yaga a completely different meaning. Loose, disheveled hair symbolized a connection with other world. According to tradition, the deceased woman's hair was unraveled. And a bone leg is also a sign of a long-dead person. And she flies in a mortar, covering her trail, because the Slavs, when sending a dead man on his final journey, always covered his trail so that he would not return to the world of the living. And the stupa is shaped very much like a wooden coffin. Therefore, the conclusion suggests itself: Baba Yaga is a long-dead woman.
Why does she have a hut on chicken legs? It turns out that according to Slavic custom, while the soul of the deceased person was not yet determined, a “dwelling” was built for it. The ritual doll was placed in a special house and placed on a felled tree. Take a closer look at the tree roots for chicken legs. By the way, among the peoples of the north this custom has been preserved to this day.
It is also very interesting that everyone comes to Baba Yaga for advice. In almost all fairy tales, Ivan the Tsarevich receives magic items who help him in his “adventures”.
If we turn to the origin of the “name” “Baba Yaga”, we will see the following interpretation. A woman who has already given birth to a child was called a woman. "Yaga" - fire - fire. That is, it turns out that Baba Yaga is a woman - fire or a fiery woman. There was a verb “yagat” - to shout. This is a special cry in which very strong energy was concentrated. This cry was made by hunters and women in labor. Based on this, it turns out that Baba Yaga is the main mother who knew and could do everything.
And how often in fairy tales can you hear: “Now I’ll put you on a shovel and into the oven!” But if you remember all the fairy tales, you will not find a single one where Baba Yaga fried at least one child. And this came from the fact that there was a ritual of baking a sick child. The grandmother-midwife wrapped the sick child in the charmed dough and sent it to the oven on a bread shovel. After a while, she took it out, unwrapped it, and gave the dough to the dogs. And what’s interesting is that after this procedure, the child was on the mend.

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gave each of us an inheritance

truly priceless - fairy tales,

stories, epics, legends."

1. INTRODUCTION.

Fairy tales are a wonderful form of art. We enter the world of fairy tales at the very early childhood. Fairy tales amuse, entertain, sometimes frighten, they teach us to act honestly. They never become outdated, because they contain the wisdom of our ancestors, traditions and customs. With unusual generosity, the treasures of folk colloquial speech are shown in all their splendor in fairy tales.

IN modern world children have acquired many other interests. But we still love to watch, listen and read fairy tales. Time spent reading fairy tales together brings parents and children and generations closer together. We empathize with the heroes, learn to distinguish good from evil. The theme of good and evil is one of the eternal themes. And in our time it continues to remain relevant.

There are many magical characters in fairy tales. Particularly interesting is the image of Baba Yaga, which is one of the most mysterious and controversial female images in Russian fairy tales, combining positive and negative qualities. We wondered if there was this image in fairy tales of other peoples, and whether he is similar to the image of the traditional Russian Baba Yaga.

2. GOAL, OBJECTIVES, HYPOTHESES.

Target: Compare the image of the Russian Baba Yaga with the images similar heroes in fairy tales of other peoples.

Tasks:

Study the image of Baba Yaga.

Illustrate the image of Baba Yaga.

Using a survey, find out what kind of Baba Yaga children imagine, find out their opinion: does Baba Yaga exist in the fairy tales of other peoples.

Find and analyze Russian fairy tales and fairy tales of other nations where the image of Baba Yaga is found.

Compose comparison table images of Baba Yaga.

Create based on research creative project: Lapbook.

Draw conclusions.

Hypothesis: Let us assume that in the fairy tales of other peoples there are characters similar to the Russian Baba Yaga.

3.BABA YAGA IN RUSSIAN FAIRY TALES. WHO IS SHE?

A fairy tale is always based on a myth.

Initially, such a character as Baba Yaga appeared in Slavic mythology. There is no reliable translation of the name “Baba Yaga”, since there are so many options.

BABA - a woman, the eldest in a clan, family; married woman.

YAGA (Yaga, Yaga-baba, Yagaya Baba, Yagabikha, Yagabova, Yagaya, Yagikha, Yagishna Burya-Yaga, Yaza) - in Slavic languages ​​the word “Yaga” itself is associated with the concept of danger, torment and horror, anger.

One version of the translation of the name “Baba Yaga” is the old woman of the forest, the big woman over the witches.

Baba Yaga was originally a positive character of ancient Russian mythology and folklore, the keeper of customs and traditions. The forest old woman is a sorceress, a witch who has the power of whirlwinds and blizzards. Lives in a dense forest. Baba Yaga's hut is located in the thicket of the forest or at the edge of the forest on chicken legs, facing the forest in front and back to the world. A “chicken leg” was once called a crossroads or fork in the road; such a place was considered “unclean” and dangerous. Baba Yaga leads a solitary life. In Baba Yaga's hut there is a stove that can be destructive for uninvited guests. The fence around the hut is made of human bones, and skulls hang on the fence. In the depths of the forest, she collects roots and herbs, dries them and makes various tinctures, decoctions and potions.

4. THE IMAGE OF BABA YAGA IN OUR REPRESENTATION.

Kate: " First of all, Baba Yaga is a positive character for me. Good people she shows the way, gives advice, gives magical objects. Outwardly, I imagine her as a crooked old woman with a hooked nose, wearing a red scarf with white polka dots, old clothes, on which a shawl is thrown, she leans on a stick, because she has a bone leg. Baba Yaga is gloomy and at first glance it may seem that she is angry. Baba Yaga is fair. But if you make her angry, then the traveler may be in trouble. She’s also lonely, so she evokes pity.”

Nastya: " Since childhood I liked fairy tales. I remember their heroes very well: Ivan Tsarevich, Gray Wolf, Vasilisa the Beautiful, but most of all Baba Yaga. For me, she is a kind old lady who brews a potion. She gives gifts, gives magic objects, teaches children to help with housework. “I believe that if there was no Baba Yaga, the fairy tale would not be interesting, the heroes could not achieve their goal.”

We illustrated our ideas about the image of Baba Yaga.

Illustration by Katya.

Illustration by Nastya.

5. RESEARCH PART.

5.1 Questionnaire.

Using a survey, we decided to find out how children imagine the image of Baba Yaga in Russian folk tales, and how they think: does similar image in fairy tales of other peoples. The questionnaire is attached (Appendix 1).

5.2 Survey results.

50 third grade students from our gymnasium took part in the survey.

After the survey, the following results were obtained.

Children believe that Baba Yaga is usually an angry, grumpy old woman.

Who is Baba Yaga?

Most believe that she lives in a hut in the forest.

Where does Baba Yaga live?

Her role in fairy tales, according to children, is mostly negative.

What kind of character is she presented as?

33 people consider Baba Yaga a kidnapper and devourer.

The image of Baba Yaga in Russian fairy tales.

In fairy tales of other nations, 39 people believe that it exists.

Is there a similar image of Baba Yaga in fairy tales of other peoples?

We decided to find out what similar images of Baba Yaga exist in fairy tales of other peoples and compare these images.

5.3 Analysis of fairy tales of other peoples.

We took fairy tales for research and analysis different nations both original and folk (Appendix 2).

First we read Russian fairy tales to understand what kind of character Baba Yaga is. Baba Yaga is a controversial, ambiguous and multifaceted character. In Russian fairy tales, she can act in both positive and negative roles. Her images in different fairy tales do not always correspond to each other.

Baba Yaga is an old hunchbacked sorceress with a long nose and gray disheveled hair, with a bone leg. Her bones come out from under her body in places. Baba Yaga has bony hands and sharp iron teeth. She does not walk, but rides (flies) in a stone, iron, fire mortar, driving it with a pestle or stick, covering her tracks with a broom (broom), so the broom is always turned with the handle forward, the broom back. Baba Yaga lives in a dense forest or in a swamp, in a “hut on chicken legs,” alone, with the exception of animals.

Baba Yaga can be a giver: she gives the hero gifts in return for kind, polite words, she can be caring and attentive: she wonders if the hero is full, if he is tired from the road (“The Tale of Rejuvenating Apples and Living Water”).

Baba Yaga may be a kidnapper of people, children, whom she tries to roast and eat; In the fairy tale “Geese-Swans”, Baba Yaga’s assistants, the geese-swans, kidnap a boy.

Baba Yaga can be a warrior (the folk tale “Baba Yaga and the Zamoryshek”, Baba Yaga fights the heroes with a fiery shield).

In addition to the images of Baba Yaga described in literature, we have identified several more.

Baba Yaga is a ruler. In most Russian fairy tales, she commands the elements, animals, and nature (“The Magic Needle” by Valentina Oseeva).

Baba Yaga is a guardian. She keeps wise advice, vitality, rituals, customs, magical crafts (Russian folk tale “Baba Yaga and Zamoryshek”). She can also be a magical assistant.

In fairy tales, the Russian Baba Yaga can act in both positive and negative roles.

After analyzing the fairy tales of other peoples, we determined that they also have heroes similar in image to our Baba Yaga.

In German fairy tales, there is an evil old witch with red eyes, bony hands, and an excellent sense of smell, who lives on the edge of the forest in a beautiful gingerbread decoy house; she acts in the negative image of a devourer. She has a crutch - a means of transportation, a bird - an assistant-bait for children (The Brothers Grimm "Hansel and Gretel"). However, there is an old woman with positive role, who lives in a hut in a meadow, teaches them to work, has compassion, gives gifts and fairly punishes lazy, rude heroes (“Mistress Blizzard”). The German fairy tale “Little Baba Yaga” by Otfried Preussler is not like all other fairy tales. The role of Baba Yaga is played by a little girl who does only good deeds.

In Mordovian fairy tales there are old women like Baba Yaga. This is the mistress of the forest Viryava (folk tale “The Tailor, the Bear, the Devil and Viryava”), similar to the Russian Baba Yaga. She lives deep in the forest in a hut, skillfully handling a pestle, poker, and grip. And the mistress of the underwater world Yoma (folk tale “Old Woman Yoma and Two Girls”), living in a hut that spins in the wind. Both old women are kind givers, they teach him to work, bestow gifts and punish the hero deservedly for laziness and rudeness. The images of these old women are very similar to the images of the Russian Baba Yaga.

Viryava.

In the gypsy folk tale “The Bewitched Orphan” there is a similar image in the old witch-old woman living in a clearing in a hut on chicken legs. Like the Russian Baba Yaga, she uses witchcraft, prepares potions, and has no assistants. The old woman shelters and raises a poor orphan and gives her a beautiful appearance.

In the Romanian folk tale “Ilyana Kosyzyan”, Baba Yaga is a witch with horse legs, steel teeth, and sickle-curved fingers. Outwardly, she differs from Baba Yaga, but she also accustoms the hero to work and rewards him for his work.

In Armenian fairy tales there is a witch in different images. Usually she is an old woman with a hooked nose, long sharp fingers, and four eyes (two in front, two in back). Her name is Kahard. Like the Russian Baba Yaga, she lives in a hut on chicken legs, flies on a broom, and has a stove in her hut. She is a very evil liar and...

Kahard.

In the Italian folk tale “The Shepherd Little Sprout” there is an old witch who has a hundred horsemen and cavalry as her assistants. She is a keeper, guarding her magical power, prevents the hero from returning home. The image of this sorceress also coincides with the image of the Russian Baba Yaga.

Barabakha.

The witch Barabakh in the Belarusian folk tale “Alenka” is similar in appearance to Baba Yaga. She lives in a hut. He wants to deal with the heroes by deception.

In Tatar fairy tales there are similar images in negative and positive roles. The witch Ubyr in the folk tale “The Stepdaughter” lives in a small hut deep in the forest. She accustoms to work, rewards for work, but also fairly punishes the heroes. And in the folk tale “Tan-Batyr”, the prototype of Baba Yaga is the witch Ubyrly Karchyk, who lives in the thicket of a magical forest. She uses cunning and witchcraft to harm the heroes.

Ubyrly Karchyk.

In the Czech folk tale “Jan Deda and the Red Baba Yaga” there is a red Baba Yaga who lives in a hut and is never seen by anyone. She helps the hero repay his debts.

The cruel, greedy and grumpy Witch Howlit is featured in the English folk tale "Jeep and the Witch of Walgrave". She, like the Russian Baba Yaga, has a cat named Chernulin as her assistant. Howlith is a deceiver, she is trying to deal with the heroes.

And in the Irish folk tale “The Fairy of the Brook and the Spindle,” the old woman Holle with big long teeth rewards the heroes for their work. And she also lives in a hut.

In Slovak fairy tales there is a heroine Baba Yaga, that’s what she’s called. As in Russian fairy tales, she can play positive and negative roles. She lives in a hut. In the folk tale “The Enchanted Castle,” she deceives the heroes and wants to deal with them. And in the folk tale “Hello Bridge,” Baba Yaga can move on a spinning wheel and seven-league iron boots. She gives the hero a job, stores wealth, and punishes the dishonest.

Howlit.

In french fairy tales Charles Perrault plays the role of Baba Yaga by an evil old woman. In the fairy tale “Sleeping Beauty,” an evil old witch takes revenge for an insult. In the fairy tale " Gingerbread house"The witch is a hunched old woman with a stick and thick glasses on her nose - a deceiver, cunning, insidious, luring the hero in order to eat him later.

Thus, in fairy tales of other peoples, Baba Yaga is present in different images, just as in Russian fairy tales, she can have different roles: both positive and negative.

Analyzing the tales of other peoples, we determined that there is no similar image of Baba Yaga as a warrior and kidnapper. Basically, this heroine appears in the form of a deceiver, saboteur, guardian, giver, assistant, sorceress, mentor.

Studying various literature(fairy tales, encyclopedias, information on the Internet) we learned that there are mythological heroes among other peoples who are not found in fairy tales, but in their image are very similar to Baba Yaga.

Perkhta.

The forest old sorceress is present in the mythology of different nations. In particular, among the Serbs, Croats and Macedonians there is an ugly ugly old woman with a cow horn in the middle of her forehead, with a long hooked nose, large ears, bony hands, fingers with long nails in torn, torn clothes. Her name is Baba Roga. This is a forest witch. In Montenegro she is called Baba Ruga. This witch visits children at night and scares them. She also does good while pretending to be a villain. A very contradictory image.

Baba Roga.

The Czech peoples have a frightening-looking old woman with a goose leg, Perchta (Bertha). She wanders from house to house to see if the children have been diligent and hardworking, and then rewards or punishes them.

The Italians have Befana - an old witch flying on a broom, dressed all in black and with a bag of gifts and sweets on her back.

In Russian fairy tales, Baba Yaga plays the role of kidnappers, carrying away children, people whom she is trying to roast and eat. Baba Yaga maybe donor. Upon receiving the hero, he tests him and presents him with various gifts. In fairy tales Baba Yaga may be warrior, fighting the heroes and defeating many of them. Baba Yaga can also be an assistant, adviser, mistress of the forces of nature and the animal world (she commands the wind, storm, blizzard, morning, evening, night, wolves, bears and other forest animals).

After reading fairy tales of different peoples, we learned that many works are similar in plot to each other. For example, the fairy tale of the modern author Liya Geraskina “A Blue Flower for Mom” echoes the plot of the German fairy tale of the Brothers Grimm “Hansel and Gretel” and the French fairy tale of Charles Perrault “The Gingerbread House”, the German fairy tale “Mistress Blizzard” with the Mordovian fairy tale “Old Woman Yoma” and two girls."

5.4 Comparison table.

We presented the results of the study in the form of a summary table.

6. CREATIVE PROJECT - LAPTOP.

Based on our work, we decided to present a creative project: an interactive folder - Lapbook. (Attached). It can be used in literary reading lessons to work with children. A laptop helps you better understand and remember material on the topic you are studying.

7. CONCLUSIONS.

Based on the results of the work, we can draw the following conclusions.

Our hypothesis was confirmed. The image of Baba Yaga is present in fairy tales of other peoples. This character is similar to the Russian Baba Yaga, but may have a different name. Basically, this is an old woman with ugly facial features, who has certain characteristics, who lives alone, her home is located in hard-to-reach places, away from people.

The Russian Baba Yaga has many attributes, assistants, magical objects, and a means of transportation. In fairy tales of other peoples, there are not always helpers and magical objects; there is no means of transportation except German fairy tales. In German and French fairy tales, housing in the form of edible houses is a bait for heroes.

The heroines of Armenian, Belarusian, Tatar, and Mordovian fairy tales are closest to the image of Baba Yaga. Most likely this is due to the proximity of traditions, culture, and history.

8. CONCLUSION.

Fairy tales are magic! Reading them, we plunge into a mysterious, inexplicable, unknown world. Through plots and images in fairy tales the main cultural values people. Analyzing fairy tales is very interesting and instructive. Fairy tales teach us to divide the world into good and bad people. Fairy tales teach us not to be afraid of difficulties. The fairy tale teaches you to love your family. The main thing that the fairy tale teaches is that good always comes back as good.

Studying the fairy tales of the peoples of the world, it can be noted that they are similar in plot, characters and their trials. The difference is associated with the characteristics of another culture, nature, and customs.

Analyzing the fairy tale, we begin to think that this is not only fascinating story, but also a kind of greeting from the past, a story about how our ancestors lived and what they believed.

“Fairy tales are brilliant, the best gold in the world, the gold that sparkles in children’s eyes rings with laughter from children’s lips and the lips of their parents.”

9. REFERENCES.

1. Grushko E.A. Russian legends and traditions. - M.: Eksmo Publishing House, 2005.

2. Judy Allen. Fantasy encyclopedia. - M.: “Rosman”, 2008.

3. Medvedev Yu.M. Russian folk tales, legends and traditions. Astrel LLC, 1999.

4. Mythology. Legends, tales, tales from all over the world. M.: “Astrel AST”, 2001.

5. Naumenko G.M. Great anthology mythological fairy tale characters for children. - M.: “AST Astrel”, 2007.

6. Retelling by A.N. Afanasyev. Baba Yaga. - M.: ONIX, 2008.

7. Ed. Polyakov V. Children's encyclopedia. Fairy-tale heroes. JSC "Arguments and Facts" No. 4, 2000.

8. Shuklin V. Russian mythological dictionary. Ekaterinburg Ural publishing house, 2001.

9. Geraskina L. Blue flower for mom. RIO "Samovar", 2004

10. Otfried Preusler. Little Baba Yaga. RIO "Samovar", 1990

11. Russian folk tales. "Omega", 2005

12. Tales of the peoples of the world. "Children's Literature", 1987

13. Tales of the peoples of the world in 10 volumes. Moscow, 1994

14. Russian folk tales volume I. Moscow, 1994

15. Tales of the peoples of Europe. Moscow, 1994

16. Tales of peoples of Eastern Europe and the Caucasus. Moscow, 1994

17. Oseeva V. blue leaves. Eksmo Publishing House LLC, 2009

18. Internet resources:

http://www.larec-skazok.ru/skazki-pro/vedm

http://www.e-reading.club

http://ru-skazki.ru

http://hobbitaniya.ru/

https://ru.wikipedia.org

Annex 1

Questionnaire

1. Who do you think Baba Yaga is? (check)

 Kind old woman with a broom  Witch, witch  Evil grumpy old woman

2. What character do you imagine her to be? (check)

 Positive  Negative

3. Baba Yaga's appearance? (check, several options are possible)

 Messy gray hair

 Humpback

 Long nose

 Sweet cute

 Bone leg

4. Where does Baba Yaga live? (check)

 In the swamp  In the forest in a hut  Next door to Leshiy

5. What does Baba Yaga do? (check)

 Helps travelers

 Flies in a mortar, steals children

 Conjures, prepares decoctions, potions

6. Who do you think Baba Yaga is? (check)

 Sorceress (has magical powers)

 Giver (gives heroes wonderful objects, gives good advice)

 Kidnapper and devourer (kidnaps children and eats them)

 Warrior (enters into a fight with the heroes of fairy tales)

7. Do you think there is a similar image of Baba Yaga in the fairy tales of other peoples?

 Yes  No

Appendix 2

List of selected fairy tales

Russian tales:

Folk tale “The Tale of Rejuvenating Apples and Living Water”

Folk tale "Baba Yaga and the little bastards"

Folk tale "Geese and Swans"

Valentina Oseeva “The Magic Needle”

Liya Geraskina “Blue flower for mom”

German fairy tales:

Brothers Grimm "Hansel and Gretel"

Otfried Preusler "Little Baba Yaga"

Folk tale "Mistress Blizzard"

Romanian fairy tales:

Folk tale “Ilyana Kosynzyan”

French fairy tales:

Charles Perrault "Sleeping Beauty"

Charles Perrault "The Gingerbread House"

Czech fairy tales:

Folk tale "Jan Deda and the red Baba Yaga"

English fairy tales:

Folk tale "The Jeep and the Witch of Walgrave"

Irish fairy tales:

Folk tale "The Fairy of the Stream and the Spindle"

Mordovian fairy tales:

Folk tale "Old Woman Yoma and two girls"

Folk tale “The Tailor, the Bear, the Devil and the Wiryava”

Gypsy tales:

Folk tale “The Bewitched Orphan”

Armenian fairy tales:

Folk tale "The Girl and the Witch"

Italian fairy tales:

Folk tale "The Shepherd - Little Rostock"

Belarusian fairy tales:

Folk tale "Alyonka"

Tatar tales:

Folk tale "Stepdaughter"

Folk tale "Tan-Batyr"

Slovak fairy tales:

Folk tale “The Enchanted Castle”

Folk tale "Hello, bridge"

Where does Baba Yaga live?

Where does the fairy tale live? Yes, everywhere: in a dense forest, in a field, at a crossroads, in the rustling of leaves... A fairy tale was born with a person, and as long as a person lives, a fairy tale lives. Everyone loves fairy tales: both adults and children. They have a lot various miracles. Has anyone ever wondered how Baba Yaga got into the fairy tale? Why does she eat small children? Why does she live alone in a dark forest? Who invented it? Is this a fictional fairy tale character? Or maybe Baba Yaga - mythological creature? A student at the Lomonosov School decided to learn more about this and find answers to his questions. Of course, a first-grader cannot formulate a hypothesis, determine the object and subject of research, so his teacher helped him in this work. The completed research work was successfully presented at the regional educational and research conference of schoolchildren “Youth of Pomorie”.

Subject."The image of Baba Yaga in Russian folk tales."

Target. Analyze the image of Baba Yaga in Russian folk tales and draw a conclusion about its essence.

Tasks. Learn from additional literature about Baba Yaga; conduct a survey on the topic of work among students; read Russian folk tales in which Baba Yaga acts; analyze the image of Baba Yaga and draw conclusions.

Object of study. Baba Yaga.

Subject of study. Russian folk tales.

Hypothesis. Let's assume that Baba Yaga is a fictional character from Russian folk tales.

Research methods. Reflections, reading books, surveys, analysis of results.

I. Main part

1. General characteristics of Baba Yaga

Baba Yaga is an old, blind, hunchbacked sorceress with a long nose and disheveled hair. It feeds on human flesh, and is called the “bone leg.”
In the encyclopedia I found the following definition: Baba Yaga - popular character Russian folk tales. In the Orthodox consciousness, it is the embodiment of the satanic forces of evil, an expression of hatred for everything Russian (2, p. 113).
Baba Yaga lives in the forest, in a hut on chicken legs, sometimes surrounded by a palisade of human bones. The hut can turn around itself. Different animals live in Baba Yaga's house: black cats, mice, frogs, crows and snakes. They are her advisers and guards.
Baba Yaga does not walk, but travels around the world in an iron mortar (scooter chariot), driving it with a pestle or an iron club. And so that the traces are not visible, she covers them with a broom or broom.
Baba Yaga has magical things: a flying carpet, samogud harp, a treasure sword, walking boots and many others.

2. Baba Yaga - a mythological creature

A fairy tale is always preceded by a myth.
Baba Yaga (Yaga-Yaginishna, Yagibikha, Yagishna) is a very ancient Slavic deity, keeper of the hearth, clan, traditions, children and household.
Baba Yaga (Storm Yaga, Yazya) is an old forest sorceress, a witch who can control whirlwinds and blizzards.
Originally, this was the deity of death: a woman with a snake tail who guarded the entrance to the underworld and escorted the souls of the dead to the kingdom of the dead. Previously, they believed that Baba Yaga could live in any village, masquerading as an ordinary woman: caring for livestock, cooking, raising children - that is, they believed that she was a witch.
But still, Baba Yaga is a creature more dangerous than a witch. She lives in a dense forest, which has long instilled fear in people, since it was perceived as the border between the world of the dead and the living.
Baba Yaga's hut is located in the thicket of the forest or on the edge. The name “chicken legs” most likely came from “chicken legs”, that is, smoke-fuelled pillars, on which the Slavs erected a “death hut” - a small log house with the ashes of the deceased inside (such a funeral rite existed among the ancient Slavs back in the 6th–9th centuries centuries.)
Another prototype of Baba Yaga could be the witches and healers who lived far from settlements deep in the forest. There they collected various roots and herbs, dried them and made various tinctures, and, if necessary, helped the villagers. But many considered them comrades evil spirits, since, living in the forest, they could not help but communicate with evil spirits (1, p. 56).

3. The main features of the image of Baba Yaga

This is a woman, an old woman, she has an unusual (most often bone) leg. The bone leg is mentioned in the singular in almost all fairy tales. Therefore, we can assume that Baba Yaga is one-legged.
A bone leg is an attribute of death (the leg of a dead man or skeleton). If a myth says that the deity is not doing well with his legs, then you need to “look for the snake.” Baba Yaga is of snake origin. Baba Yaga's one-legged nature is sufficient reason to assume that she is part of the circle of deities who trace their ancestry to the snake. The name Yaga, scientists believe, also reflects her serpentine nature. "Yaga" comes from the Sanskrit word "snake". Thus, at first Baba Yaga crawled like a snake, then she began to jump on one leg, even later she began to ride on the ground in a mortar and only finally rose into the air with the mortar - thus turning into a purely fairy-tale character (1, p. 62 ).

4. Baba Yaga in Russian folk tales

First I decided to conduct a survey among students junior classes, because I was wondering: what do other students think about Baba Yaga? They were asked to answer the following questions:

1. Who is Baba Yaga?
2. How do you imagine her?
3. Where does she live?
4. What does he do?
5. What does a bone leg look like?

23 elementary school students took part in the survey. I wrote down their answers in table 1.

Table 1

Student survey results

Next, I independently analyzed the image of Baba Yaga. To do this, I read 11 Russian folk tales that talked about Baba Yaga.
In all Russian folk tales, Baba Yaga plays important role. Heroes sometimes resort to her as their last hope, their last helper. But in fairy tales it either helps or it doesn’t.
The results of my research on the following fairy tales: “Geese-Swans”, “The Frog Princess”, “Vasilisa the Beautiful”, “Baba Yaga”, “Baba Yaga and Zamoryshek”, “Marya Morevna”, “Ivan Tsarevich and Bely Polyanin”, “Go there - I don’t know where, bring that - I don’t know what”, “The Enchanted Princess”, “Finist - the Clear Falcon”, “The Tale of Rejuvenating Apples and Living Water” - I wrote down in Table 2.

5. General conclusions

Thus, in the fairy tales I have read, Baba Yaga appears to be an old, toothless woman with a long nose.
Baba Yaga lives in the forest, in a hut on chicken legs, which turns its back to the forest and its front to the stranger; the fence around the hut is made of human bones, on the fence there are skulls, instead of doors there are legs, instead of locks there are hands, instead of a lock there is a mouth with sharp teeth.
The heroes address Baba Yaga affectionately - “grandmother”. Baba Yaga helps heroes who deserve it, although she cannot stand the Russian spirit. In 6 fairy tales out of 11, Baba Yaga is a positive character, in 5 fairy tales she is a negative character. This means that Baba Yaga cannot be considered only an evil and grumpy sorceress.
Baba Yaga has magical things, and various animals serve her. Chasing the fairy-tale heroes running away from her, she chases after them like a black cloud. In two fairy tales, Baba Yaga dies: in one, she fell into a fiery river from a bridge (“Marya Morevna”), in the other, Ivan Tsarevich cuts off her head (“Ivan Tsarevich and Bely Polyanin”). In three fairy tales, Baba Yaga has sisters, in one fairy tale - even children (41 daughters). This tale is unusual in that Baba Yaga does not live in a hut on chicken legs, but in white stone chambers.
Baba Yaga knows the future, has countless treasures and secret knowledge. Baba Yaga is the owner of fire (“Vasilisa the Beautiful”), magical things, knowledge that helps the main character defeat his opponent (“The Frog Princess”).
In all fairy tales, Baba Yaga acts in three incarnations: 1) Yaga the hero (“Ivan Tsarevich and the White Polyanin”), where she fights on equal terms with the heroes; 2) Yaga the Kidnapper (“Geese-Swans”, “Baba Yaga”), where she steals children; 3) Yaga the giver (in all other fairy tales), where she warmly meets the main character or heroine, treats her deliciously, soars in the bathhouse, gives useful tips, presents rich gifts.

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II. Analysis of research results

Based on the connections between various objects, phenomena, and actions of Baba Yaga in Russian folk tales, we can draw a conclusion about her essence.
Baba Yaga tests people, punishes them (ruins them), gives them a ball (guiding thread), gives advice that contributes to achieving the goal, “feels with her heart,” which means - controls fate.
Baba Yaga kidnaps and eats children and people, is associated with night and darkness, she is served by a black cat, she is always old, half-skeleton (bone leg), she is blind, does not see, but smells with her nose (“smells of the Russian spirit”), lives in a hut without windows or doors, around her house there is a fence made of skulls; the fire given by her can kill, which means it is associated with death and the underworld.
Baba Yaga lives in a dense forest, in a hut on chicken legs (half-animal appearance). Wild animals serve her, geese and swans serve her, which means she mistress of beasts and forests.
Baba Yaga flies on a mortar, geese-swans serve her, she raises the wind with a broom, whistles (whistle is associated with the wind), which means she associated with the air element.
Baba Yaga is subject to morning, day, night (white, red and black riders), which means she is a time lady.
Baba Yaga is in charge of fire (the eyes of the skulls in the fence), lies on the stove, punishes people (destroys), morning, day, night are subject to her, which means she is associated with fire heavenly, underground and domestic. ( Application.)

Thus, my research showed that Baba Yaga is a fictional fairy-tale character. Its prototype is the Slavic goddess of death. The essence of the image of Baba Yaga in Russian folk tales has more deep meaning, rather than just an angry, grumpy old woman. This image majestic figure ancient goddess, commanding Time, Fire, Air, Wild Beasts and Forest, Life and Death, Fate.

My guess was confirmed.

III. Conclusion

During my research, I found answers to many questions. I read a lot of Russian folk tales, learned the meaning of words I didn’t understand, conducted a survey among students on the research topic, and learned a lot about Baba Yaga from additional literature. Based on fairy tales, I drew a conclusion about the essence of the image of Baba Yaga. I really enjoyed analyzing fairy tales. I realized that you should always be very careful when reading any work of fiction, since only thoughtful reading will allow you to make some new discoveries.

Glossary of terms

Baba Yaga is a popular character in Russian folk tales. Typically an evil old woman-witch.

Yaga - to sting, to cause pain, to torment.

“Chicken legs” - this name most likely comes from “chicken”, that is, smoke-fuelled pillars, on which the Slavs erected a “death hut”.

Myth is an ancient folk tale about legendary heroes, gods, and natural phenomena; unreliable story, fiction.

Mythology is a set of myths of a people; the science that studies myths.

A pestle is a short, heavy rod with a rounded end for pounding something in a mortar. Stone, copper, wooden pestle.

A broomstick is a stick with a rag wound at the end, a washcloth, pine needles for sweeping, a broom.

Fairy tale - the oldest folk genre narrative literature, mainly of a fantastic nature, with the purpose of moralizing or entertainment.

A mortar is a heavy metal, wooden or stone vessel in which grains, bark, leaves, etc. are pounded with a pestle. Stupa with Baba Yaga (in fairy tales about Baba Yaga, who flies in a mortar and with a broom).

Annex 1

Baba Yaga

Appendix 2

Slide 1

Good afternoon, dear guests and conference participants! I am a 1st grade student at Lomonosov Secondary School named after M.V. Lomonosov Prourzin Egor.
The purpose of my speech is to give new information on the topic of my research. Topic title: “The image of Baba Yaga in Russian folk tales.”
Who is Baba Yaga? How did she get into the fairy tale? Did Baba Yaga ever exist? I decided to find answers to my questions.

Slide 2

This determined the purpose of my work: to analyze the image of Baba Yaga and draw a conclusion about her essence.

Slide 3

To achieve the goal, I set the following tasks: Є learn from additional literature about Baba Yaga; Є conduct a survey among students on the topic of work; Є read Russian folk tales with the participation of Baba Yaga; Є analyze the image of Baba Yaga and draw conclusions.

Slide 4

Hypothesis: Let's assume that Baba Yaga is a fictional character from Russian folk tales.

Research methods:

thought independently;

read books;

asked adults;

conducted a survey;

analyzed

Slide 5

First, I decided to conduct a survey among elementary school students, because I was interested in what other students thought about Baba Yaga. They were asked to answer next questions(point to the slide with your hand).
I indicated all answer options after the questions.
The guys' answers helped further my research. I have identified for myself the main points that I should pay special attention to. These are: Baba Yaga’s habitat, her appearance, magical things in fairy tales and animals serving Baba Yaga.
During the research, I learned that Baba Yaga is a famous character in Slavic fairy tales. The prototype of Baba Yaga is the Slavic goddess of death. I realized that a fairy tale is always preceded by a myth.

Slide 6

Based on the connections between various objects, phenomena, and actions of Baba Yaga, I made a conclusion about her essence. ( table 2)

table 2

The image of Baba Yaga in Russian folk tales

Slide 7

Thus, my research showed that Baba Yaga is a fictional fairy-tale character. The essence of the image of Baba Yaga in Russian folk tales has a deeper meaning (rather than just an evil, grumpy old woman). This is the image of a majestic figure of an ancient goddess, commanding Time, Fire, Air, Wild Beasts and Forest, Life and Death, Fate.

Literature

Propp V.Ya. Historical roots fairy tale – St. Petersburg, 1996.

Holy Rus'. Great encyclopedia Russian People. Russian literature / Comp. O.A. Platonov. – M.: Institute of Russian Civilization, 2004.

Schoolchild's Reader. Russian folk tales. – M.: Planet of Childhood, 1999.

Tsyganenko G.P. Etymological dictionary Russian language. – Kyiv: Glad. school, 1989.

Illustrations by Ivan Bilibin for Russian folk tales were used in the design of the article.

Regional scientific and practical conference

Research

"The image of Baba Yaga in Russian folk tales."

Completed by: 3b grade student

MBOU "Zheleznogorsk Secondary School No. 4":

Lapina Tatyana

Head: Savicheva I.A.

Zheleznogorsk-Ilimsky 2016

Introduction………………………………………….…………………………………3

Goals and objectives of the project……...……………………….…………………………..3

Main part.

General characteristics of Baba Yaga…………………………………… 3

Baba Yaga - mythological creature ……………………………… 4

The main features of the image of Baba Yaga…………………………………… 5

Baba-Yaga's Dwelling………………………………………………….. 6

Baba Yaga in Russian folk tales ……………………………… 7

General conclusions……………………………………………………… 7

Analysis of the research results………………………………………………………. 8

Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………… 9

Glossary of terms …………………………………………………………… 10

Literature……………………………………………………………………………….. 11

Application …………………………………………………………………. 12

The image of Baba Yaga in Russian folk tales.

Where does the fairy tale live? Yes, everywhere: in a dense forest, in a field, at a crossroads, in the rustling of leaves... A fairy tale was born with a person, and as long as a person lives, a fairy tale lives. Everyone loves fairy tales: both adults and children. They contain many different miracles. Has anyone ever wondered how Baba Yaga got into the fairy tale? Why does she eat small children? Why does she live alone in a dark forest? Who invented it? Is this a fictional fairy tale character? Or maybe Baba Yaga is a mythological creature? We decided to learn more about this and find answers to our questions.

Subject. "The image of Baba Yaga in Russian folk tales."

Target. Analyze the image of Baba Yaga in Russian folk tales and draw a conclusion about its essence.

Tasks. Find out from additional literature about Baba Yaga; conduct a survey on the topic of work among students; read Russian folk tales in which Baba Yaga acts; analyze the image of Baba Yaga and draw conclusions.

Object of study. Baba Yaga.

Subject of study. Russian folk tales.

Hypothesis. Let's assume that Baba Yaga is a fictional character from Russian folk tales.

Research methods. Reflections, reading books, surveys, analysis of results.

Main part

General characteristics of Baba Yaga

Baba Yaga is an old, blind, hunchbacked sorceress with a long nose and disheveled hair. It feeds on human flesh, and is called the “bone leg.”
In the encyclopedia I found the following definition: Baba Yaga is a popular character in Russian folk tales. In the Orthodox consciousness, it is the embodiment of the satanic forces of evil, an expression of hatred for everything Russian.
Baba Yaga lives in the forest, in a hut on chicken legs, sometimes surrounded by a palisade of human bones. The hut can turn around itself. Different animals live in Baba Yaga's house: black cats, mice, frogs, crows and snakes. They are her advisers and guards.
Baba Yaga does not walk, but travels around the world in an iron mortar (scooter chariot), driving it with a pestle or an iron club. And so that the traces are not visible, she covers them with a broom or broom.
Baba Yaga has magical things: a flying carpet, samogud harp, a treasure sword, walking boots and many others.

Such an environment allows her to live calmly on the border of two worlds: the world of the living and the world of the dead.

Baba Yaga in Russian folk tales

First, I decided to conduct a survey among the students in my class, because I was interested: what do other students think about Baba Yaga? They were asked to answer the following questions:

1. Who is Baba Yaga?
2. How do you imagine her?
3. Where does she live?
4. What does he do?
5. What does a bone leg look like?

Next, I independently analyzed the image of Baba Yaga. To do this, I read 10 Russian folk tales that talked about Baba Yaga.
In all Russian folk tales, Baba Yaga plays an important role. Heroes sometimes resort to her as their last hope, their last helper. But in fairy tales it either helps or it doesn’t.
The results of my research on the following fairy tales: “Geese-Swans”, “The Frog Princess”, “Vasilisa the Beautiful”, “Baba Yaga”, “Marya Morevna”, “Ivan Tsarevich and Bely Polyanin”, “Go there - I don’t know where” , bring something - I don’t know what”, “The Enchanted Princess”, “Finist - the Clear Falcon”, “The Tale of Rejuvenating Apples and Living Water” - I wrote it down in the table. (Application)

Yaga’s behavior is reminiscent of the rituals of our ancestors:

Bath procedures

Treats

The ritual of “over-baking”

This ritual was performed on sick or weak children. Its essence was as follows: if a baby was born premature, then he was placed on a bread shovel and thrust into a warm oven three times. There the baby “fostered”, became stronger and more vital. This ritual was performed by a village healer

General conclusions

Thus, in the fairy tales I have read, Baba Yaga appears to be an old, toothless woman with a long nose.
Baba Yaga lives in the forest, in a hut on chicken legs, which turns its back to the forest and its front to the stranger; the fence around the hut is made of human bones, on the fence there are skulls, instead of doors there are legs, instead of locks there are hands, instead of a lock there is a mouth with sharp teeth.
The heroes address Baba Yaga affectionately - “grandmother”. Baba Yaga helps heroes who deserve it, although she cannot stand the Russian spirit. In 6 fairy tales out of 10, Baba Yaga is a positive character, in 4 fairy tales - a negative one. This means that Baba Yaga cannot be considered only an evil and grumpy sorceress.
Baba Yaga has magical things, and various animals serve her. Chasing the fairy-tale heroes running away from her, she chases after them like a black cloud. In two fairy tales, Baba Yaga dies: in one, she fell into a fiery river from a bridge (“Marya Morevna”), in the other, Ivan Tsarevich cuts off her head (“Ivan Tsarevich and Bely Polyanin”). In three fairy tales, Baba Yaga has sisters, in one fairy tale - even children (41 daughters). This tale is unusual in that Baba Yaga does not live in a hut on chicken legs, but in white stone chambers.
Baba Yaga knows the future, has countless treasures and secret knowledge. Baba Yaga is the owner of fire (“Vasilisa the Beautiful”), magical things, knowledge that helps the main character defeat his opponent (“The Frog Princess”).
In all fairy tales, Baba Yaga acts in several incarnations:

1) Yaga the hero (“Ivan the Tsarevich and the Bely Polyanin”), where she fights on equal terms with the heroes;

2) Yaga the Kidnapper (“Geese-Swans”, “Baba Yaga”), where she steals children;

3) Yaga the Giver (in all other fairy tales), where she warmly greets the main character or heroine, gives tasty treats, soars in the bathhouse, gives useful advice, and presents rich gifts.

4) Yaga-mistress. Mistress of the forces of nature and the animal world (commands the morning, evening, night, wind, wolves, bears, and other forest animals).

... Baba Yaga came out and said to her worker:

Go, heat the bathhouse, and wash your niece, and look, it’s good

"Baba Yaga"

... Baba Yaga began to go to bed and said:

When I leave tomorrow, you look - clean the yard, sweep the hut, cook dinner, prepare the laundry.

"Vasilisa the Beautiful"

5) Yaga is an adviser. Baba Yaga herself does nothing for the hero, but indicates who to turn to for help, for example, her older sister.
...Listen, go along the path. And when you reach the pond, hide behind a tree and bide your time. (“Vasilisa the Wise”)
6) Yaga is the patroness. He takes the hero under his wing and, with the help of his magical assistants (owl, saucer), follows the hero's adventures.
But I will help you. Here's a silver saucer and a golden egg.
("Finist - clear falcon")

Analysis of research results

Based on the connections between various objects, phenomena, and actions of Baba Yaga in Russian folk tales, we can draw a conclusion about her essence.
Baba Yaga tests people, punishes them (ruins them), gives them a ball (guiding thread), gives advice that helps them achieve their goals, “feels with her heart,” which means she controls fate.
Baba Yaga kidnaps and eats children and people, is associated with night and darkness, she is served by a black cat, she is always old, half-skeleton (bone leg), she is blind, does not see, but smells with her nose (“smells of the Russian spirit”), lives in a hut without windows or doors, around her house there is a fence made of skulls; the fire given by her can kill, which means she is associated with death and the underworld.
Baba Yaga lives in a dense forest, in a hut on chicken legs (half-animal appearance). Wild animals serve her, geese-swans serve her, which means she is the mistress of animals and the forest.
Baba Yaga flies on a mortar, geese-swans serve her, she raises the wind with a broom, whistles (whistle is associated with the wind), which means she is connected with the air element.
Baba Yaga is subject to morning, day, night (white, red and black horsemen), which means she is the mistress of time.
Baba Yaga is in charge of fire (the eyes of the skulls in the fence), lies on the stove, punishes people (destroys), morning, day, night are subject to her, which means she is connected with heavenly, underground and domestic fire. (Application.)

Thus, my research showed that Baba Yaga is a fictional fairy-tale character. Its prototype is the Slavic goddess of death. The essence of the image of Baba Yaga in Russian folk tales has a deeper meaning than just an angry, grumpy old woman. This is the image of a majestic figure of an ancient goddess who rules Time, Fire, Air, Wild animals and Forest, Life and Death, Fate.

My guess was confirmed.

III. Conclusion

During my research, I found answers to many questions. I read a lot of Russian folk tales, learned the meaning of words I didn’t understand, conducted a survey among students on the research topic, and learned a lot about Baba Yaga from additional literature. Based on fairy tales, I drew a conclusion about the essence of the image of Baba Yaga. I really enjoyed analyzing fairy tales. I realized that you should always be very careful when reading any work of fiction, since only thoughtful reading will allow you to make some new discoveries.

Glossary of terms

Baba Yaga is a popular character in Russian folk tales. Typically an evil old woman-witch.

Yaga - to sting, to cause pain, to torment.

“Chicken legs” - this name most likely comes from the “chicken”, that is, smoke-fuelled, pillars on which the Slavs erected a “death hut”.

Myth is an ancient folk tale about legendary heroes, gods, and natural phenomena; unreliable story, fiction.

Mythology is a set of myths of a people; the science that studies myths.

A pestle is a short, heavy rod with a rounded end for pounding something in a mortar. Stone, copper, wooden pestle.

A broomstick is a stick with a rag wound at the end, a washcloth, needles for sweeping, a broom.

A fairy tale is the oldest folk genre of narrative literature, mainly of a fantastic nature, with the purpose of moralizing or entertainment.

A mortar is a heavy metal, wooden or stone vessel in which grains, bark, leaves, etc. are pounded with a pestle. Stupa with Baba Yaga (in fairy tales about Baba Yaga, who flies in a mortar and with a broom)

Annex 1.

Appendix 2.

Appendix 3.

The image of Baba Yaga in Russian folk tales

Literature.

Potebnya A. A., O mythical meaning some rituals and beliefs. [chap.] 2 - Baba Yaga, “Readings in the Imperial Society of Russian History and Antiquities”, M., 1865, book. 3;