Croatian Tales of Long Ago - Baba Roga

It is well known that in every forest – but a real, shadowy, gloomy forest where everything seems ashen and grey even in the middle of the bright summer day – live two sisters, Baba Roga and Baba Jaga. They are as old as the forests they live in, and the time carved the strangest shapes, bulges and lumps and crinkles, into their bodies just like in the trees and rocks and ground that surround them. Walking through such a forest, you can only notice one or both sisters if they reveal themselves to you.

The mortals fear the sisters greatly. In moments of despair, however, many turn to them. There is only one reason for that – they are not afraid to act against the will of the gods. When it seems there is no way out, Baba Roga and Baba Jaga are not afraid to help.

But the sisters do not obey any law, neither divine nor human. They can help in almost any adversity just as easily as they can take away everything. And if they decide on the latter, rest assured, it will not be merely metaphorical. They will take what mortals cherish the most, their offspring. The younger, the better. They will prepare him or her with the best herbs and spices the forest has to offer and they will start the feast nibbling on the cheeks. Because, everyone knows this, the cheeks of the young, especially of the human species, are the most appetizing delicacy that the gods gave to earthly beings.