There are many interpretations of the witch in the Vasilisa story. One is that the figure of the witch, a woman who controls morning, noon, and night, is based on old beliefs in goddesses who controlled the sun and thus affected crops, animals, and fertility in general. Evidence is drawn from archeological material such as the figurines here which show that female figures were associated with crops and fertility.
The figurines date to 3500 to 5000 BC. They are made of terracota and have seeds pressed into them. Female figures presented in temple-like structures, surrounded with vegetation and animal motifs are found in embroidery also. The embroidery dates from the 19th century on and shows that the association between female figures and animals and crops continues. If this is so, then the witch in folktales could be based on the old goddess, only now presented in a somewhat negative light. As new religions, Christianity in the case of the East Slavs, take the place of old beliefs, old deities are frequently retained, only reinterpreted negatively.
The other interpretation is that the house of the witch and perhaps the witch herself are based on a practice of sending select and especially respected elders to the forest to die. They were often placed in little houses with no or minimal food or water and left. Later, the houses became places of veneration. These elders were given what is called the red death. Because they died before their time and did not die naturally, they were considered to be able to affect crops and animals and fertility. Villagers could communicate with them and ask them to intercede on their behalf when things went wrong with animals or crops. Evidence includes the various little houses used for votive functions and pictured here. Some are ancient and found in archeological digs. Some are recent. There are also stories about the red death and practices analogous to red death, called becoming a stolbnik, which were attested among Old Believers fairly recently.
