It’s easy to be scared of large animals with sharp teeth or scary humanoid creatures with exaggerated features. It’s also easy to be scared of clowns.

But what about when everyday household objects go bad? Say, an umbrella, or shoes? Maybe a broom? What about a magical flying mortar & pestle, or a house with chicken legs?

Enter Baba Yaga, a your classic witch, except that she flies around in a mortar and lives in a house with chicken legs. I suppose that makes her more scary? Or is it a ruse to confuse children long enough for her to catch them?

It doesn’t really matter; more importantly, a painting of Baba Yaga’s house became the inspiration for part of Modest Mussorgsky‘s Pictures at an Exhibition:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tO5p-gNyVlo

There’s also an awesome metal version:

Does Norway have a 4th of July? Yes, but they call it “May 17th.”

Fun Fact #1: Scandinavia has way more heavy metal bands per capita than anywhere else in the world.

Edvard Grieg is unquestionably Norway’s most iconic composer. When he was born, Norway was a very poor country – in the eyes of mainland Europeans, it was the sticks, full of country bumpkins and fishermen (and burnt-out Vikings). Grieg helped forge a national identity through his marvelous music, which often incorporated Norwegian folk songs and legends. He only wrote one concerto, but it was and is so popular that quite frankly he didn’t need to write another one. The Piano Concerto in A minor incorporates some traditional Norwegian dances, as well as some less-traditional Nordic heavy metal. Just listen to the opening – is that not totally metal?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VctuKi7QwcM

Fun Fact #2: Grieg’s melodic phrases are almost invariably four-measures long. (hmm, I suppose that’s not as fun as fact #1 …)