Course: Baba Yaga: The Feminist, Mother and Crone Colliding with Modernity (OSH-BABAYAGA1)

Whether you know Baba Yaga as a Slavic witch, an earth goddess, or a monster in modern media, she is a force with secrets to divulge. The roots of her stories stretch back over a thousand years, and her chicken-legged hut is only the beginning of her intrigue. Darkness, fear, and instability sometimes inundate our daily lives, but folktale figures like Baba Yaga speak to the dichotomies of our existence: the hope and the horror, the magic and the mundane. She is at once an old hag and an enchantress, a demon and wish granter, a feminist and nothing more than a fairytale. Yet her multifaceted presence ripples through the present day. Stories that linger have something to teach us, and Baba Yaga's tales don't disappoint. Understanding ourselves, our complex world, and our place within history are only a matter of turning to a boney-legged old woman who lives deep in the Eastern European woods. This discussion is a glimpse into Kris Spisak's award-winning book, 'Becoming Baba Yaga: Trickster, Feminist, and Witch of the Woods' (Red Wheel/Weiser, 2024; Tantor Audio, 2024), described as 'A delicious read' by Atlas Obscura: https://kris-spisak.com/becoming-baba-yaga/

 Session: OSH326.BABAYAGA1

Schedule: Tuesday, June 16
Times: 03:00pm - 04:30pm
This session is not currently open for registration.

Instructors

Name Additional Resources
Kris Spisak

Facility Detail

TBD - UR Campus
TBD - UR Campus
Richmond, VA 23173