h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi ,

As mentioned in another thread, I've been given your Baba Yaga entry to sub-edit. I've been doing a little tweaking and polishing on the entry, and the results so far are on A823402 .

Please take a look and let me know if any of my attempts to clarify things have mangled the meaning of what you and Anna wrote. Am I doing a good job, or do I deserve to be thrown in Baba Yaga's oven?

You're doing a good job, Ormy!

Can I add a bit to this:

'The third says that she came partly because her mother asked her, partly of her own accord and she's not really sure why she came, and she is welcomed into the house.'

to make it this:

'The third says that she came partly because her mother asked her, partly of her own accord, she's not really sure why she came and she came because Baba Yaga was here, and she is welcomed into the house.'

(actually the text says 'because you are here')?

Thanks.

Glad you're happy with my efforts, !

I'm a bit confused by your new paragraph, though. '...she's not really sure why she came and she came because Baba Yaga was here...' Surely there's a contradiction there?

While I'm at it, I'd like to clarify the geography in the entry, and particularly in this paragraph: 'According to one theory about Slavic mythology, Baba Yaga has its origin in the beliefs and myths of the peoples living in northern Russia (Nentsy, Finnish, Khanty, etc.) who worshipped goddesses who were represented by statues named Yaga from the Nenetski word yaha, meaning sea or lake.'

How are we defining 'Russia' here? Obviously, Finland wouldn't be included in the modern country of Russia, or even in the old Soviet Union. 'Slavic' could also refer to quite a wide area, but I don't know where the Nentsy or Khanty people live!

Might it be more accurate to talk about '...the beliefs and myths of the people living in northern Europe...'?

Hi Ormy,

The text for the paragraph is in full:

'Baba Yaga confronts her, “Are you on your own errand, or are you sent by another?” This young woman answers truthfully. “In large part I’m on my own errand, but in large part I also come because of others. And in large part I have come because you are here, and because of the forest, and something 1 have forgotten, and in large part I know not why I come.” Baba Yaga regards her for a moment and says, “ You’ll do,” and shows her into the hut.'

Does it make more sense now? I think the essence of it is that the yound woman is being truthful and hiding nothing - in a sense, she is being pulled to Baba Yaga. She is showing herself as being complex and truthful.

I suspect that it is the unequivocal answer that has the answerer end up in the cooking pot.

As for the geographical part - that was provided by Anna Banana from Russian text sources.

A quick Google search has shown that the Nentsky and Khanty tribes-people are from northern Siberia.

Does that help?

Yes, a lot. That paragraph is great - I think I might quote it in full. I can't help sympathising with Baba Yaga there! I'll change the geographical reference to say simply 'northern Siberia'.

I didn't realise that Anna Banana was your co-writer! I thought that Anna the Italic was the other person credited! I mentioned it to Anna the Italic, and she was understandably rather puzzled to hear that she was credited on the entry. So she's removed 'her' name! Hopefully I can restore the credit to the right Anna!

WellI thought it was Anna the Italic at first, so I got confused. I think it was Hell who pointed out my mistake. I thought Anna may have Russian antecedents and was using a sort of 'Anna's Russian Site'.

I immediately removed U25 from the entry as soon as I found out, which was within a day of it being recommended and credited the rightful Anna.

A bit of a comedy of errors.

On reflection, Ormy, maybe you could say 'Northern Russia and Finland' as they sort of join? I suppose there is no need to mention the tribes. The main source of origin I found was a Christian missionary site trying to Christianise the tribes! If there was a better one, it might link, however ...

'Northern Russia and Finland' it is, then - leaving the tribes out of it does simplify matters. And I've now put Anna Banana's credit back on the page.

Ormy.

A little further down, it mentions a Nentsky' origin for a word - this might be worth either a footnote that the Nentsky are a northern Siberian tribe, or the information could be included in brackets?

http://www.polarcircle.org/english/people/uralic/nentsy.htm

This is just for your edification.

I've been online for hours and feel the need for a quick break, but I'll make the changes shortly.

OK - changes made, with a footnote explaining who the Nentsy are.

I've learned more as well, Ormy. The Kanty and the Nentsky weren't Russian, which is what I gather Anna Banana meant by them being Slavic (the legends appear in Yugoslavia too, for instance), and were invaded by the Russians. One of the reasons, perhaps, for Baba Yaga having no love for Russian people.



Anway, I'm off to the IOW - family illness - not quite sure when I'll be back.