It's been a while since I've posted anything about Russian culture or history on my blog. There have been lots of good reasons for …
Continue Reading about How a Group of Young Russians are Creating Culture with Folk Music
Heroes from Slavic Mythology: Russian Warrior Princesses
As I mentioned in a previous blog post, I’ve been slowly hammering away at a screenplay based on the life of St. Olga of Kiev. …
Continue Reading about Heroes from Slavic Mythology: Russian Warrior Princesses
Why Do Some Icons Have Battle Scenes?
It's a short post today, about as much as a toddler-induced headache can muster. But I found an interesting article about a …
Continue Reading about Why Do Some Icons Have Battle Scenes?
Theophany Eve: Where Christianity and Slavic Mythology Meet
A few days ago, I checked the weather for the week. Today in Jordanville it was supposed to be in the forties and raining. But …
Continue Reading about Theophany Eve: Where Christianity and Slavic Mythology Meet
The Rosetta Stone for Old Rus Was… a Piece of Birch Bark?
Have you read Evgenii Vodolazkin’s excellent novel Laurus? If you haven’t, you’ve deprived yourselves of a rare experience of …
Continue Reading about The Rosetta Stone for Old Rus Was… a Piece of Birch Bark?
Heroes from Slavic Mythology: Ivan the Idiot (or the Genius?!)
This week has been even more distressing than usual. And it’s been a pretty distressing year. Frequent terrorist attacks, a …
Continue Reading about Heroes from Slavic Mythology: Ivan the Idiot (or the Genius?!)
Radonitsa: How Russians Give Joy to Their Dead
As much as my stories are traditional historical fantasies set in a mythical early Rus, the events and characters are equally …
Continue Reading about Radonitsa: How Russians Give Joy to Their Dead
Ivan Glazunov: the artist who lives in a 17th century palace
Recently I came across a fantastic work of art that fits beautifully into the aesthetic of the world of my novels. It’s called …
Continue Reading about Ivan Glazunov: the artist who lives in a 17th century palace
Slavic Mythology Spotlight: The Tale of St. Theodore the Tyro
Babies are the best storytellers. Uninhibited by any rules, they freely mash up everything they know into amazing works of …
Continue Reading about Slavic Mythology Spotlight: The Tale of St. Theodore the Tyro
Maslenitsa: the meaning, history, and traditions of “Russian Mardi Gras”
Russians generally have a bad rap as being dour and grumpy. Some Russians will even agree with this characterization, making a …
Continue Reading about Maslenitsa: the meaning, history, and traditions of “Russian Mardi Gras”
The Meeting of the Lord: Old Russia’s Groundhog Day
Did you know that Groundhog Day is also a Russian holiday? Ok, not exactly, but February 2 (which is celebrated today on the …
Continue Reading about The Meeting of the Lord: Old Russia’s Groundhog Day
How old Russian words hilariously change their meanings
One of the more fascinating articles I've read recently is one about "untranslatable emotions" in different languages. I was …
Continue Reading about How old Russian words hilariously change their meanings
Christmas Traditions in the Ancient Rus
Last year, while spending a very illuminating six months in Belarus, my wife and I were invited to a local television program to …
Continue Reading about Christmas Traditions in the Ancient Rus
How Iconographers Paint Angels
Last Monday, the Russian Orthodox Church celebrated the day of Archangel Michael. It was doubly interesting that the day fell on a …
Four Bizarre Ways Tales from Slavic Mythology Begin
You probably know some of the best first lines in literature. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” (A Tale of …
Continue Reading about Four Bizarre Ways Tales from Slavic Mythology Begin
Asian Tribes of the Russian Empire
Another short post today, courtesy of my French friends, who translated my earlier short post about a French traveler watching a …
Everything You Need to Know about Men’s Hats in Old Russia
Last week, I wrote about women’s head-dresses. Today, as promised, I’ll add the male version of that post. Basically, it’s …
Continue Reading about Everything You Need to Know about Men’s Hats in Old Russia
5 Kinds of Folk Hats Russian Women Wore
Do you ever wish that hats would come back in fashion? I do. I still sometimes wish I could pull off the Maltese Falcon look, …
Continue Reading about 5 Kinds of Folk Hats Russian Women Wore