Russia’s Giant Mouthed, Cannibal Witch, with a House that Walks on Chicken Feet
So we’re creeping up on Halloween and I figure time for a good old fashioned scary and legendary child gobbling witch! Most of Eastern Europe and Russia has some version of this tale, we’re going to focus on the Russian descriptors, but if you know something I don’t and want to to the Polish version, hey, they’re your crayons!
The Story of the Baba Yaga goes thusly: A hideous hag that rules the woods, her dwelling surrounded by a gate made of bones of victims and her house itself walks on chicken legs. She is said to have fangs like knives and driven by a constant hunger for souls. Her jaw so expansive, she can drop it to the ground where it appears to children and weary travelers as a cave for shelter. Her eyes so cold, she can petrify… well you get the point, mostly her goal is your horrific death and she seemingly has lots of tools to accomplish it!
If all of the above that wasn’t enough she is also said to be able to fly a mortar and pestle (I’ve seen pictures and, honestly, still no clue?) or, she can use the more traditional flaming broomstick. Some say she has multiple sisters with the same name and powers and still others tell tale that she travels with Death to feast upon the souls of his victims. So don’t say I never gave you options, draw the beast, draw the house, just draw a cave full of slowly digesting youths or just an extreme close up of a petrifying eye! It’s almost Halloween so just make sure it’s witchy!
Our judge this week is Paul Flapjack, who along with his brother Jamie is trying to put Berwyn on the specialty brew map. Now perhaps I’ve been softened by the free flowing samples of their vanilla cream ale handed over the fence or maybe it’s that their mom feeds our koi if I go out of town (their parents live next door to me). But I’m fully supporting this! Their beers are solid, they include some unique twists and seriously these guys are about as nice as they come. They have a kickstarter going for some big fermenters and aging tanks here. You can see the full story here but most importantly, keep you eyes open in the coming year. If you see a Flapjack beer in store, give it a try. And if you like it, tell your friends! That’s all we can ask!
