Humans are fascinated by gore and violence, but even more so the mysterious and unsolved.

Interest in these disturbing and unpleasant subjects is called morbid curiosity, and it has

gripped millions of people throughout the ages.

I am one of those people.

My name is Halley, and this is the Morbid Curiosity podcast.

Thank you. Podcast. Hags are a common character in the folklore of cultures all over the world.

When I say hag, I mean an elderly woman who uses magic to help or hinder those

who encounter her. She often targets children or young women as her victims. Some examples of these

archetypical witchy characters include La Bafana from Italy, Nelly Long Arms, Ginny Green Teeth and Black Anas from Northern England,

the Bruja of Mexico, and Mumma Paduri from Romania. One of the most famous hags of folklore is Babayaga.

In the west, Baba Yaga is the most well-known character in Slavic folklore.

While not often the main character, she appears in a multitude of books, films, and other entertainment.

She's intriguing, as she's both malicious and benevolent.

References to Baba Yaga in modern western pop culture are often negative. In the

John Wick films, for example, Wick, who is an elite assassin, is nicknamed Baba Yaga by his

employers, a Russian crime syndicate in New York. However, the film suggests Baba Yaga was a supernatural boogeyman-like entity.

Baba Yaga is not a boogeyman. She is a different being altogether. That said, considering

John Wick's kill count, the name is still relevant, as Baba Yaga was a prolific killer.

The version of Baba Yaga from the Hellboy series is more representative of the folklore that

the character originates from. Similar representations also feature in Castlevania,

Dungeons and Dragons, Blacktail, Tomb Raider, and Doctor Who. Japanese animation legend

Hayao Mayazaki was inspired by Baba Yaga

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