Baba Yaga

Baba Yaga is a character from Slavic folklore (or one of a trio of sisters of the same name) who has two opposite roles. In some motifs she is described as a repulsive and/or ferocious-looking old woman who fries and eats children, while in others she is a nice old woman, who helps out the hero. According to folklorist Vladimir Propp's folktale morphology, Baba Yaga commonly appears as either a donor or a villain, or may be altogether ambiguous. The distinctive traits of Baba Yaga are flying around in a mortar, wielding a pestle, and dwelling deep in the forest in a hut standing on chicken legs. She also has associations with forest wildlife.