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After reading it I only had one question, who was Baba Tila? Is that left a mystery who she really was or is she really just an ordinary witch?
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Katerina kind of hints that she might be one of Katerina's own aunts who cast the spell to protect her, but they never really explain how an "ordinary witch" could live for elevenhundred years, or why she would then just die. She left a spell on the note and trained Ivan's mother, so she knew enough of the future to know Ivan would be the one to wake Katerina and fight the Bear, even before he ever saw the clearing. Her spell was strong enough to break a spell that could bind a god, even after she had died, or before she was born, depending on how you look at it. I don't know enough slovic folklore to know any of Baba Yaga's rivals, so I guess it is just a mystery, but who ever Baba Tila she was deffinitly not ordinary.
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I'm hijacking this thread. Just wanted to warn you.
I have no idea where I heard this, but somewhere I heard a rumor that there will eventually be a "sequel" to Enchantment. Did I create that rumor? Am I confusing Enchantment with Pastwatch? Does anyone know anything about that?
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I don't think it's a sequel, but rather another book where fantasy and "today" overlap, much as they did in Enchantment. I believe the book is Slow Leak, and Scott would love for Queen Latifah to play the leading role when it becomes a movie. I suppose a number of other issues need to fall into place before discussions about the leading lady go too far, though -- like he has to write it.
The sequel to Pastwatch (The Flood) is long overdue -- it is to revolve around the story of Noah in its many forms.
To the original question, I don't believe we ever learn much more about Baba Tila, except that she's undoubtedly the same person as Tetka Tila.
I thought about Tekta Tila and Baba Tila, but I never saw what Tekta was more important than any of the other two aunts. Was she the one who said "purest love"?
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I thought Baba Tila was one of Ivan and Katerina's children, but I never got any confirmation on that.
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As I recall, they named one of their children Esther (nickname Tila), but I assumed she was named after Baba/Tetka Tila, rather than being the same person (just as the other three children were named after Sergei, Lucas, and Matfei). But since you have better access to the source than I.... That'd be an interesting aspect of a sequel, I suppose.
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Like I said, I didn't get it from the source. Actually, I'm pretty sure that Card meant it to be a really, really old aunt of Katerina's But I like my circular version, too. There'll never be a sequel, so I can go on thinking what I want.
Posts: 2048 | Registered: Jul 2000
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no sequel I was just thinking about the aunt witches and if they were in the "original" (Perrault as opposed to Disney) recalled that I never got to read it due to an incident which culminated in part of my pinkie being removed and then attached surgically. The up side is I can write PDA graffitti without a stylus...
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I really like the Baba Tila is Baba Yaga idea. I never really thaught of that I don't get her motivation, but it would explain her knowing who Ivan's mother was and deciding to teach her, and since Esther never actually saw Baba Yaga she just knows where she is, then she would never even know if she were Baba Tila. And they both know the same trick with the cloth to make them invisible, and the same tricks for looking through time with a black pool, and probably others I don't remember. It would cover the thing with the note, I like this idea, as Stradling said before,
quote: ambiguity is fun.
If anyone thinks of why Baba Yaga might have chosen to be Esther's teacher, and break her own hold on Bear, I'd love to hear why. But even without a reason I like this idea.
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Hi! I am new here but here are my 2 cents... I always thought that Tekta Tila and Baba Tila ARE the same person...i figured that Baba Tila must have come across to present time in the same way that Katerina and Ivan had. If she was one of the ones that put the spell on Katerina, she would probably know that Ivan would be the one to wake her and thats why she knew to leave the note and knew what would happen when she did...If its possible for Katerina and Ivan to come across and not have to literally travel and age through years then why shouldn't one of the makers of the spell that made that place be able to? I thought that the other two aunts had perished? am i wrong? i don't seem to remember...oh well that was what i thought..even if my thoughts aren't that clear here..correct me if i am dead wrong please petunia
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Haha, then I'm not the only person. I also thought Baba Tila was Baba Yaga, and kept expecting some twist to happen at the end where all the things Tila left behind were leading them into some trap. But alas, it didn't happen that way, so I'd rather not think of Baba Yaga as turning good sometime down the road and I'll consider the two to be separate people.
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man, now you guys are forcing me to reread the story again.....
Papa moose when you said
quote: The sequel to Pastwatch (The Flood) is long overdue -- it is to revolve around the story of Noah in its many forms.
Are you saying there is going to be a longer version of the short story Atlantis? Or are you talking about something else??
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quote:Katerina kind of hints that she might be one of Katerina's own aunts who cast the spell to protect her, but they never really explain how an "ordinary witch" could live for elevenhundred years, or why she would then just die.
From the story, I got the impression that Baba Tila didn't "just die." I thought it was implied that Baba Yaga probably killed her. After Baba Tila's mysterious death, the neighbor commented on the evil stench (which the reader knows is associated with the works of Baba Yaga).
If I have time, I'll give a page reference.
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Wow. Hadn't even noticed that. Three possibilities - it was a "pigsty" and had a "stink" were an excuse to not rent a place that Tila had lived (either out of sentiment or some sort of "don't-rent-me" charm), or Yaga did come back and whack Tila.Or maybe Tila's herbs and magic stuff stank.
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I just finished reading Enchantment (I don't read as much since getting married and having kids ) and, of course, wondered who Baba Tila might be. The first place to check on such a thing is Hatrack! Well, now I just have more ideas in my head then I did before.
I went with Yozhik's idea except I don't think Baba Yaga made an earlier visit to Ivan's time. I still believe Baba Tila was probably one of Katerina's aunts.
I did find Geoff's circular idea interesting but, there's a time issue there, also.
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