Baba Yaga House Coin Pendant

This carving is based on the Russian fairy tale Vasilisa the Brave ( or Beautiful or Wise, as some variations are known).

One of my favorite stories, it has always stuck with me. It’s about a girl who’s stepmother is always trying to get rid of her, sending her on dangerous tasks. One task is to bring back fire from the witch Baba Yaga, who is so fierce, she rides around in a flying cauldron and has a house that roams the forest on great big chicken legs. Vasalisa asks for help and is given impossible tasks to complete, or will be killed. Her doll that her mother gave her comes to life and helps her complete the tasks, ensuring that she gets the flame. When she brings it to her very surprised stepmother, the fire turns her into ash. I was fascinated with that story, mostly because it had a doll that came to life, but that weird house, it was such strange imagery!
I recently read ‘Women Who Run With The Wolves’ by Clarissa Pinkola Estes and she writes about feminine archetypes, using old fairytales. She re-examines the witch Baba Yaga, a wild woman, free of constrain and explains how the witch’s tests are a way of following intuition. I think there are very important lessons in fairy tales, if you look beyond the surface. In this story, a young woman comes into her own power, with the guidance of her elders (the doll) and faces terrible challenges. I also love Baba Yaga, even though she’s portrayed as scary, with a horrible reputation, it makes me think she was probably really smart and some folks found that terrifying, so they branded her a witch (like so many women who stood up for themselves and followed their own paths).
This is a very detailed piece! Look in the doorway and you can see a tiny Vasilisa.

This handmade bronze coin is a magical-looking piece that will look amazing with a variety of beads, or simply strung on ribbon. Its made of pure bronze, from a hand carved mold. The pendant features hallmarks of a handmade item: fingerprints impressed into the back, little cracks and crevaces - not defects, but marks left to replicate ancient artifacts.

The piece measures approximately a little over an inch across. This item is very limited and wholesale is not available. This is for one pendant. Thank you for stopping by!