hekate, baba yaga and the morrigan

Every society has the concept of a “witch.” It’s as if people feel the need to portray a female figure as the enemy. But a “witch” isn’t always evil. Midwives, sages, and grandmothers could all help, protect, and heal women. As an example, I’ve taken Hekate, the Greek goddess of magic; Baba Yaga, a Slavic child-eating figure; and The Morrigan, the three-faced goddess from Irish mythology.

The figure of Hekate is one of the oldest and least standardized figures in the Greek pantheon. Unlike many Olympian deities, whose functions are clear and defined, Hekate is able to move between three realms: heaven, earth, and Hades. She is the goddess of crossroads, magic, and the embodiment of witchcraft. Her powers have been passed down to some mortal women—notably Circe and Medea—through whom she indirectly helps other women. She also appears in the form of midwifery and was invoked by women at the birth of their children.

Baba Yaga appears in Slavic mythology in the form of a feared witch who stole and ate children. She has large breasts, a sinister appearance, and ugly features. She is unmarried but does have daughters. She lives in the forest, and animals and nature obey her, but she is not truly loved, only feared.

The Morrigan is three goddesses united as one. She appears on battlefields, sometimes as a crow, sometimes as a washerwoman at a ford, sometimes as a beautiful woman or a fearsome witch. She determines who lives and who dies. She spurs warriors to victory or drives them to defeat.

Three women, three mythologies. I didn’t choose three figures for nothing: the number three continues to appear in their stories. Perhaps Shakespeare’s Macbeth wasn’t the first to depict three witches. Hekate appears with three heads and can move between three realms. The Morrigan is three women in her own right. Baba Yaga is sometimes said to have two sisters who look identical to her: three sisters in total. Are female figures—or more specifically, witches—always depicted in trios?

A second striking similarity is that the women live in similar places. In Greek mythology, it was said that if you wanted to find Hekate, you simply had to enter a forest and keep walking. Baba Yaga also lives in the deep forest, in a house built on chicken legs. Perhaps the deep, uncharted terrain symbolizes the fact that these women were also considered uncivilized and unknown by men. Like wild nature, these figures are uncontrollable and incomprehensible.

A major difference is the age of the women, and the symbolism that comes with it. Hekate is a timeless figure: she can adjust and change her age at any time. Baba Yaga, however, is stuck in one age category: she is old. The Morrigan, on the other hand, is a youthful figure (when she appears as a woman). These ages affect how the figures are perceived by men and others. This is clearly reflected in the interpretation of Baba Yaga, an old witch with grey hair and warts. It almost feels as if women’s beauty fades with age, leaving women naked in the eyes of society. How would we see her if she were like The Morrigan? She sometimes appears with such beauty, yet still brings death to people.

Finally, the similarity is evident in the connection between all three figures and death. Hekate has a direct link to the underworld, allowing her to bring souls back to Earth. However, through this same power, she can afflict people with nightmares, epilepsy, and madness. Baba Yaga doesn’t possess such powers, but she is connected to the underworld. In some sources, she is considered a goddess of the underworld. Her house on chicken legs refers to neolithic burial practices. The Morrigan is perhaps most closely associated with death. Nemain is the goddess of war and chooses whether armies win or lose. Badb—the goddess in the form of a crow—flies over the battlefield to show that people are about to die.

In conclusion, it’s clear that the roles of women are similar across different mythologies. When we discuss Hekate, Baba Yaga, and The Morrigan, we’re discussing the familiar figure of the “witch.” The sacred number three appears frequently in each story, and they are usually found deep in a forest. All three have different ages, which affects how they are perceived. All women embody the contradiction between life and death. They symbolise the unpredictable and untameable nature of the female spirit, of Mother Earth, and the relationship of women to the wild.