Once upon a time, there was a young girl who lived in a forest with her mother. They were all alone in the forest, but the young girl never felt fear or want. She and her mother ate apples from the trees and corn from their garden. They befriended the animals and watched the stars at night.
One day, the mother fell ill and died. The girl had grown into a young woman, and after grieving and saying blessings over her mother’s grave, the young woman realized she could not stay in the forest by herself. She set off for the city.
The city was harsh and cold. People were cruel. The young woman was hungry and sad. She learned how to hide and how to fight. She tried to find love but it was out of reach for many years. Meanwhile, she learned about money, developed skills and sold the fruits of her labor.
One day, the woman, who was not young any more, met a man and fell in love. The man loved her, too. They married and lived together in a cottage painted in bright colors, making music and sharing stories. They were happy! Life was a blessing. Their one sadness was that they were too old to have a child together. Children, men and women in the neighborhood to whom she was kind called the woman “Grandma.” They often asked her for stories and wisdom.
After happy years together, the man suddenly died. It was too soon, the woman cried in her grief. She closed the doors of the cottage and the music stopped. The woman was alone. Now she was very old. Sometimes, she was kind, and sometimes she yelled at the children. Some of them called her“Grandma Yaga.”
She yearned for the forest again. She moved back to her old home, where she again listened to music and watched the stars. People began visiting and asking for her stories and she was pleased to share them. And that is what Grandma Yaga does to this day.