Baba Yaga

Russian fairy tale

The terrifying old woman in the house on chicken legs who either helps or devours those who come to her, depending on their readiness. The Great Mother as gatekeeper of the unconscious.

Baba Yaga's question is always some version of: do you know why you have come? In the tales it is the truthful, wide-awake answer that survives her. The unconscious tests sincerity, not credentials.

The pattern underneath: The Great Mother. The biggest version of the Mother: nature itself as a force that creates and destroys.