Baba Yaga is, in a word, iconic. A witch who resides deep in the forest, flies around in a mortar, and lives in a hut that walks on chicken legs? She’s living the dream. It’s almost enough to overlook the fact that she possibly eats children.

Of course, my introduction to Baba Yaga was in the far less traumatising form of the animated children’s movie Bartok the Magnificent (1999). In more recent years, she was one of the few (very few) redeeming features of the truly terrible Hellboy (2019) film.

It’s clear that we can’t get enough of Baba Yaga. She’s come a long way from her start in Slavic folklore. So, I hope you enjoy this recommendation post which presents 5 of my favourite short stories relating to Baba Yaga.

Further Examination and Capture of Candle Skulls Associated with the Baba Yaga by Mari Ness

This new offering from Ness melds the mystery of Baba Yaga-adjacent artefacts with the world of academia. A very persuasive research funding proposal, despite the vanished scholars and other disruptions. Read it at Lightspeed.

The Red Forest by Angela Slatter

A ghost tale of sorts, this story expresses the enduring legacy of Baba Yaga in a more literal way. Slatter artfully combines the horrors of war, revenge, and survival. Read it at The Dark.

Baba Yaga and the Seven Hills by Kristina Ten

If you’re in the mood for something more lighthearted, this one’s for you. Baba Yaga is on a quest for her missing chicken-legged hut and it’s taken her all the way to modern San Francisco. Read it at Lightspeed.

Hic Sunt Leones by L. M. Davenport

This story also describes a quest for the house, but for entirely different reasons. Whether you believe in the house’s existence or not, this tour de force by Davenport is well worth the read and may convince you that it’s worth searching for. Read it at Shimmer.

The Story of a House by Yi Izzy Yu

An origin story for, and from the perspective of, Baba Yaga’s house. Short and bittersweet, gruesome yet hopeful. You can read this piece in Into the Forest: Tales of the Baba Yaga, a collection of even more Baba Yaga stories by various authors. (I read this collection via my library’s ebook app; whether you borrow or buy, it’s worth checking out!)