In moonlit skies and whispers raw, who's the hag with beady claw? As always, I have a reading list waiting for you in the description, alongside links to other videos on my channel where you can delve deeper into the references I made here to the Mother of the Forest, Baba Dochia, the Old Fairy, and even the familiar spirits and devil that Baba Cloanța is said to work with. And don't worry - if I only briefly mentioned certain hags like the Days of the Week, that means future videos dedicated to them are in the works.
Oh. Awesome , tyvm 😊 I like craiganford so I have seen 2 vids now both very informative combined with my little knowledge it's really great. Um I need too find a guy I was listening too, but his researcher I believe is Bulgarian, I believe she goes bye the name the new earth lady.. but she's been pointing out coverups and narrative changes etc for a while. But when I think of baba'. I think of that extraordinary woman who got caught up in a sandstorm and becoming blind but a pretty active medium after..... ❤❤❤❤❤😅😅
Inconspicuously it was me who you saw, but I was bred with unhandsomely flaw, yet thou asked whose the hag with the beady claw? Must be the mirror casting its own reflection in an unfounded flaw 😂 In other words the mirror is broken and I looked like a hag in my own reflection cast back by the mirror lol. I am not sure these make any sense though but I do enjoy watching your videos 🙂
As a Serb and someone who has dedicated years in researching Slavic mythology & folklore, even writing books about it, I can say that most things from Romanian folklore have direct parallels in Serbian and broader Slavic folklore. It really is essentially the same, except that (most of the time) we use a different language. Thanks for the good video!
Thank you! It is fascinating to hear from someone who has dedicated years to researching and writing about Slavic mythology and folklore. To me, the similarities show the power of storytelling and the way it transcends linguistic and cultural boundaries, preserving an ancestral ethos towards the cosmos, universal motifs and archetypes, and memories of shared historical events. That said, I am looking forward to exploring the work on your channel now!
I love Terry Pratchett books. One thing that genuinely surprised me has been the esteem which he (a men) apparently had for hags, describing them even superior to magicians. It is amazing how deeply he understands this archetype and its material manifestation in its complexity.
Thank you for keeping the Hag's stories alive! Fascinating and beautiful and so much I hadn't known before. I'm passing this among those that I think may have an ear for it. Again, thank you!
Another amazing video, I binged all your content the other day, so this new upload is very much welcome. I noticed you touched on the gradual eroding of respect and the authority of Eastern European wise women (and those depicted in the folklore of the region), I think alot of the gradual demonisation of witches, hags, and other wise women with supernatural powers can be blamed on the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) and the deeply rooted misogyny present in all three. Women in the holy books are most often shown as unreliable, deceptive or ineffectual (Eve taking most of the blame for her and Adam eating the Fruit of Knowledge, Jezebel being seen as a deceptive seductress, Samson's wife Delilah repeatedly tricks him so the Phillistines can capture him, etc), those who are given names are few and far between. They are often known as "X's Wife" or "X's Mother", so their importance to the narrative hingest entirely on another, more important Male character. But perhaps even moreso, these supernatural women are demonised due to the Holy Father's monopolisation on magic, unless a prophet or holy man (never a holy woman) is shown to commune with God and request his blessing, any displays of magic or miracles are tied to Satan instead. So the Witch/Hag/Wise Woman became an agent of the Devi, as her powers were never attributed to God - so the only alternative was to demonise them as agents of Hell. Then you have this infamous line from the Bible: "Thou Shall Not Suffer A Witch To Live."
I wholeheartedly agree; your comment wonderfully illuminates the doctrine that pushed these wise women to the fringes of society and cultivated an ethos of fear and discrimination towards them and their pre-Christian heritage. Thank you so much for sharing this! And I am very glad to know you enjoy my videos. It means a lot. ❤️
I'd wholeheartedly agree. It's looking more & more to me like the only European society that really considered women second class in ancient times were the Greeks. Plus, people can & have drawn tons of parallels between witch hunts & pockets of hidden paganism still trying to thrive under the radar & some kind of bizarre belief that women were almost exclusively keeping those things alive. When Europeans first came to Virginia, the record shows repeated descriptions of the local Native religions as witchcraft. Two of the more important goddesses to the Germans & the Celts got remembered in folklore as the Queens of the Witches. In that Southern Germany/ Alpine area, there is a belief of women flying around in the night on distaffs & pre-Christian female priest burials were identifiable in Germany & Scandamavia by their being buried with a distaff & Scotland has tales that seem to show a paranoia that Anglo-Saxons & Norse settlers were trying to spread paganism back to the already mostly Christianized locals & shows women using broomsticks like ceremonial items of power, as the distaff originally was.
I froze when I heard you sad vasorrú bába, I feared her so badly when I was a child. Thank you so much, for sharing the information about the hag! I really enjoy listening to your narration, and the topics are always interesting.
Aw! I must say that poor Vasorrú Bába does not get nearly enough recognition nowadays. She deserves her own video in the future. Thank you for taking the time to watch and support what I do. It is much appreciated.
It's fascinating how similarities between mythologies of different cultures exist because of a universal experience such as sleep paralysis. We have the "bangungot", often described as a woman too who sits on a sleeping person's chest and giving them nightmares.
Very nice topic. I developed a deep and a bit strange love for hags/witches/daughters and sons of Hekate over the last years. :> I'm looking forward to watch this video now. 🖤
Thank you once again for sharing another meaningful video. Loved the kitty helpers you had with you. They seemed to be wise and alert, taking in every thing that you were doing. Keep up your great work, and have a great day!
Thank you for watching and thank you for your kind words about my kitties. They are indeed quite vigilant and involved in everything I do, especially when I film.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us 🙌🏼 So much to say, but I'll only say one thing: the native American tribes of the Great Lakes built spirit houses for their dead on an island there. Still there today, they are small 0.5 meter dwellings shaped like a small house, built up several cm off the ground, and spirits anound in that place. Reminded me of baba's hut variations throughout siberia. Blessed be
Thank you for taking the time to watch and listen! And thank you for sharing your insight, it is most interesting. I have also come across mentions of such spirit huts across Asian cultures too. Fascinating how this tradition was preserved around the world with the same reverence.
@@Crowhag It is a wonderfully put together video. I have been drawn to the hag archetype my whole life. I can see connections across cultures in reference to this well-ripened phase of a woman's life. Very powerful. Thank you for the content!
That is wonderful to read. Thank you! It makes me happy to see that this archetype speaks to you. It is indeed very powerful and likewise empowering. ❤️
I guess Slavic folklore may be the reason why people in the east changed the cause of sleep Paralysis to an old Hag, as the Germanic world seems to have originally considered that the work of angry elves metting out their displeasure in someone. Unless, there was an explanation from the Celts we have since lost that mirrored the old Hag lore, like some of Irish fairy lore mirrors that of the Wile.
Crowhag? By your voice you sound more like Vasalisa the beautiful than the Baba yaga. Do you have any videos about vasalisa or maiden mythology? I love Vasalisa
The more I listen to your videos the more I am surprised of the common themes with italian folklore sadly there's no coherent examination of it, I have long tried to gather a coherent corpus of sources for what it's worth...
Indeed, there are many similarities. I quite like Carlo Ginzburg's work when it comes to comparative studies. In Ecstasies, he wrote a bit about how the Italian Aradia and Romanian Irodeasa may be rooted in the same ancient goddess. And in Night Battles, he examined the Benandanti and how they are similar to other such magical beings, from the Romanian Scholomancers to the Hungarian Táltos.
@@Crowhag Ecstasies and the nightbattles are indeed some of the most interesting texts on the subject, I would add the Mediterranean Anthropological Archive's study on the "Women from Outside" and sicilian folklore by Henningsen, I also possess a few works by Milani on venetian folklore (of which at least one is almost unfindable but luckily my Mother happened to be a student of Professor Milani in the old days) which have some quite interesting information on such figures, there's also all the works of De Martino (of which I have a few although not all sadly), of Mannella and Guggino (sadly practically unfindable...). The main problem is that the folkloric and demological study of italian traditions have never been ordered in a coherent whole, all studies tend to be at best regional in scope, which is a consequence of the extremely decentralised nature of italian culture.
@@eccoeco3454 What a diverse range of resources! I am very intrigued to explore them and learn more about Sicilian and Venetian folklore. Thank you so much for sharing! As for the siloed approach to folkloric and mythological studies, that is quite a challenge in many places that I am aware of, here included. There are myriad reasons why. Regardless, regional studies can greatly contribute to a broader understanding of our cultural mosaic and I believe they can be most helpful in building a database (such as the @Crecganford Mythology and Folklore Database) as long as there are resources in place for such projects. Sadly, that is rarely the case.
@@Crowhag eh there's a lot of interesting tidbits I could mention. Just skimming from my own personal memory and experience as a venetian an example would be the notable importance that the Hag and Night Lady plays in our folklore such as the yearly burning of the Hag around epiphany to "burn away" the old year so that it can be "reborn", the fact that the hag, as the befana, is then said to parade the night for the following twelve nights with her twelve sons, to purify and bless the land and bring the new year, or the particular relationship the witches and the night lady have with the new born Jesus and Mary, who is said to be their patron, but I jabbered enough. I considered the possibility of one day sharing my interest for italian folklore in one way or another with the public but currently I don't think I have the proper competence to do so, let alone to try to reorder the Italian folklore studies' state of the art, I am aiming to complete my studies as an ethnocultural anthropologist but currently I am just an university student
@@eccoeco3454 That's fascinating! I did read a little about Befana before and how she may be a hypostasis of the goddess Perchta. But it is always much more nuanced when you learn the lore and traditions from locals, so thank you for sharing. And I encourage you to share your passion with a wider audience when you feel ready. The world desperately needs more knowledgeable storytellers. Over time, you will develop the expertise and confidence you need to share your insights with the public and contribute to the field in your own unique way. It can be quite a journey as I know myself. So I wish you good luck with it!
Thank you so much for this video!! When I was a girl I always admired the older women in my life, and I still do of course. I remember thinking my grandparents were so beautiful! I used to get very angry if my parents ever said a picture of them wasn’t a good one or was unflattering 😅 The characterisation of old women as ugly is deeply patriarchal in my opinion. Men who can’t respect the way women change over our lives are usually cowardly predators. Why else would they only praise the appearance of girls and young women? Shouldn’t an old woman be beautiful to a man who is also old? But no, patriarchal men despise women who’ve had just as much time to gather knowledge as they’ve had. So they reduce us to how we appear in their eyes and then they slander the appearance of any woman who doesn’t appeal to their controlling nature 🤷🏼♀️
Thank you so much for your insight! I agree. To add to that, I think that the definition of beauty, albeit subjective, is rather shallow nowadays and it is certainly a reflection of one's intellect, values, and emotional intelligence. The type of beauty that I am attracted to and appreciate the most shows itself in the way one speaks, listens, motions, smiles, and it only grows and deepens with time. If people would appreciate that more, there would be no wrinkles, only beauty marks of character and experience.
It's funny, or maybe Ironic (or cruel) You don't seem like a Hag at all to me, You seem like a honest, loyal and genuine person, more then most But I think I'm biting into the same stereotypes I despise. If nobody taught me what a hag or witch was, I'd say a woman to be respected you said your name was chosen very deliberately, maybe people treated you like a hag, so you gave the word a new meaning (but I'm afraid I am projecting) Wear it like armour, so it can never be used against you, comes to mind p.s. I'm not trying to be overly kind or anything, I've been accused of that many times. I just say what (I think) I see. but I do want to be kind Who ever is making that Artwork has Talent, and knows how to use that
Thank you for your thoughtful comment. I do appreciate your genuine observations about me. You've highlighted an important point about how words can carry both historical baggage and personal empowerment and how important it is to challenge stereotypes. It is true that reclaiming a term and giving it a new meaning can be a form of empowerment and self-expression. Just as you've mentioned, "wearing it like armor" to take away its potential to harm is a powerful thing. That said, I have been endearingly called a hag in early childhood by my caregivers who said that I was "wise beyond my years", and that is the meaning I draw from. However, I have been called on multiple occasions an "ugly hag with twigs" by people who deemed my appearance unattractive. And I have been indeed discriminated against for much of my life. As for the first half of my alias, well that has even more profound significance. And thank you for appreciating my artwork!
Thank you! I mentioned in this video that I have done another on a hypostasis of the Old Fairy as Diana as a goddess of fairies and death. And in that video, I talk quite a bit about Aradia, her Romanian version, and origins. It is linked in the description of this one or you can find it on my channel: Maidens of the Moon Goddess Diana.
I don't think anyone who went to elementary school here is confused. One of the fundamental things we learn in the history class is our ethnogenesis and the three linguistic layers: Dacian and Latin roots with a Slavic layer. This makes us, as the linguists say "a Latin island in a Slavic sea."
@@Crowhag I didn't mean any disrespect. And I know you're not confused. It was a joke. I apologize. What I meant was while you speak a Latin language you have Slavic DNA. I love Romania and I love Slavic people as well. And I love you! Thank you for putting me in my place! I love you even more for that!
@Crowhag you have a beautiful voice. You sound more like a maiden than a hag! But you have all the wisdom of the hag and the Beauty of the maiden and for a few lucky people, the love of the mother! Oh and I love ravens and crows as well.
@@youtubebane7036 No worries, I wanted to clear up any confusion just in case. Thank you for your kind words about my voice, knowledge, and corvids. They are very much appreciated!
@@Crowhag you're very welcome and thank you for your wonderful channel and wonderful videos! I love Indo-European mythology and folktales. Actually I like all mythology and folktales! I especially love how you break it down and explain the symbolism and allagory and show how so many cultures are linked together. You are wonderful my lady. Thank you! God and Goddess bless you!
Discussing the changing treatment of women and figures who in many ways represent women is simply an important part of honestly discussing this history. She ruined nothing, you ruined it for yourself with an unfounded prejudice
Thank you for the cultural lessons and stories. The only Baba I have ever heard of is Baba Vanga the prophet and I assumed Baba was a proper name. The Babas seem to all be forces of balance in the world, judges of men who could either help or destroy you. Possibly the purpose of the haggard old lady appearance was to judge the character of a man. A good hearted man might run across her in the woods and offer to help her and treat her with kindness whereas a bad man might shove her out of the way seeing her as worthless garbage. So her purpose in the balance of nature would be to assist the good man in his venture and devour the bad man before he can escape the woods.
Thank you for watching! I am glad you found this insightful. Indeed, the Hag, like other mythical beings such as Scholomancers who often disguised themselves as limping old beggars, would often test people's morals and their ability to curse or bless hinged on how they were treated.
In moonlit skies and whispers raw, who's the hag with beady claw?
As always, I have a reading list waiting for you in the description, alongside links to other videos on my channel where you can delve deeper into the references I made here to the Mother of the Forest, Baba Dochia, the Old Fairy, and even the familiar spirits and devil that Baba Cloanța is said to work with. And don't worry - if I only briefly mentioned certain hags like the Days of the Week, that means future videos dedicated to them are in the works.
Oh. Awesome , tyvm 😊 I like craiganford so I have seen 2 vids now both very informative combined with my little knowledge it's really great. Um I need too find a guy I was listening too, but his researcher I believe is Bulgarian, I believe she goes bye the name the new earth lady.. but she's been pointing out coverups and narrative changes etc for a while. But when I think of baba'. I think of that extraordinary woman who got caught up in a sandstorm and becoming blind but a pretty active medium after..... ❤❤❤❤❤😅😅
A reading list too? Oh CrowHag, a labor of love! Thank you again!
Inconspicuously it was me who you saw, but I was bred with unhandsomely flaw, yet thou asked whose the hag with the beady claw? Must be the mirror casting its own reflection in an unfounded flaw 😂 In other words the mirror is broken and I looked like a hag in my own reflection cast back by the mirror lol. I am not sure these make any sense though but I do enjoy watching your videos 🙂
This was thoroughly enjoyable, and I learnt a lot. Thank you.
That is wonderful to read! Thank you for your appreciation.
As a Serb and someone who has dedicated years in researching Slavic mythology & folklore, even writing books about it, I can say that most things from Romanian folklore have direct parallels in Serbian and broader Slavic folklore. It really is essentially the same, except that (most of the time) we use a different language. Thanks for the good video!
Thank you! It is fascinating to hear from someone who has dedicated years to researching and writing about Slavic mythology and folklore. To me, the similarities show the power of storytelling and the way it transcends linguistic and cultural boundaries, preserving an ancestral ethos towards the cosmos, universal motifs and archetypes, and memories of shared historical events. That said, I am looking forward to exploring the work on your channel now!
I love Terry Pratchett books. One thing that genuinely surprised me has been the esteem which he (a men) apparently had for hags, describing them even superior to magicians. It is amazing how deeply he understands this archetype and its material manifestation in its complexity.
Thank you for bringing the Lore from Beyond the Forest to us again. I love the artwork you add to your tales. May Good Luck be upon You ~ B.
Thank you, B.! Your comments are always so uplifting, I appreciate them very much. May good luck be upon you, too!
My new favorite channel
That means a lot. Thank you!
Just a beautiful video. Your writing, dedication, delivery, artwork, cats. Beautiful work by a beautiful soul. From one baba to another, thank you.
You always grace me with the most uplifting comments. My cats and I thank you!
Thank you for the respect and honor of baba yaga.❤ She saved my life many times.❤
Thank you for keeping the Hag's stories alive! Fascinating and beautiful and so much I hadn't known before. I'm passing this among those that I think may have an ear for it. Again, thank you!
I am very happy to know that you found my video insightful and worthy of sharing with others. Thank you for your kindness and appreciation!
Ohh yes exactly what I need!❤
Very happy to have delivered! ❤️
Another amazing video, I binged all your content the other day, so this new upload is very much welcome.
I noticed you touched on the gradual eroding of respect and the authority of Eastern European wise women (and those depicted in the folklore of the region), I think alot of the gradual demonisation of witches, hags, and other wise women with supernatural powers can be blamed on the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) and the deeply rooted misogyny present in all three. Women in the holy books are most often shown as unreliable, deceptive or ineffectual (Eve taking most of the blame for her and Adam eating the Fruit of Knowledge, Jezebel being seen as a deceptive seductress, Samson's wife Delilah repeatedly tricks him so the Phillistines can capture him, etc), those who are given names are few and far between. They are often known as "X's Wife" or "X's Mother", so their importance to the narrative hingest entirely on another, more important Male character.
But perhaps even moreso, these supernatural women are demonised due to the Holy Father's monopolisation on magic, unless a prophet or holy man (never a holy woman) is shown to commune with God and request his blessing, any displays of magic or miracles are tied to Satan instead. So the Witch/Hag/Wise Woman became an agent of the Devi, as her powers were never attributed to God - so the only alternative was to demonise them as agents of Hell. Then you have this infamous line from the Bible:
"Thou Shall Not Suffer A Witch To Live."
I wholeheartedly agree; your comment wonderfully illuminates the doctrine that pushed these wise women to the fringes of society and cultivated an ethos of fear and discrimination towards them and their pre-Christian heritage. Thank you so much for sharing this! And I am very glad to know you enjoy my videos. It means a lot. ❤️
I'd wholeheartedly agree. It's looking more & more to me like the only European society that really considered women second class in ancient times were the Greeks. Plus, people can & have drawn tons of parallels between witch hunts & pockets of hidden paganism still trying to thrive under the radar & some kind of bizarre belief that women were almost exclusively keeping those things alive. When Europeans first came to Virginia, the record shows repeated descriptions of the local Native religions as witchcraft. Two of the more important goddesses to the Germans & the Celts got remembered in folklore as the Queens of the Witches. In that Southern Germany/ Alpine area, there is a belief of women flying around in the night on distaffs & pre-Christian female priest burials were identifiable in Germany & Scandamavia by their being buried with a distaff & Scotland has tales that seem to show a paranoia that Anglo-Saxons & Norse settlers were trying to spread paganism back to the already mostly Christianized locals & shows women using broomsticks like ceremonial items of power, as the distaff originally was.
I'm not going to lie: whatever the version, the switching of their heads was pretty funny! 🤣🤣🤣
That's why I love folklore! Sometimes it is unintentionally funny. 🤭
@@Crowhag I can't help wondering if the switching of their heads really was an accident, or done on purpose to troll them! 🤣🤣🤣
Fascinating, thanks for collating all these stories
Thank you for taking the time to enjoy them!
I froze when I heard you sad vasorrú bába, I feared her so badly when I was a child.
Thank you so much, for sharing the information about the hag! I really enjoy listening to your narration, and the topics are always interesting.
Aw! I must say that poor Vasorrú Bába does not get nearly enough recognition nowadays. She deserves her own video in the future. Thank you for taking the time to watch and support what I do. It is much appreciated.
Through your beautiful work I feel as though I know a deeper aspect of my own being. .
Knowing that my work can achieve such a feat is humbling. I am deeply happy that it resonates with you. Thank you!
It's fascinating how similarities between mythologies of different cultures exist because of a universal experience such as sleep paralysis.
We have the "bangungot", often described as a woman too who sits on a sleeping person's chest and giving them nightmares.
Thank you for sharing that! It is indeed very fascinating. I need to learn more about the bangungot now!
Very nice topic. I developed a deep and a bit strange love for hags/witches/daughters and sons of Hekate over the last years. :> I'm looking forward to watch this video now. 🖤
I hope you enjoyed it and found it insightful. 🖤
Beautiful, thanks for this video.
Thank you for taking the time to watch it!
This is something I have always wanted to learn about 😊 thank you so much!
That is wonderful! I hope you find this helpful. ❤️
Thank you once again for sharing another meaningful video. Loved the kitty helpers you had with you. They seemed to be wise and alert, taking in every thing that you were doing. Keep up your great work, and have a great day!
Thank you for watching and thank you for your kind words about my kitties. They are indeed quite vigilant and involved in everything I do, especially when I film.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us 🙌🏼
So much to say, but I'll only say one thing: the native American tribes of the Great Lakes built spirit houses for their dead on an island there. Still there today, they are small 0.5 meter dwellings shaped like a small house, built up several cm off the ground, and spirits anound in that place. Reminded me of baba's hut variations throughout siberia. Blessed be
Thank you for taking the time to watch and listen! And thank you for sharing your insight, it is most interesting. I have also come across mentions of such spirit huts across Asian cultures too. Fascinating how this tradition was preserved around the world with the same reverence.
Its so interesting and touching to think that this archetype is with us probably from early human history. She'll never die but just change her form.
I share that sentiment wholeheartedly. Thank you for your beautiful comment!
Just starting the video and I am grateful for spotlight on the most underrated form of woman.
I am grateful for you taking the time to watch this and I hope it met your expectations. ❤️
@@Crowhag It is a wonderfully put together video. I have been drawn to the hag archetype my whole life. I can see connections across cultures in reference to this well-ripened phase of a woman's life. Very powerful. Thank you for the content!
That is wonderful to read. Thank you! It makes me happy to see that this archetype speaks to you. It is indeed very powerful and likewise empowering. ❤️
Yaaay, the Baba. There's a great episode of the magicians tv show, Netflix sy fy channel, that has the Baba in it. Tysm for the spirit food 🧠.
You are most welcome! I might have to check out that TV show. I don't know of any that feature the old Baba. Missed opportunity.
I'm so very grateful to have found you. 🙏 I want to know so much more.
That is very sweet! Welcome aboard. ✨
awesome video as always 🖤
You are always so kind. Thank you! 🖤
Thank you for the wisdom!! Things make much more sense to me!! Thank you for the gift! ❤
@@brynicecream5824 I'm happy this was insightful! Thank you for the kind words. ❤️
One should perhaps also pay tribute to Hekate, eventually mention the trinity Kore, Demeter, Hekate :)
Nice voice. Continue your channel.
Thank you so much! I don't plan on retiring from this any time soon. 😊
I guess Slavic folklore may be the reason why people in the east changed the cause of sleep Paralysis to an old Hag, as the Germanic world seems to have originally considered that the work of angry elves metting out their displeasure in someone. Unless, there was an explanation from the Celts we have since lost that mirrored the old Hag lore, like some of Irish fairy lore mirrors that of the Wile.
Crowhag? By your voice you sound more like Vasalisa the beautiful than the Baba yaga. Do you have any videos about vasalisa or maiden mythology? I love Vasalisa
The more I listen to your videos the more I am surprised of the common themes with italian folklore sadly there's no coherent examination of it, I have long tried to gather a coherent corpus of sources for what it's worth...
Indeed, there are many similarities. I quite like Carlo Ginzburg's work when it comes to comparative studies. In Ecstasies, he wrote a bit about how the Italian Aradia and Romanian Irodeasa may be rooted in the same ancient goddess. And in Night Battles, he examined the Benandanti and how they are similar to other such magical beings, from the Romanian Scholomancers to the Hungarian Táltos.
@@Crowhag Ecstasies and the nightbattles are indeed some of the most interesting texts on the subject, I would add the Mediterranean Anthropological Archive's study on the "Women from Outside" and sicilian folklore by Henningsen, I also possess a few works by Milani on venetian folklore (of which at least one is almost unfindable but luckily my Mother happened to be a student of Professor Milani in the old days) which have some quite interesting information on such figures, there's also all the works of De Martino (of which I have a few although not all sadly), of Mannella and Guggino (sadly practically unfindable...).
The main problem is that the folkloric and demological study of italian traditions have never been ordered in a coherent whole, all studies tend to be at best regional in scope, which is a consequence of the extremely decentralised nature of italian culture.
@@eccoeco3454 What a diverse range of resources! I am very intrigued to explore them and learn more about Sicilian and Venetian folklore. Thank you so much for sharing!
As for the siloed approach to folkloric and mythological studies, that is quite a challenge in many places that I am aware of, here included. There are myriad reasons why. Regardless, regional studies can greatly contribute to a broader understanding of our cultural mosaic and I believe they can be most helpful in building a database (such as the @Crecganford Mythology and Folklore Database) as long as there are resources in place for such projects. Sadly, that is rarely the case.
@@Crowhag eh there's a lot of interesting tidbits I could mention.
Just skimming from my own personal memory and experience as a venetian an example would be the notable importance that the Hag and Night Lady plays in our folklore such as the yearly burning of the Hag around epiphany to "burn away" the old year so that it can be "reborn", the fact that the hag, as the befana, is then said to parade the night for the following twelve nights with her twelve sons, to purify and bless the land and bring the new year, or the particular relationship the witches and the night lady have with the new born Jesus and Mary, who is said to be their patron, but I jabbered enough.
I considered the possibility of one day sharing my interest for italian folklore in one way or another with the public but currently I don't think I have the proper competence to do so, let alone to try to reorder the Italian folklore studies' state of the art, I am aiming to complete my studies as an ethnocultural anthropologist but currently I am just an university student
@@eccoeco3454 That's fascinating! I did read a little about Befana before and how she may be a hypostasis of the goddess Perchta. But it is always much more nuanced when you learn the lore and traditions from locals, so thank you for sharing.
And I encourage you to share your passion with a wider audience when you feel ready. The world desperately needs more knowledgeable storytellers. Over time, you will develop the expertise and confidence you need to share your insights with the public and contribute to the field in your own unique way. It can be quite a journey as I know myself. So I wish you good luck with it!
I am watching because you said to, from the picture
I appreciate that very much and I hope you enjoyed it!
@@Crowhag I did very much enjoy the content
I love Slavic people
🌟🌟🌟
🙏✨✨
@@Crowhag what's your opinion on the philosophy of antinatalism?
Thank you so much for this video!! When I was a girl I always admired the older women in my life, and I still do of course. I remember thinking my grandparents were so beautiful! I used to get very angry if my parents ever said a picture of them wasn’t a good one or was unflattering 😅 The characterisation of old women as ugly is deeply patriarchal in my opinion. Men who can’t respect the way women change over our lives are usually cowardly predators. Why else would they only praise the appearance of girls and young women? Shouldn’t an old woman be beautiful to a man who is also old? But no, patriarchal men despise women who’ve had just as much time to gather knowledge as they’ve had. So they reduce us to how we appear in their eyes and then they slander the appearance of any woman who doesn’t appeal to their controlling nature 🤷🏼♀️
Thank you so much for your insight! I agree. To add to that, I think that the definition of beauty, albeit subjective, is rather shallow nowadays and it is certainly a reflection of one's intellect, values, and emotional intelligence. The type of beauty that I am attracted to and appreciate the most shows itself in the way one speaks, listens, motions, smiles, and it only grows and deepens with time. If people would appreciate that more, there would be no wrinkles, only beauty marks of character and experience.
It's funny, or maybe Ironic (or cruel)
You don't seem like a Hag at all to me,
You seem like a honest, loyal and genuine person, more then most
But I think I'm biting into the same stereotypes I despise. If nobody taught me what a hag or witch was, I'd say a woman to be respected
you said your name was chosen very deliberately, maybe people treated you like a hag, so you gave the word a new meaning (but I'm afraid I am projecting)
Wear it like armour, so it can never be used against you, comes to mind
p.s. I'm not trying to be overly kind or anything, I've been accused of that many times. I just say what (I think) I see. but I do want to be kind
Who ever is making that Artwork has Talent, and knows how to use that
Thank you for your thoughtful comment. I do appreciate your genuine observations about me.
You've highlighted an important point about how words can carry both historical baggage and personal empowerment and how important it is to challenge stereotypes. It is true that reclaiming a term and giving it a new meaning can be a form of empowerment and self-expression. Just as you've mentioned, "wearing it like armor" to take away its potential to harm is a powerful thing. That said, I have been endearingly called a hag in early childhood by my caregivers who said that I was "wise beyond my years", and that is the meaning I draw from. However, I have been called on multiple occasions an "ugly hag with twigs" by people who deemed my appearance unattractive. And I have been indeed discriminated against for much of my life. As for the first half of my alias, well that has even more profound significance.
And thank you for appreciating my artwork!
I love vasalisa
You are not to consort with them. Since the witch of Endor ,it is written they be dammed
I really enjoyed this!
Since you took the time to do a video on Baba Yaga, can you also do a video on Aradia, the goddess of witchcraft?
Thank you! I mentioned in this video that I have done another on a hypostasis of the Old Fairy as Diana as a goddess of fairies and death. And in that video, I talk quite a bit about Aradia, her Romanian version, and origins. It is linked in the description of this one or you can find it on my channel: Maidens of the Moon Goddess Diana.
@@Crowhag Can you do a video focused solely on her? She's always intrigued me
I'll put it on my list of topics for the future. 😊
@@Crowhag Thank you. I enjoy all your videos, and it's a real treat to listen to them!
Are Romanian people Slavic or are they Latin? I think I'm as confused as they are.
I don't think anyone who went to elementary school here is confused. One of the fundamental things we learn in the history class is our ethnogenesis and the three linguistic layers: Dacian and Latin roots with a Slavic layer. This makes us, as the linguists say "a Latin island in a Slavic sea."
@@Crowhag I didn't mean any disrespect. And I know you're not confused. It was a joke. I apologize.
What I meant was while you speak a Latin language you have Slavic DNA.
I love Romania and I love Slavic people as well. And I love you! Thank you for putting me in my place! I love you even more for that!
@Crowhag you have a beautiful voice. You sound more like a maiden than a hag! But you have all the wisdom of the hag and the Beauty of the maiden and for a few lucky people, the love of the mother!
Oh and I love ravens and crows as well.
@@youtubebane7036 No worries, I wanted to clear up any confusion just in case. Thank you for your kind words about my voice, knowledge, and corvids. They are very much appreciated!
@@Crowhag you're very welcome and thank you for your wonderful channel and wonderful videos! I love Indo-European mythology and folktales. Actually I like all mythology and folktales! I especially love how you break it down and explain the symbolism and allagory and show how so many cultures are linked together. You are wonderful my lady. Thank you! God and Goddess bless you!
Oh god made it into a feminist's issue, Ruined it
Discussing the changing treatment of women and figures who in many ways represent women is simply an important part of honestly discussing this history. She ruined nothing, you ruined it for yourself with an unfounded prejudice
Thank you for the cultural lessons and stories. The only Baba I have ever heard of is Baba Vanga the prophet and I assumed Baba was a proper name. The Babas seem to all be forces of balance in the world, judges of men who could either help or destroy you. Possibly the purpose of the haggard old lady appearance was to judge the character of a man. A good hearted man might run across her in the woods and offer to help her and treat her with kindness whereas a bad man might shove her out of the way seeing her as worthless garbage. So her purpose in the balance of nature would be to assist the good man in his venture and devour the bad man before he can escape the woods.
Thank you for watching! I am glad you found this insightful. Indeed, the Hag, like other mythical beings such as Scholomancers who often disguised themselves as limping old beggars, would often test people's morals and their ability to curse or bless hinged on how they were treated.