Baba Yaga

In Slavic myth, there is a character named Baba Yaga. She is said to be an old hag, a spirit of the forest, and a "mistress of magic." Why include her in a discussion of spice bowls, you may wonder? What caught our attention is that Baba Yaga's primary mode of transportation is a mortar and pestle! Yes, it's true. She is described as flying through the forest in a mortar, using the pestle as a makeshift rudder. We commend Baba Yaga for her resourcefulness. And here we had thought mortars and pestles were only useful for spices and medicines!