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As it turns out, some scholars believe the Baba Yaga we know—the old, ugly hag from the fairy tales—is based on, or is a descendent of, a fertility and earth goddess worshiped by ancient pagan Slavs. I was instantly fascinated by how a goddess could become a witch and just knew I had to write a book not about the infamous hag, but about the little-known woman named Yaga. And when Anastasia, wife of Tsar Ivan IV and an old friend of Yaga’s, comes to her for help, Yaga is faced with her reluctance to mingle with mortals again and her desire to protect her friend from an unknown threat that, Yaga fears, is a larger threat than even she knows yet. So Yaga does what she always does: She does not let the small minds of men stop her, those who would prey on the mortality that leaves her susceptible to harm and even death, and instead does what she must to help another in need by going to the royal court in Moscow to care for Anastasia. All in all, my conclusion is the same as Kate’s. This wasn’t a slog of a read by any means, but by the time I finished it, I realized I spent most of the book thinking about other, similar stories and wishing this was more like those. That’s when I knew I had to write a feminist tale about a powerful yet vulnerable woman reduced to a witch by the men of her time. And I would call her simply Yaga." Tongue-in-cheek musings aside, this book has got praise for its "authenticity," and yet, to me it's been the least authentic depiction I've ever read of Baba Yaga for more reasons than just the characterisation. The author might be from Russia, but about all the difference that made from Baba Yaga retellings by Western writers is that Olesya Gilmore knows the proper gender of Russian names. Big achievement, that. The rest? She goes for the same stereotypes and clichés about Russia and Russians that Western authors get regularly roasted for.
So overall, “The Witch and the Tsar” was an okay read, but I’m not sure I got everything I could have gotten from it. Maybe I need to go grab that unopened book of Russian folklore off my shelf. Serena’s Thoughts Combining myth and history, this book is for anyone who enjoys retellings, especially one that gives voice to maligned characters.” - The Young Folks The Witch and the Tsar is mesmerizing story of Russian history and mythology; as well as reinventing Baba Yaga, who was a fabulous heroine, always fighting to save her country. This is a powerful story, filled with folklore, heartbreak, captivating, and an amazing story from start to finish. THE WITCH AND THE TSAR was a wonderful story, so very well written by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore. If you enjoy history, folklore, with a bit of romance, I suggest you read this book. Did I mention she's lived for centuries, since before Russia existed? Well, be prepared for an ignorant witch to give you history lessons, then, because this book is heavy on the infodump as the author often doesn't know how to weave the historical facts into the plot and uses Yaga as your history teacher. A history teacher that thinks Russia is the continuation of Rus' without even mentioning that it was Kyivan Rus', and lets Ivan call Prince Volodymyr the Great, who was Grand Prince of Kyiv, one of the "great princes of Russia"... conveniently ignoring that, just right before this, it was said Russia didn't exist yet and again erasing Kyivan Rus' from the picture. Oh, and also, the Livonian war that's going on for a good chunk of the book isn't a result of, you know, Russia's imperialist ambitions, no, it's the Lady of Death making Ivan hunger for expansionism because she wants to destroy poor old Russia. The villain here is her rather than Ivan, who's just a poor crazy old sod manipulated by the evil goddess and Koschei the Deathless and their minions, thus erasing any semblance of responsibility from Ivan the Terrible as a mere puppet instead of the mastermind and instigator he really was. Good Tsar/Bad Boyars is played throughout with the Oprichnina, too, because the bloodshed is shown in detail and in all its gory glory when it's the Oprichniki acting on their own, but never when it's Ivan spilling the blood. What was I saying about the outrage over the Siege of Leningrad being the fault of folktale characters' infighting in Valente's book? Well, here's one of the bloodiest and "cataclysmic" (Gilmore's word) periods of Russia's history being presented as the fault of Selica, the goddess of Death, and not a very human tsar Ivan Vasilyevich.However, Yaga soons find out that the tsarina's enemy is a formidable one, has deep knowledge of the supernatural and it's about more than Yaga's childhood friend. Beautifully written, gripping…a story of Baba Yaga as you have never met her before—don’t even THINK about missing it!” But here's where I start to have a bit of an issue: Baba Yaga is being reimagined as an old but youthful seeming, misunderstood feminist icon trying to learn how to get along in a life that is complicated and strange, butting heads with gods and the Deathless and the earthly powers that be, let alone the encroaching Christianity versus the old gods. As she travels to Moscow, Yaga witnesses a sixteenth-century Russia on the brink of chaos. Tsar Ivan—soon to become Ivan the Terrible—grows more volatile and tyrannical by the day, and Yaga believes the tsaritsa is being poisoned by an unknown enemy. But what Yaga cannot know is that Ivan is being manipulated by powers far older and more fearsome than anyone can imagine.
Here, Baba Yaga is a woman, half-goddess, who’s been burned by gods and mortals alike, so she’s retreated and is simply doing what she does well in the dark of the forest. Soon though, she must answer the call for help from a dear friend, and she spends the rest of the novel trying to fulfill the ultimate goal of this particular quest, as Russia comes more and more under the grip of the increasingly mad Ivan the Terrible. No, she’s not the supposed hag, which familiar tale we’ve accepted from the mouths of men for far, too long. And she’s not embraced her power, hasn’t even had the chance to learn to do so, due to events beyond her control. But this story is where her powerlessness ends, and the crux of the novel finds its way into our hearts.
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With my unease temporarily forgotten, my cheeks flushed with familiar indignation. Not many dared to say that name to my face. “It is the izbushka of Yaga.” Afierce, historically rich reimagining of the story of Baba Yaga.. full of complicated, three-dimensional women.” –Paste Magazine There is even a bit of romance to counterbalance some of the considerable blood-letting. After I had witnessed my first birthing not ten years into my life, Mokosh had explained to me the intricacies of lovemaking and child making. “Though immortals can birth other gods and half gods,” she had said, gently, “it is not simple for us, with mortals above all. Most of the time, it happens not. It is even harder for half gods. If it happens, it does so for a reason. It is willed by the Universe.” I had known many men over the centuries, both mortal and immortal. Not once had my trysts ended in anything other than fleeting pleasure or pointless regret. I knew it would never happen for me.But then she meets Vasily Alekseyevich Adashev, studly warrior, but mortal, which is a problem. It gets complicated. He is probably in his 20s or 30s, she is several hundred. (Baba Cougar?) It is a delightful element. There's a reason she endured the way she was. It wasn't because Wise Women who were burned as Witches were all really good people underneath. And so, I miss the full range and scope of what is usually a fascinating character. A painting portraying Baba Yaga. According to Slavic folklore, Baba Yaga was a witch who often preys on children to eat them. However, some accounts present her as a wise and helpful creature. The painting was created in 1917 and is now located at the House Museum of Viktor Vasnetsov in Moscow.
Regular people are used to be afraid of anything unusual and different. But different doesn’t mean something horrifying, vicious, scary when you learn to be open minded. The Witch and the Tsar delivers high stakes, memorable characters, and a sixteenth-century Russia you can almost reach out and touch. Yaga’s tale is a story I never knew I needed” - Genevieve Gornichec, author of THE WITCH'S HEART Overall, this was a violent and emotional story that kept me engaged. Those that enjoy reimagined folk tales and mythology may want to consider this book as their next read. The man halted at the fence, no doubt trying to decide if the skulls there were human. “Is this the izbushka of Baba Yaga the Bony Leg?”
The Witch and the Tsar
It was not that twilight tasted differently, though on my tongue, the humid spring air had the bitterness of snowfall. It was that, even this deep in the Russian forest, dusk bled into the light with infuriating leisure. The clouds had smothered the last of the sun’s rays in scarlet. Yet day clung on, delaying what mortals intended to find their way to my izbushka. The view of reality Gilmore presents is informed by her childhood exposure to Russian mythology. She was born in Moscow and spent her early years there. Fairy tales from childhood figure large, particularly stories set in Old Russia. (Gilmore would have included even more, but maybe in some future work.) Setting her tale in medieval times felt right, which led to focusing on Ivan as THE medieval tsar. It helped that he made an ideal villain, given his location in history, his interest in the occult, and his apparently mass murderous sociopathy. What makes a guy go there?
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