The Witch and the Tsar

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A delicate weaving of myth and history, The Witch and the Tsar breathes new life into stories you think you know’ Hannah Whitten, New York Times bestselling author of For the Wolf What we got was a happy ending with a flawed, but ultimately good feminist icon. If I didn't know anything about Baba Yaga at all, I'd be pointing at this and going, "See? See? Men bad!" while ignoring the necessity for the big bad, the big wishgranter, the complicated, bigger-than-life IDEA of Baba Yaga and what she meant to countless myth-lovers. A delicate weaving of myth and history, The Witch and the Tsar breathes new life into stories you think you know.” This is a fantastic question I’ve never heard before! A fire-breathing dragon, or zmey in Russian folklore, would be pretty unbeatable, for who could beat a creature breathing flames? But an alkonost from Slavic mythology would also be cool. The alkonost is a fierce creature with the head of a woman and the body of a bird. They can fly and are known for their beguiling siren-like singing. We would just put everyone in battle under our spell! And yet, The Witch and the Tsar, written by a Russian and thus presumably above accusations of cultural appropriation and racist stereotypes and Russophobia, is really no different in this sense.

Over a couple of decades, Yaga will align with others to stop Tsar Ivan, who has become known as Ivan the Terrible, using his army to kill every one he considers traitors or enemies. Destruction and chaos is all over Russia, destroying everything they held dear. This book retells the entire folkloric story with another perspective, humanizing Yaga, giving her true defiant, powerful voice she needs. She doesn’t feed herself with children, flying around in a mortar, terrorizing her community as it’s told. It’s a remarkable redefinition and recreation of the character! I truly loved this version more!It's a universal truth that if anyone knows all about snow besides Alaskans, Scandinavians, Inuit, Canadians, my friend from Minnesota, and polar bears, it's the Russians. It’s extra frustrating because it would have taken so little effort to separate this story from any connection with Baba Yaga. Gilmore’s Yaga just needs a different name and a different house, and this could have been the exact same novel without turning an epically monstrous and powerful witch into a milquetoast. Me, I’m the reader frustrated by the aged-down Yaga! But before I get to that, let’s start with my general impression. Unlike Kate, everything about this book is directly up my alley, so it was a bit of a no-brainer that I was going to read it either way. But I was happy she suggested we joint review it, since I think that has left us in an interesting position now. Since…the very fact that this was up my alley might be why I wasn’t this book’s biggest fan? More precisely, I feel like I’ve read this book before and better versions of it. Can you tell us a little something about your current work(s) in progress? Have you any upcoming projects which you can share? This epic tale brings both history and folklore to vivid life. It's a fresh, exciting take sure to capture fans of Madeline Miller's Circe and Jennifer Saint's Ariadne” - Publishers Weekly

What are your thoughts on the current popularity of mythological retellings and the importance of their evolution? Her peaceful life ends when Anastasia , wife of Tsar Ivan The Terrible, an old friend of hers visits her to request urgent help.

A rich and vivid tapestry of old Russia in an age when Tsar Ivan the Terrible grappled not only with political foes but with the legendary witch Baba Yaga and her command of magic and pagan gods. An evocative journey into old Russian myth and history, and a poignant exploration of what it means to be both human and immortal.” A necessary component of this evolution is for readers to move on from their entrenched notions of what these female characters should be and envision what they could be . There are some readers who have questioned why I chose to portray Baba Yaga the way I have, lamenting the fact that all they wanted was the hag they know from folklore. But isn’t this a reflection of the same notions and beliefs that we have been taught to embrace since we were children? As the tagline for my book says, “Sometimes the true story is cloaked in lies to hide its power.” Gilmore is hard at work on her next novel, with a draft due to her editor in September. This one will be a gothic, set in the 1920s, after the revolution. Two sisters confront their past in their old ancestral house in Moscow. Pub date TBD. But there is more. You see, it was around this time that a "new" religion had come to dominate Rus(sia): Christianity. Leaving out food for old house spirits was suddenly devil worship and if you didn't subject ... Case in point: one of Yaga’s companions, Dyen, is an immortal wolf who can speak to her telepathically. When Yaga goes to Moscow, Dyen accompanies her. Yaga then wonders why people are staring at her when she’s done her best to fit in – despite the massive wolf walking next to her. A wolf which is allowed into the royal palace without protest. A wolf which, once Yaga’s audience with the king is over, runs off into the palace alone and everyone is fine with that.

But there’s far more to it. When reading the author’s note, you learn of what inspired the author and what she hoped to achieve. I think she did. This is one of those books that will only grow richer with rereading. She has been alone for centuries, with only her beloved animals for company. But, when Tsaritsa Anastasia, wife of Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich, shows up at Yaga’s cottage on the brink of death, Yaga is compelled to travel with her to Moscow to keep her safe. Olesya Salnikova Gilmore weaves a rich tapestry of mythology and Russian history, reclaiming and reinventing the infamous Baba Yaga, and bringing to life a vibrant and tumultuous Russia, where old gods and new tyrants vie for power. This fierce and compelling novel draws from the timeless lore to create a heroine for the modern day, fighting to save her country and those she loves from oppression while also finding her true purpose as a goddess, a witch, and a woman.

The Witch and the Tsar

As it turns out, some scholars believe the Baba Yaga we know—the old, ugly hag from the fairy tales—is based on, or is a descendent of, a fertility and earth goddess worshiped by ancient pagan Slavs. I was instantly fascinated by how a goddess could become a witch and just knew I had to write a book not about the infamous hag, but about the little-known woman named Yaga. As with everything in the book, I have tried to make the magic real, accessible, and most importantly, the kind that might exist–if one looks hard enough. To do this, I used as its foundation real Slavic pagan and folk magic, ritual, and superstitions, even some that my family has whispered about for years! This Yaga (don't call her BABA Yaga, as she finds it offensive to be called "grandmother" despite being hundreds of years old) is different though. Still youthful, she does have powers and a connection to deities and sprites, but she also still has ties to the human world. Such as tsarina Anastasia who shows up one day because she's in danger. Turns out, someone is trying to poison her.

The view of reality Gilmore presents is informed by her childhood exposure to Russian mythology. She was born in Moscow and spent her early years there. Fairy tales from childhood figure large, particularly stories set in Old Russia. (Gilmore would have included even more, but maybe in some future work.) Setting her tale in medieval times felt right, which led to focusing on Ivan as THE medieval tsar. It helped that he made an ideal villain, given his location in history, his interest in the occult, and his apparently mass murderous sociopathy. What makes a guy go there?

This was a little bit of a gamble for me, as I knew that it was fantasy, and I knew that it was going to be pretty heavy on Russian mythology for inspiration. And given that I’m not a huge fantasy person, and my book of Russian myths and fairytales has sat on my shelf unopened for years, I was rolling the dice. BUT, it also follows Yaga, a witch, and I DO LOVE WITCHES. So I took a chance on this one, and the bag was… pretty mixed. Olesya Salnikova Gilmore weaves a rich tapestry of mythology and Russian history, reclaiming and reinventing the infamous Baba Yaga, and bringing to life a vibrant and tumultuous Russia, where old gods and new tyrants vie for power. This fierce and compelling novel draws from the timeless lore to create a heroine for the modern day, fighting to save her country and those she loves from oppression while also finding her true purpose as a goddess, a witch, and a woman. Kate’s Thoughts