Baba Yellowlegs

Seven hundred years old, and she helped pull down a whole city of witches. She died in a carnival wagon, beheaded by a customer, with the smile still on her face.

Baba Yellowlegs is the ancient Matron of the Ironteeth Yellowlegs Clan, from Crown of Midnight — one of the Ancients, a seer and keeper of forbidden Wyrd lore who, by Adarlan's day, travels disguised as a harmless fortune-teller. Celaena goes to her for a riddle and leaves her headless.

At a glance

KIND: Ironteeth witch — Matron of the Yellowlegs Clan
AGE: Roughly seven hundred — one of the Ancients
FAMED FOR: Helping pull down the Witch-City; killing Queen Rhiannon
WORE: Rhiannon Crochan's stolen crown of stars
DISGUISE: A harmless carnival fortune-teller in Rifthold
HELD: The lore of the Wyrdkeys, the Wyrdgate and the Valg
KILLED BY: Celaena — beheaded with an axe off the wagon wall
HER DEATH: Marked Celaena a witch-killer, and set Manon hunting Aelin

Her people

The coven.

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Manon Blackbeak Wing Leader · Heir of the Blackbeak Witch-ClanManon Blackbeakof the covenEnter Manon Blackbeak →

The one she faced.

The one she faced

An Ironteeth Matron in hiding — hunted down for what she knew.

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Celaena Sardothien The one who hunted herCelaena SardothienA Matron hiding at a carnival — Celaena hunted her for what she knew, and killed her.Enter Celaena Sardothien →

What she covets

The old hungers, and something young to feed them.

She is what the witches were before anyone taught them to hide it.

The old magic
The devouring kind, from before the clans grew careful — hers, and still hungry.
Prey
The young and the unguarded, and the long patience to catch them.
Her secrets
Centuries of them, hoarded and traded, never given for free.
Cruelty, slow
Not a means. A meal.

What she wants

To feed

She is old enough to remember the devouring ways, and monstrous enough to have never stopped. What she hoards — secrets, magic, the young — she hoards to consume. The crone in the story was always real.

The long versionRead her whole storyEverything, in one place.Enter the full story

We're Caffeine and Curses. The Library started as my design research — I can't put Manon on a shirt without knowing which way the iron teeth snap — so we keep the notes here where everyone can use them. The pages are fan-made, not official; the licensed designs are in the shop.

Officially licensed