“Yaga” = “witch”
Baba Yaga (Grandmother Witch) is a character in Russian mythology, meant to scare the bejeebers out of misbehaving children.
She lives in a hut on fowl’s legs (yes, chicken legs out of the bottom of the house), and it is always turning in circles, so no one can sneak up on it/her.
She does not ride a broom as most Western European witches would. Instead, she travels the skies at night in a mortar and pestel, collecting naughty children. She then uses the mortar and pestel to grind their bones into flour for bread.
Check out Modeste Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. The next to last piece (IIRC) is based on a picture of BY’s hut, but more readily depicts BY’s flight. Cool piece.
More info:
http://www.sunbirds.com/lacquer/readings/1037
http://www.blueroebuck.com/Goddess/babayaga.html
http://www.stmoroky.com/reviews/gallery/pictures/hartmann.htm (image of the Hut from PAAE)