Published: 7 March, 2009, 09:34
Edited: 7 March, 2009, 09:34
A folk character, who has been scaring people for generations, is also making politicians uneasy over fears she is a pagan spirit.
She kidnaps children and then she eats them. The legend of Baba Yaga strikes fear into the hearts of every Russian child.
She's a Slavic folk character used to threaten children who misbehave.
But a museum in Central Russia dedicated to her is also scaring some politicians.
“We blame the founders of this museum and those who support them for conducting this dangerous experiment with evil spirits without thinking of the consequences,” says local deputy Dmitry Alfeev.
"They picture Baba Yaga like this kind old lady. But from traditional Russian folk tales we all know that Baba Yaga was an evil witch. It is misleading for children.
“The museum founders just want to make money out of the little ones.”
The superstitious deputy and some of his colleagues even blame the recent hurricane in the village on the minions of Baba Yaga. Even though they have never met her they think she sends the wrong message to the little ones.
In cartoons Baba Yaga bears comparison to the big bad witch who is portrayed as the chief of evil spirits. But Baba Yaga from Kukoboy says she is nothing like its traditional prototype.
“There's no need to scare children with evil characters if they misbehave they need to be talked to. I always tell children to take good care of their pets, feed birds in winter and not to pollute forests or pick flowers.”
The actress refuses to ruin the myth by taking her mask off in front of the camera. She has already made an impression of many non-superstitious tourists and wants the legend to live on.