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Nicholas Kotar

Fantasy inspired by Russian fairy tales

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In a Certain Kingdom: Ivan the Peasant’s Son

Ivan, the third son of a peasant family, refuses to be left behind when his brothers go to war against a dragonish monster. And a good thing, too! For his brothers prefer snoring to swordplay. After coming into a land scorched by the attacks of the monster, Ivan becomes the last man standing between the monster and the people of the Rus. But the trouble is, there’s not one… but three dragonish monsters! And they have dragon-brides too… And a great dragon-mother, the most dangerous serpent of all…

In the analysis section, Deacon Nicholas reads some poetry of St Gregory the Theologian that demonstrates a proper patristic approach to reading the parables of Christ. In his heart-felt poetry, St Gregory begins to reveal something very important about the role of the heart in properly reading stories.

Original Music by Natalie Wilson.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Soundcloud | Ancient Faith

If you enjoyed this podcast, you may also like my essay “A Passport to Russian Fairy Land,” in which I guide you through the opening lines of Russian Fairy Tales, help you interpret cryptic fairy tale phrases, and introduce you to the infamous Baba Yaga herself! Enter your email and I’ll send your passport!

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Written by:
Nicholas
Published on:
May 27, 2022

Categories: PodcastsTags: epic fantasy, epic fantasy series, fairy tales, fantasy fiction, Nicholas Kotar, Russian, Russian fairy tale, Russian fairy tales, Russian history, slavic fairy tale, slavic fairy tale podcast

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