Post by Menshikova School

The oldest of slavic mythological figures is Baba Yaga. Many wonder: what does Yaga mean? Why is she so frightening? And no one believes that the terrifying Baba Yaga was once a protective Bereginya. The word “Yaga” is a distorted form of “Yashka.” In Slavic songs, Yasha referred to an ancient ancestor, a being that once lived on earth and disappeared — hence the more familiar term “ancestor.” Baba Yaga was originally a positive deity in the Slavic pantheon, an ancient foremother, a protector (and if needed, a warrior) of the family, traditions, children, and the surrounding home or forest. During the Christianization of the Slavs, all pagan gods, spirits, and deities, including those who protected humans (the Bereginis), were given demonic, evil attributes, with distorted appearances and malevolent intentions. Thus, the once strict foremother of the pagans was transformed into a wicked demon, used to frighten children.
Later, among different Slavic tribes, other foremother figures appeared, each given their own names: Zlata Baba, Zlata Mother, Makosh, and others."

Alexandra Bazhenova, from the book “Myths of the Ancient Slavs” by Rybakov B., Kaisarov A., Glinka G.