Baba Yaga

After 500 years in the bottle?

Baba Yaga is a character from Hoyle 3 and is claimed to be the name of or the inspiration for the Witch of the Dark Forest.

Background

Baba Yaga is an ogress. She is encountered Rosella, Graham, Mordack and Lolotte in the world off Hoyle, where they were challenged to a number of board games (along with Ad Avis).

A Hero, a graduate from the Famous Adventurer's Correspondence School rescued the children of a powerful Baron and defeated the schemes of the evil witch, Baba Yaga.

In the World of Dacentry

Discover the story behind three titles from the King's Quest saga - one of the most famous adventure game series released by Sierra. Let yourself become enthralled by the incredible atmosphere created by Roberta Williams, who drew inspiration from fairy tales and stories like The Beauty and the Beast, Baba Yaga and many more. The Grahams need your help, so don't fear, brave adventurer, and embark on a journey of your dreams.

The Royal Family has encountered a number of unnamed hags or heard about them during their adventures. As to who might be a version of Baba Yaga is unknown.

The hag followed the dark path, and there can be little doubt. She lusted after Prince Herbert, turned Alicia into a tree, stole her heart, and tried to steal her man. She apparently even stole Rumplestiltskin's magic spinning wheel. Graham wore a magical amulet that protected him from her spells. Graham then gave her a bottle that he found in the Endless Desert of Serenia. Upon opening it she released a vengeful genie who trapped her inside the bottle. The bottle becoming her home, she was waiting for someone to set her free within the next 500 years. Had Graham not been protected, the hag of the Dark Forest, would have added him to her collection of slime toads.

The witch probably doesn't brush her pointed teeth or gargle after every meal, and it is unknown what comprised her diet. Since she's bottled for the next half millennium, most people will not be around to find out that answer. When Graham searched the inside of the witch's house he found a bag of gems, Rumplestiltskin's spinning wheel, and the key to Alicia's heart. He passed on the witch's recipe book. After escaping from the Dark Forest with the help of a Gray Elf, Graham returned Alicia's heart to her and broke the witch's spell over the girl. Like a lyric from a country song, her home was in the bottle and she's waited for someone to set her free.

In another story the Beast was once a prince, but a witch trapped him in the form of a beast and set him on an island. There once was a prince, who cared for nothing but adventuring and rescuing fair maidens, but he rankled one too many evil hags.

One dark night, through a hag's terrible cruelty and cunning, he was turned into an obscenity; warped in shape and trapped on an enchanted island for over a hundred years. The sorceress only left him a 'way out,' but it was only her final bitter joke. He need only find a maiden to join him on the island; to share his castle, his life...willingly.

Titles and nicknames

• Witch of the Dark Forest
• Black Forest Witch
• Old Witch
• Witch
• The Bitch

See also

• Witch of the Dark Forest
• Witch's wardrobe

Behind the scenes

According to GOG's summary for their King's Quest 4-5-6 collection. Baba Yaga is the inspiration for a witch or is a witch that appears/mentioned in the series, either the one in KQ5, or it could be the inspiration for the witch who turned Beast into Prince (or perhaps both). The marketing does juxtapose it with Beauty and the Beast. It could even be connected to the Graeae in KQ4 in some versions of Baba Yaga is the name of a trio of sisters all sharing the same name. 

In the story The Feather of Finist the Falcon a girl searching for her lost lover (who comes to her in the form of a falcon). She finds a hut with a witch (sometimes referred to as a Baba Yaga), who gives her a gift (such as a silver spinning wheel and a golden spindle). This does seem to connect the fact that this character in the game has Rumplstiltskin's spinning wheel. This story has some similarities with Beauty and the Beast as well.

In some variants of the story of Hansel and Gretel, and Beauty and Beast, the witch in the stories are said to be Baba Yaga. The name Black Forest Witch as she is known according to box of KQ5 NES gives her ties to the witch in Hansel and Gretel in some versions of the myth which are set in the Black Forest of Germany. In one variation of Baba Yaga stories takes on elements from Hansel and Gretel where the protagonist convinces Baba Yaga to get into her own oven.

In some tales a trio of Baba Yagas appear as sisters, all sharing the same name. For example, in a version of "The Maiden Tsar" collected in the 19th century by Alexander Afanasyev, Ivan, a handsome merchant’s son, makes his way to the home of one of three Baba Yagas:

He journeyed onwards, straight ahead [...] and finally came to a little hut; it stood in the open field, turning on chicken legs. He entered and found Baba Yaga the Bony-legged. "Fie, fie," she said, "the Russian smell was never heard of nor caught sight of here, but it has come by itself. Are you here of your own free will or by compulsion, my good youth?" "Largely of my own free will, and twice as much by compulsion! Do you know, Baba Yaga, where lies the thrice tenth kingdom?" "No, I do not," she said, and told him to go to her second sister; she might know.

Ivan walks for some time before encountering a small hut identical to the first. This Baba Yaga makes the same comments and asks the same question as the first, and Ivan asks the same question. This second Baba Yaga does not know either and directs him to the third, but says that if she gets angry with him "and wants to devour you, take three horns from her and ask her permission to blow them; blow the first one softly, the second one louder, and third still louder". Ivan thanks her and continues on his journey.

After walking for some time, Ivan eventually finds the chicken-legged hut of the youngest of the three sisters turning in an open field. This third and youngest of the Baba Yagas makes the same comment about "the Russian smell" before running to whet her teeth and consume Ivan. Ivan begs her to give him three horns and she does so. The first he blows softly, the second louder, and the third louder yet. This causes birds of all sorts to arrive and swarm the hut. One of the birds is the firebird, which tells him to hop on its back or Baba Yaga will eat him. He does so and the Baba Yaga rushes him and grabs the firebird by its tail. The firebird leaves with Ivan, leaving Baba Yaga behind with a fist full of firebird feathers.

The Ogress (Mrs. Ogre) appears in KQ4 as well (although she is based more on wife of cloud giant/ogre from Jack and the Beanstalk).

The hag 'sisters' in KQ4 certainly have inspiration from the Graeae (with their single eye) and the witches of Macbeth ("Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble").

The witch also takes inspiration from characters such as Dame Gothel from Rapunzel story.

A Baba Yaga who looks like the Witch character from KQ5 with white hair (but is probably based on Quest for Glory character of the same name) appears in Hoyle 3. Her vga image alpears to be roughly based off of Baba Yaga's EGA sprite in Hero's Quest/QFG1.

As the King's Quest Companion and most sources leave her to be an 'unnamed' witch. the alternate article reflects this. This article reflects information about Baba Yaga (from Hoyle 3) and inspiration to the series in general.

Baba Yaga is also inspiration for some of the elements of Hagatha (KQGS) in particular her chicken legged  Hagatha's Tower.

Baba Yaga is widely known (in Sierra games) as the antagonist of Quest for Glory 1, and later neutral unpredictable ally in Quest for Glory 4.

Re-boot series

Hagatha's Tower from King's Quest reboot appears to be inspired by Baba Yaga's Hut, and Howl's Moving Castle.