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Author Topic: Working with Baba Yaga  (Read 5544 times)

goblin-queen

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Working with Baba Yaga
« on: October 17, 2018, 05:34:22 pm »
Once again I've found myself being beckoned to her woods but I'd like to be prepared before I stumble in their blind.

So in a round-about-way I'm asking if anyone works with her and what she's like.

I'd love to pick up any tidbits of knowledge. It'd be great know her preferred offerings, things that might tick her off, how best to approach her. I'm a very visual person so would love to set up an altar for her, so knowing any associated iconography would be great too. :D

Many thanks to anyone who helps!  ;D
“...talent means nothing, while experience, acquired in humility and with hard work, means everything.”

Zlote Jablko

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Re: Working with Baba Yaga
« Reply #1 on: November 03, 2018, 08:45:14 am »
Once again I've found myself being beckoned to her woods but I'd like to be prepared before I stumble in their blind.

So in a round-about-way I'm asking if anyone works with her and what she's like.

I'd love to pick up any tidbits of knowledge. It'd be great know her preferred offerings, things that might tick her off, how best to approach her. I'm a very visual person so would love to set up an altar for her, so knowing any associated iconography would be great too. :D

Many thanks to anyone who helps!  ;D

I’m a big proponent of finding Slavic paganism in folklore and fairy tales, but I tend to steer clear of ambiguous figures like Baba Yaga. My personal view is that there are legitimately unclean forces in Slavic paganism, such as Chernobog.

Still, there’s a book by Andreas Johns that you might like; “Baba Yaga: The Ambiguous Mother and Witch of the Russian Folktale.”

Some of the more interesting parallels include relationships to Finnic goddesses of the earth and underworld, Akka and Syotajar. Her hut for example resembles that of Akka. In many ways, she seems to be an inhabitant of the underworld  with some negative aspects, but perhaps also an association with fertility and magic.

If she does in fact correlate to a known Slavic Goddess, then perhaps Marzanna is closely related to her. The associations seem to fit.
« Last Edit: November 03, 2018, 08:49:02 am by Zlote Jablko »

goblin-queen

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Re: Working with Baba Yaga
« Reply #2 on: November 03, 2018, 03:17:59 pm »
I’m a big proponent of finding Slavic paganism in folklore and fairy tales, but I tend to steer clear of ambiguous figures like Baba Yaga. My personal view is that there are legitimately unclean forces in Slavic paganism, such as Chernobog.

That's interesting. I don't view the forces as being unclean, merely opposite. I'm intrigued, when you say 'ambiguous' do you mean in the moral sense?

Still, there’s a book by Andreas Johns that you might like; “Baba Yaga: The Ambiguous Mother and Witch of the Russian Folktale.”

I'll add it to my wishlist, thanks!  ;D

Some of the more interesting parallels include relationships to Finnic goddesses of the earth and underworld, Akka and Syotajar. Her hut for example resembles that of Akka. In many ways, she seems to be an inhabitant of the underworld  with some negative aspects, but perhaps also an association with fertility and magic.

If she does in fact correlate to a known Slavic Goddess, then perhaps Marzanna is closely related to her. The associations seem to fit.

I've heard of a connection between Marzanna and Baba Yaga before. Marzanna is a deity I want to build more of a relationship with. Along with her brother of course, they made it very clear that they come as a package deal.  ;)

I'm less familiar with Akka and Syotajar. I'm interested in learning more but I'm getting strong 'no' vibes from someone. I'm not sure who. =/
“...talent means nothing, while experience, acquired in humility and with hard work, means everything.”

Zlote Jablko

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Re: Working with Baba Yaga
« Reply #3 on: November 04, 2018, 02:28:56 pm »
That's interesting. I don't view the forces as being unclean, merely opposite. I'm intrigued, when you say 'ambiguous' do you mean in the moral sense?

I'll add it to my wishlist, thanks!  ;D

I've heard of a connection between Marzanna and Baba Yaga before. Marzanna is a deity I want to build more of a relationship with. Along with her brother of course, they made it very clear that they come as a package deal.  ;)

I'm less familiar with Akka and Syotajar. I'm interested in learning more but I'm getting strong 'no' vibes from someone. I'm not sure who. =/

There was a common Russian folk belief in the “unclean forces.” These could be considered harmful or even evil, yes. I struggled with dualism in the Slavic tradition for years, but the conclusion I came to is that there is a pre-Christian layer of it.

Like many things in Slavic tradition however, it’s debatable with Baba Yaga. Some deities may have had two sides, or a semi-distinct doppelgänger. Similar to the goddess of luck Dolya, and her counterpart Nedolya. Marzanna/Morena seems to have been feared as a Goddess of death, but may have also been associated with fertility, similar to the Latvian Mara.

Underworld Goddesses may have been useful to Shamans, but still  feared.There’s an interesting Finnish story about Väinämöinen visiting the lady of the underworld. She serves him beer with frog spawn and writhing snakes, and refuses to give him the spells he seeks before chasing him back home (similar to some chase scenes across the river in Baba Yaga stories.)
She raises a net of iron in the river of Tuonela, but he turns into a snake and slips through. Lemminkäinen isn’t so lucky when he visits the otherworld. He gets dismembered, and his body winds up in the river. His mother has to find and resurrect him.

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Re: Working with Baba Yaga
« Reply #4 on: November 05, 2018, 11:51:45 am »
There was a common Russian folk belief in the “unclean forces.” These could be considered harmful or even evil, yes. I struggled with dualism in the Slavic tradition for years, but the conclusion I came to is that there is a pre-Christian layer of it.

I think I've encountered something like that in an article I read recently. I think the idea of miasma in Ancient Greece is somewhat similar. Though the latter makes more sense to me as I do believe that a place can take on energy. I don't believe in "unclean forces" I believe in unclean deeds that scar the area in which it happens. "Forces" to me sounds as if they have a mind of their own, or at least possess a low level of sentience. But y'know, to each their own.  ;D

The dualism within the native Slavic faith is fascinating to me. May I ask why you struggled with it? I hope I don't sound condescending, i'm just genuinely curious.

Like many things in Slavic tradition however, it’s debatable with Baba Yaga. Some deities may have had two sides, or a semi-distinct doppelgänger. Similar to the goddess of luck Dolya, and her counterpart Nedolya. Marzanna/Morena seems to have been feared as a Goddess of death, but may have also been associated with fertility, similar to the Latvian Mara.

One of the first books on Wicca I read gave an analogy that has stuck with me for years. Deities are like disco balls, multi-faceted pieces of a whole unit. It goes deeper than that but I can't remember the rest. ^^; I believe most deities have more than one side. Nature itself is ever changing, as is man, so it makes sense to me that deities aren't static entities. Sometimes I've found the two halves hard to reconcile. With Sekhmet I just couldn't wrap my head around how a deity can be viewed as an embodiment of wrath *and* the patron of surgeons. Eventually I stopped over thinking it. I figured I can express a gamete of emotions, why can't they?

Underworld Goddesses may have been useful to Shamans, but still  feared.There’s an interesting Finnish story about Väinämöinen visiting the lady of the underworld. She serves him beer with frog spawn and writhing snakes, and refuses to give him the spells he seeks before chasing him back home (similar to some chase scenes across the river in Baba Yaga stories.)
She raises a net of iron in the river of Tuonela, but he turns into a snake and slips through. Lemminkäinen isn’t so lucky when he visits the otherworld. He gets dismembered, and his body winds up in the river. His mother has to find and resurrect him.

I've never heard that story before, it was really interesting. :) I definitely agree that Underworld deities were/are held with a sense of reverence intermingled with fear. It's totally understandable, some of them are truly fearsome to behold!
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Zlote Jablko

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Re: Working with Baba Yaga
« Reply #5 on: November 06, 2018, 12:08:34 am »
I think I've encountered something like that in an article I read recently. I think the idea of miasma in Ancient Greece is somewhat similar. Though the latter makes more sense to me as I do believe that a place can take on energy. I don't believe in "unclean forces" I believe in unclean deeds that scar the area in which it happens. "Forces" to me sounds as if they have a mind of their own, or at least possess a low level of sentience. But y'know, to each their own.  ;D

The dualism within the native Slavic faith is fascinating to me. May I ask why you struggled with it? I hope I don't sound condescending, i'm just genuinely curious.

I have a long, rambling thread on Balto-Slavic dualism. I initially was resistant to the idea of a "black god" or the notion that the underworld deities like Veles and Marena might be viewed unfavorably. It felt very Christian at first. Throughout north Eurasia, it's a fairly common concept though. For example, among the Komi, you have En (the good creator.) and his counterpart, the malevolent Omol. That basic creation story shows up from Lithuania to Siberia. So the whole idea of a black god kind of holds up, actually. At least from a historical perspective- your spirituality is up to you. Personally, I've made my peace with the idea of the cosmic struggle.

I accept that sometimes the "evil" is ambiguous, maybe just one side of the coin, but still... working with some Slavic Gods feels like grasping a spinning knife. You should be careful about which side you're going to get.  In one Russian Bylina, she appears as a snake-carrying sorceress called "Marina the Vile." She threatens to turn the hero into a "frog of the underworld" which apparently is a fate from which there is no return. This is why shamans, witches, and Volkhvy were revered throughout the land that is now Russia. They were considered skilled enough to work with these two-sided underworld deities, and "working with" was not necessarily worshiping.

After brushing up on this subject, I definitely support the Marena connection though. The book and its author (Andreas Johns)  are the real deal when it comes to historical research.

One of the first books on Wicca I read gave an analogy that has stuck with me for years. Deities are like disco balls, multi-faceted pieces of a whole unit. It goes deeper than that but I can't remember the rest. ^^; I believe most deities have more than one side. Nature itself is ever changing, as is man, so it makes sense to me that deities aren't static entities. Sometimes I've found the two halves hard to reconcile. With Sekhmet I just couldn't wrap my head around how a deity can be viewed as an embodiment of wrath *and* the patron of surgeons. Eventually I stopped over thinking it. I figured I can express a gamete of emotions, why can't they?


The name "Marena" probably means "death" originally.  There's also a Goddess named "Zhiva" or "life." My question is, why would I ever worship Marena instead of Zhiva? One answer seems to be magic. She was clearly a kind of witch Goddess. However, the tradition that survived most visibly in folklore was the burning of her effigy at the end of winter. That says something about popular perception of her. I think that people did work with Marena and Veles, but they were still feared outsider deities. For a pagan tradition, the dualism was strong in Eastern European folk belief.
« Last Edit: November 06, 2018, 12:11:27 am by Zlote Jablko »

goblin-queen

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Re: Working with Baba Yaga
« Reply #6 on: November 06, 2018, 12:26:38 pm »
I have a long, rambling thread on Balto-Slavic dualism. I initially was resistant to the idea of a "black god" or the notion that the underworld deities like Veles and Marena might be viewed unfavorably. It felt very Christian at first. Throughout north Eurasia, it's a fairly common concept though. For example, among the Komi, you have En (the good creator.) and his counterpart, the malevolent Omol. That basic creation story shows up from Lithuania to Siberia. So the whole idea of a black god kind of holds up, actually. At least from a historical perspective- your spirituality is up to you. Personally, I've made my peace with the idea of the cosmic struggle

Ah see I made peace with that mentality after having dabbled in Hellenism. I've never heard of those deities before, I did some digging and their creation myth seems to fit into the 'earth-diver' category. I'm finding the Komi religion quite interesting as the Komi-Zyryans have different ideas to the Komi-Permians in how things happened. In one telling Omol' tries to interfere negatively with the creation of man and in another Kul' actually helps his brother. There's also some differences in the creation myth but how the universe was aligned seems pretty agreed upon.

I accept that sometimes the "evil" is ambiguous, maybe just one side of the coin, but still... working with some Slavic Gods feels like grasping a spinning knife. You should be careful about which side you're going to get.  In one Russian Bylina, she appears as a snake-carrying sorceress called "Marina the Vile." She threatens to turn the hero into a "frog of the underworld" which apparently is a fate from which there is no return. This is why shamans, witches, and Volkhvy were revered throughout the land that is now Russia. They were considered skilled enough to work with these two-sided underworld deities, and "working with" was not necessarily worshiping.

I don't normally believe in morally absolutism, but evil for me is an exception. There are some acts that are objectively pure evil, the reasoning behind them can be ambiguous. But thanks to leaps in science we now have a greater understanding as to why some people perform those actions. So the ambiguity surrounding people like serial killers and their thought processes is lessening.
As for deities I don't see them as evil, dark maybe but not evil. They've been created to fill in gaps in knowledge. Marina the Vile's role may not be a pleasant one, but nevertheless she exists to explain, or perhaps to teach. Maybe as an old form of the boogey man to scare kids. I agree there is a difference between working with and worshiping. Personally, I prefer the former phrase.

After brushing up on this subject, I definitely support the Marena connection though. The book and its author (Andreas Johns)  are the real deal when it comes to historical research.

That's good to know! There can be a lot of quacks out there spreading misinformation. ;D

The name "Marena" probably means "death" originally.  There's also a Goddess named "Zhiva" or "life." My question is, why would I ever worship Marena instead of Zhiva? One answer seems to be magic. She was clearly a kind of witch Goddess. However, the tradition that survived most visibly in folklore was the burning of her effigy at the end of winter. That says something about popular perception of her. I think that people did work with Marena and Veles, but they were still feared outsider deities. For a pagan tradition, the dualism was strong in Eastern European folk belief.

In another telling Marena is also a goddess of life and fertility who couples with her brother upon his return from Veles's domain. This union ensures a bountiful harvest. Her brother dies as part of the cycle and that's when she's said to become the frightful being of Winter. She too is destined to die at the end of the year, her drowning taking many forms of meaning. That of appeasement, sympathetic magic or the representation of her returning to the Underworld. To be reborn with her brother once again when the cycle begins anew.
I agree that there is a lot of dualism in Eastern European belief systems, I'm still trying to wrap my head around it. It doesn't help that 'Eastern European' covers such a wide range of people!  ;)
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RitaCeleste

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Re: Working with Baba Yaga
« Reply #7 on: December 02, 2018, 02:44:36 pm »
Once again I've found myself being beckoned to her woods but I'd like to be prepared before I stumble in their blind.

So in a round-about-way I'm asking if anyone works with her and what she's like.

I'd love to pick up any tidbits of knowledge. It'd be great know her preferred offerings, things that might tick her off, how best to approach her. I'm a very visual person so would love to set up an altar for her, so knowing any associated iconography would be great too. :D

Many thanks to anyone who helps!  ;D

I love Baba Yaga stories!  However, if you paid attention to those stories, you won't be knocking on her door unless it was a life and sort of matter.  Baba Yaga does not want to be bothered.  You don't just stroll up to Baba Yaga's door and become best friends and send her do your bidding.  Please read all the fairytales carefully, again.  Good luck with that.  Her preferred offering is solitude.

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Re: Working with Baba Yaga
« Reply #8 on: December 02, 2018, 04:33:59 pm »
I love Baba Yaga stories!  However, if you paid attention to those stories, you won't be knocking on her door unless it was a life and sort of matter.  Baba Yaga does not want to be bothered.  You don't just stroll up to Baba Yaga's door and become best friends and send her do your bidding.  Please read all the fairytales carefully, again.  Good luck with that.  Her preferred offering is solitude.

Not sure where you got the bffs thing from and I certainly won't be casually sauntering up to Her door. What I wanted to know where the respectful ways in which I could approach her. Sending Her to do my bidding has nothing to do with it, in fact I find the whole idea of sending a deity to do your bidding to be distasteful.

I also can't help but wonder how many other stories exist of Baba Yaga, or similar figures that paint them in a much different light. Just because Vasilia the Beautiful contains one depiction it doesn't mean that it's the *only* depiction.

I will continue down the path I have chosen, to back out now would be a disservice. Not to mention hypocritical; I can work with Goddesses of war and death but not a volatile wild woman? Besides, She reminds me of my Grandma: scary as all Hell, but very strong and very much Her own woman.  ;)
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Re: Working with Baba Yaga
« Reply #9 on: December 02, 2018, 05:39:00 pm »
Not sure where you got the bffs thing from and I certainly won't be casually sauntering up to Her door. What I wanted to know where the respectful ways in which I could approach her. Sending Her to do my bidding has nothing to do with it, in fact I find the whole idea of sending a deity to do your bidding to be distasteful.

I also can't help but wonder how many other stories exist of Baba Yaga, or similar figures that paint them in a much different light. Just because Vasilia the Beautiful contains one depiction it doesn't mean that it's the *only* depiction.

I will continue down the path I have chosen, to back out now would be a disservice. Not to mention hypocritical; I can work with Goddesses of war and death but not a volatile wild woman? Besides, She reminds me of my Grandma: scary as all Hell, but very strong and very much Her own woman.  ;)

That is the best Baba Yaga story.  Baba Yaga only helps girls by making them witches so they can help themselves.  She helps them by challenging them and their learning is kinda a trial by fire.  Boys she eats.  Girls who are not up to snuff she eats.  Anyone who knocks on her door when they have not exhausted every other resource available, she eats.  She is always hungry.  She rarely takes on a student.  Mostly she eats people.

Baba Yaga is kinda trial by fire.  The universe may answer your prayers by forcing you to face very hard challenges to gain greater skills than you would otherwise.  Me, I am thankful for every single boring day.  Search around for Baby Yaga stories.  They are all good.  But I don't ever want to need Baba Yaga's help.  I'd rather jump off a tall building.

For me, the Goddess herself is nicer than Baba Yaga and a much safer bet.  I never want the universe to get the idea I need excitement or anything like that.

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Re: Working with Baba Yaga
« Reply #10 on: December 03, 2018, 10:33:43 am »
Baba Yaga is kinda trial by fire.  The universe may answer your prayers by forcing you to face very hard challenges to gain greater skills than you would otherwise.  Me, I am thankful for every single boring day.  Search around for Baby Yaga stories.  They are all good.  But I don't ever want to need Baba Yaga's help.  I'd rather jump off a tall building.

Tbh I've already been through a lot, sooo trials by fire don't really phase me. It's not so much wanting Her help, something about her intrigues me. I'm not sure on the relationship that I want to create, if She's even amenable to one. Fair enough, to each their own.

For me, the Goddess herself is nicer than Baba Yaga and a much safer bet.  I never want the universe to get the idea I need excitement or anything like that.

Different strokes for different folks really. The Goddess I work with is a complex one, as is Her consort. They're constantly shifting in how they manifest. So in a weird way I find figures like Baba Yaga and Frau Percta comforting. At least with them you know where you stand. ^^;
« Last Edit: December 03, 2018, 10:35:56 am by LapisLazuli »
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Re: Working with Baba Yaga
« Reply #11 on: December 03, 2018, 01:26:28 pm »
Tbh I've already been through a lot, sooo trials by fire don't really phase me. It's not so much wanting Her help, something about her intrigues me. I'm not sure on the relationship that I want to create, if She's even amenable to one. Fair enough, to each their own.

Different strokes for different folks really. The Goddess I work with is a complex one, as is Her consort. They're constantly shifting in how they manifest. So in a weird way I find figures like Baba Yaga and Frau Percta comforting. At least with them you know where you stand. ^^;

I don't work with Gods at all.  I get energy like for healing.  I have guides who are like the peanut gallery, offering tips and healing and just the right degree of snarky.

What I like about Baba Yaga is that she prefers being left alone.  She isn't asking people to give her gifts or kiss her almighty behind.  She is a great witch, but what does want to do with all that power?  Pretty much just make herself a cozy spot and fill it magic objects and animals.  She isn't really out to change the world or get into a history book. 

She doesn't need too much from other people, might as well eat them.  What else are they good for to Baba Yaga?  Could you become strong enough to be an island?  Would you miss relationships with other people?  Would you choose to be social if there was nothing to ever need, not even safety in numbers or a small loan?

Did the Goddess go dark when everyone was only asking for the God?  Could she have gotten mad and been Baba Yaga for a time?  Is she a Goddess or just a really powerful witch?

Always a lot to think about with the stories.  Keep reading and learning.  I like the stories very much as well.  Andrew Lang has a bunch of fairytales in books like the Blue Fairy Book and several other colors that are so old they are free.  I found them on Amazon for free and stuck them on my Kindle.  I can't say if Baba Yaga is in them, but that's a lot of fairytales.

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Re: Working with Baba Yaga
« Reply #12 on: December 03, 2018, 04:14:13 pm »
I don't work with Gods at all.  I get energy like for healing.  I have guides who are like the peanut gallery, offering tips and healing and just the right degree of snarky.

What I like about Baba Yaga is that she prefers being left alone.  She isn't asking people to give her gifts or kiss her almighty behind.  She is a great witch, but what does want to do with all that power?  Pretty much just make herself a cozy spot and fill it magic objects and animals.  She isn't really out to change the world or get into a history book. 

She doesn't need too much from other people, might as well eat them.  What else are they good for to Baba Yaga?  Could you become strong enough to be an island?  Would you miss relationships with other people?  Would you choose to be social if there was nothing to ever need, not even safety in numbers or a small loan?

Did the Goddess go dark when everyone was only asking for the God?  Could she have gotten mad and been Baba Yaga for a time?  Is she a Goddess or just a really powerful witch?

Always a lot to think about with the stories.  Keep reading and learning.  I like the stories very much as well.  Andrew Lang has a bunch of fairytales in books like the Blue Fairy Book and several other colors that are so old they are free.  I found them on Amazon for free and stuck them on my Kindle.  I can't say if Baba Yaga is in them, but that's a lot of fairytales.

I’ve continued digging on Baba Yaga-like beings. It seems the Komi believed in a similar iron-toothed witch called Yomi. Supposedly the evil god Omol caused her to fall from heaven and become an underworld figure. A lot of mythologies from that north Eurasian area have stories about a woman who falls from the sky, either because she transgressed or because the sky God thought she did.

I don’t think she’s just a witch. There’s good reason to associate her with the underworld. She’s often portrayed as residing underground, across a fiery river, or under the roots of a massive tree. Her children are portrayed as dragons.


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Re: Working with Baba Yaga
« Reply #13 on: December 03, 2018, 07:31:26 pm »
I’ve continued digging on Baba Yaga-like beings. It seems the Komi believed in a similar iron-toothed witch called Yomi. Supposedly the evil god Omol caused her to fall from heaven and become an underworld figure. A lot of mythologies from that north Eurasian area have stories about a woman who falls from the sky, either because she transgressed or because the sky God thought she did.

I don’t think she’s just a witch. There’s good reason to associate her with the underworld. She’s often portrayed as residing underground, across a fiery river, or under the roots of a massive tree. Her children are portrayed as dragons.

To me she reads like a Powerful Dark Fae.  There are all the natural elements, that make her seem even more than that at times. 

Patricia Briggs' Mercy Tompson series weaves in characters from fairytales as the Darker Fae.  It is a fun read as introduces characters you've heard of in fairytales and keeps pretty true to the original spirit of their tales.

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Re: Working with Baba Yaga
« Reply #14 on: December 04, 2018, 07:56:13 am »
I’ve continued digging on Baba Yaga-like beings. It seems the Komi believed in a similar iron-toothed witch called Yomi. Supposedly the evil god Omol caused her to fall from heaven and become an underworld figure. A lot of mythologies from that north Eurasian area have stories about a woman who falls from the sky, either because she transgressed or because the sky God thought she did.

I don’t think she’s just a witch. There’s good reason to associate her with the underworld. She’s often portrayed as residing underground, across a fiery river, or under the roots of a massive tree. Her children are portrayed as dragons.

Sounds pretty interesting, do you have the sources?
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