Baba Yaga Matchbox house

[cackle]

Baba Yaga is a Russian witch goddess that is very popular in Russian fairy tales. Her house stands in the forest on chicken legs amidst a garden fenced with the bones of her victims. She was known to eat people who came to close to her house and was especially fond of children. The house would even chase them through the forest.
A variant of the stories is that Baba Yaga also had a flying cauldron that she rode in instead of flying on a broom.
There are many aspects and representations of her in Russian culture. I grew up reading about her (I'm not Russian, but was widely read as a child) and have used her as inspiration for my houses with feet.
When my partner (Wulf) in the the Wicked Forest Matchbox swap listed Baba Yaga as a possible choice for his matchbox, I knew I had to do her strange house.

The chicken legs I made from polymer clay, the house is paper and sits on a matchbox that is 1inch by 1 1/2 inches.


Back view


Pull the matchbox open and you can get a peek of the picked clean remains of her victims.

[amaryllisroze]

Shut the front door! That's amazing! 

[MissingWillow]

The window is teensy and the chicken feet look so real.  This is just favorite.

[rackycoo]

This is just perfection incarnate. You did such a wonderful job on it. However did you bring yourself to mail it away? Did a little tear crawl down your face when you handed it over to the postie?

[Knickertwist]

Love! The feet are my most favourite part

[MASCmanik]

So super cool - even more amazing when imagining the scale!  This rocks.   

[Ffrogg526]

I agree with Racky - how on earth did you bring yourself to mail this away?!  I love the story of Baba Yaga and Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition has a movement dedicated to Baba Yaga which I loved playing!  This house is just so amazing!  Great job!

[cackle]

This is just perfection incarnate. You did such a wonderful job on it. However did you bring yourself to mail it away? Did a little tear crawl down your face when you handed it over to the postie?

There was much sighing when I wrapped it up. 
Thanks for all the kind and encouraging words, ladies. You are very inspiring to me!

[thisbirdsabsurd]

Chicken feet??? Holy crap - that is just too fan- freaking-tabulous!! Love it!!!

[jillybeans]

oh wow, cackle!  You did an amazing job on those chicken legs, too!  Awesome!!

[SunflowerSmiles]

this is so wonderful..I can just see it running through the forest chasing someone! Pinned it! and for sure THIS ROCKS!

[BirdBones]

I love how you caught the feeling reading about Baba Yagas gives one as a child- and it's pure perfection, even if one doesn't know about russian fairy tales. I am so in love with the wee tiny drawer and the chicken legs- an awesome project !

[gozer]

 I love this! So amazing and all the tiny details! Absolutely beautiful. I love crazy fairy tales. I grew up in part in Germany and when I got to the states I couldn't believe how lame the fairy tales are here. LOL!

[microjivvy]

I really like this piece -- it's the all the best parts of fairy tale darkness wrapped up in one little matchbox.

[alteredmommy]

Those chicken feet are ah-mazing!!  I mean the whole Baba Yaga house is amazing...but those feet are over the top!

[Wulf]

Oooh! Mussorgsky's "Pictures At An Exhibition"! I hadn't thought of that. I immediately had to pull out our scratchy old LP and play it! "The House of Baba Yaga" is brief but wonderfully scary.

This is one of those swap items that I can hardly believe I get to keep. I know I should share it with others, but I won't. It's all mine.

Wulf

[cackle]

Oooh! Mussorgsky's "Pictures At An Exhibition"! I hadn't thought of that. I immediately had to pull out our scratchy old LP and play it! "The House of Baba Yaga" is brief but wonderfully scary.

This is one of those swap items that I can hardly believe I get to keep. I know I should share it with others, but I won't. It's all mine.

Wulf

 

[lkovac1]

Wow. Amazing. I mean, really, amazing.

[edelC]

wow that is just fabulous..but then you are an amazing amazing artist...I am sooo jealous of your skills! 

[batgirl]

That is just fantastic! I love Baba Yaga, too. You did such a great job with the feet!

[HotBananaPepper]

How astounding!!!  Absolutely fantastic.  I had a book with a Baba Yaga tale that scared the life out of me when I was little.  So fantastic, I love this.

[Calabaza]

Okay I agree that the chicken feet are amazing, but how about putting the bones in the matchbox part?! Great, great, great touch there for a wicked forest theme. Baba Yaga scared the heck out of me as a kid but hero/ines like Prince Ivan and Vasilisa kept me coming back. Simply stunning work on her house!

[bunny1kenobi]

I always loved those Baba Yaga stories, too!  (I'm a sucker for fairy tales!   )  You did such a fabulous job on this!  This rocks, and pinned!!

[becominghawk]

That is absolutely amazing. Everything from the chicken feet to the house to the bony remains. Fantastic.

(I must admit that my first thought was actually Terry Pratchett because there's a house on chicken feet in Witches Abroad.)

[luckdragon]

the whole thing is AMAZING!  I'm really in awe of what can be done with matchboxes!!  and, as mentioned, the chicken feet are fantastic!

[craftewoman]

Another magical creation. Love it.

[WideEyedLife]

I majored in Russian in college, and never got the whole Baba-Yagga thing.  "What's scary about a stupid house with chicken legs?" I thought.

I get it now.  That's freaky.  Incredibly clever, and freaky.  That would have haunted me if I'd seen it in a fairy tale at six years old!

Wonderful job!

[white_lilyblossom]

Wow! Really, oh my, that's amazing, I'm breathless. It looks like something out of a Miyazaki Movie. Love the fairy tale quality to it, and your technical skill is astounding. 

[ConTexty]

I spent a lot of time gazing at this house and its legs and all the fantastic details, trying to decide what's my favorite detail, but failed. It is so so perfect and desirable! truly a work of art.

Thanks for the chance to see this.