Helena BlavatskyHelena Blavatsky was an intriguing woman from the country of Ukraine. She could be considered a nomad for her time; however, she was not interested in finding food and shelter. Helena wanted to find those who were considered spiritualists like her. She lived from 1831 to 1891 and can be considered a very influential woman of her era. Helena Petrovna Blavatsky was born on August 12, 1831 in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine. His father was Colonel Peter von Hahn and his mother was Helena Andreyevna von Hahn. Colonel von Hahn was a soldier fighting in Poland when Helena was born. Her mother, often hurt by her husband's absence, wrote about the turmoil of being a woman in her day. She published 8 novels when she faced an early death at the age of 27 as a highly regarded writer. Helena's mother knew from birth that she was not a normal child. (3, 4, 5, 6)When Elena was born she was very weak and the people around even doubted whether she would survive. Therefore, before the child was even 24 hours old, the baptism took place. Helena's aunt, a little girl, was asked to be godmother. During the ceremony, the child became restless and dropped a candle without anyone noticing. The priest performing the baptism suffered severe burns when his robe caught fire. The people present at Helena's baptism saw it as a sign. She was nicknamed Lyola because her grandparents and servants thought she had powers. (6)As a child she had a great passion for magic and the unknown. She was often found playing by the river in Yekaterinoslav. He said he was playing with russelkas, green-haired nymphs thought to haunt the riverbanks. When the servants and other children annoyed her, she threatened to have the russelkas tickle them to death. (2)While Helena, her mother, her sister and her brother traveled extensively due to her father's military position, Helena was increasingly happy to play with the children of servants and not with the children of her rank and aristocracy.