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Message: <blockquote data-quote="johnsemlak" data-source="post: 470933" data-attributes="member: 7233">While I think it was important here to point out Baba Yaga is a from Russian folklore, I do agree with kenjib about how myths get twisted.  Who knows where Baba Yaga comes from in Russian Folktales (please post here if you do; I'm no expert).  She may be a Russian interpretation of some much older myth.There are so many examples of myths being taken, changed, and rewritten.  Take Christmas.  It was originally nothting to do with the birth of Jesus, and Jesus couldn't have even been born in December.  It is an ancient celebration of the beginnign of the year, going back to the Sumarians or even further.  How many priests bring that up during the x-mas mass?And look at how Tolkien and Gygax et. al. have taken and twisted myths and folklore to create new fantasy worlds themselves.  Teh Q&A with Gygax includes many posts on the origin of the drow, how he found the word somewhere and went on to invent an evil elf race.  And how much to Tolkien's elves and dwarves really have to do with their counterparts in nordic myths?  Yet, at least among those who read modern fantasy works, our first conception of dwarves and elves is from Tolkien.</blockquote>