According to "The Witcher" showrunner Lauren Hissrich, Voleth Meir was created to unite the characters of Ciri (Freya Allan), Yennefer (Anya Chalotra), and Geralt against a common enemy — one whose shadow hangs over the show's entire second season. The villain may be an entirely new creation, but during the "Witcher: Unlocked" aftershow, Hissrich insisted that the character is faithful to the series' mythological inspirations and references (via Netflix).
Specifically, the Deathless Mother is partly inspired by Baba Yaga, a supernatural being from Slavic folklore, who appears as an old woman whose home rests atop two chicken legs. Voleth Meir's small cottage in the newest season of "The Witcher" similarly stands on the legs of basilisks, creatures that she actually summons in her final battle against the combined forces of Vesemir (Kim Bodnia), Geralt, and Yennefer. However, the surface similarities between Baba Yaga and Voleth Meir essentially end there.
Indeed, while the original folktales about Baba Yaga can vary and depict the creature as both an ally and an enemy, Voleth Meir is utterly evil in every sense of the word.
