from Baba Yaga’s Geese and Other Russian Stories translated and
adapted by Bonnie CareyBaba Yaga is an evil witch in Russian folklore. She flies around in a
mortar steered by a pestle, and uses a broom to wipe away all traces
of her flight. She lives in a hut that is supported on chicken legs
and spins around in all directions. As in this story, Baba Yaga likes
to steal young children.
Baba Yaga’s Geese
There once lived an old lady and an old man who had a granddaughter and
a little grandson. One day they decided to go to town.
They said to their granddaughter, “We are going to town, Marya. We’ll
bring back a sweet roll and a new kerchief for you, but you must be a
good girl and take care of your little brother. Don’t go out of the
yard.”
The old people set out. Marya carried her brother outside and set him
down on the grass beneath the window. Then she ran off to play in the
road. Suddenly some geese flew by, snatched up the little boy, and
carried him away on their backs.
Marya ran back and saw that her brother was gone. She looked all around,
but he was nowhere to be seen. She called and called, but he didn’t
answer. She ran to an open field. There she caught a glimpse of a flock
of geese disappearing in the distance. They flew over the dark forest,
and then she couldn’t see them anymore.
“The geese have taken away my brother,” the little girl thought, and she
set out after them.
She ran and ran until she saw an oven standing in her way.
“Oven, oven, tell me where the geese have flown,” she said.
“Eat my pie made of rye flour and I will tell you.”
Marya answered, “Why, my family and I don’t even eat pies made of wheat
flour!”
She ran on. She ran further and further until she came to an apple tree.
“Apple tree, apple tree, where have the geese flown?” she asked.
“Eat one of my wild apples and I will tell you.”
“Why, my family and I don’t even eat cultivated apples!” Marya said,
hurrying on.
She ran and ran until she saw a river of milk with a pudding shore.
She said, “River of milk with your pudding shore, where have the geese
flown?”
“Eat my plain milk pudding and I will tell you.”
“Why, my family and I don’t even eat cream pudding!” she answered and
ran on.
Marya rushed on and on until she came upon a hedgehog. She wanted to
push the hedgehog out of her way, but she was afraid he would prick her.
She asked, “Hedgehog, hedgehog, where have the geese flown?”
The hedgehog pointed out a path to the girl. She ran down the path and
came to a clearing where she saw a hut on hen’s legs twirling in every
direction. Inside the hut was Baba Yaga, the Russian witch, with her
bony legs and her ugly face that looks like grey clay. Marya’s brother
was sitting on a bench near the window, playing with a golden apple.
Marya crept up to the window, grabbed her brother, and started to run
home, carrying him piggyback.
Baba Yaga was watching. She quickly called her geese and sent them after
the girl. Meanwhile, Baba Yaga jumped into her mortar, an enormous bowl
in
which she travels around the countryside. Then she, too, flew into the
air after Marya.
Marya ran fast, but Baba Yaga and the geese were overtaking her. Where
could she go? She ran to the river of milk with its pudding shore.
“Dear river, please hide us!” she begged.
“Eat my plain milk pudding. Then I will hide you.”
Marya had no choice. She gulped down the milk pudding. The river hid her
and her brother under a steep bank, and the geese flew past. She came
out from under the bank and ran further, still carrying her brother
piggyback. The geese caught sight of them and chased them again. What
could she do?
She ran up to the apple tree. “Dear apple tree, please hide us!”
“Eat one of my wild apples. Then I will hide you.”
Marya could do nothing else. She ate one of the wild apples. The apple
tree covered them with its branches, and the geese flew by with Baba
Yaga close behind.
Marya came out from under the apple tree and started running home. She
ran as fast as she could, but
the geese caught sight of her and her brother again and began to chase
them. They had almost caught up with them and were flapping their wings
just above Marya’s head when she reached the oven.
“Dear oven, please hide us!”
“Eat my pie made of rye flour. Then I will hide you.”
The little girl quickly ate the pie made of rye flour and crawled into
the oven with her brother. The geese and Baba Yaga flew by.
Then she crawled out of the oven and hurried home at full speed with her
brother still on her back.
The geese caught sight of them again and went after them. They flew down
and beat their wings in her face. The shadow of Baba Yaga’s mortar
loomed overhead. The geese were pulling Marya’s brother from her hands,
but the cottage was not far away. She ran into it quickly, slammed the
door shut, and closed the windows. The geese circled the cottage,
honking all the while. Finally, with a very angry Baba Yaga, they flew
back to the hut on hen’s legs and were never seen again.
The old lady and the old man came home and saw their little grandson in
the house, alive and well. Marya got a sweet roll and a kerchief as her
reward.
There are many other Russian folk tales in the book from which this
story was taken. Another very good collection is The Lazies: Tales of
the People of Russia, translated by Mirra Ginsburg.
