In a Certain Kingdom
Dobrynia Nikitich and the Dragon
In the court of Kiev, there are three famous warriors. We've already met Ilya Muromets. We haven't yet met Dobrynia Nikitich or Alyosha Popovich. It's time for Dobrynia's story, a mythic tale of a dragon who likes to steal princesses, a young warrior out to clear his name, and a battle that will literally cleave the earth in two. In the analysis section, Deacon Nicholas begins a two-episode exploration of the nature of evil in stories. In particular, three topics are raised: Why does modern culture like to rehabilitate traditionally evil characters? Is evil just a misunderstanding? Is it really more fun to be bad than good?
Thursday, June 3, 2021
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About
There has been a lot of discussion recently on the Orthodox internet about the value (or lack thereof) of storytelling, especially considering the opinion among certain Christians that any kind of fiction is spiritually dangerous. This podcast provides a spiritually and culturally enriching answer to this valid concern. Each episode has a two-part structure. Part one is a retelling of a Slavic fairy tale or myth and part two is an analysis of the symbolic structure of that story and how it helps people relate more correctly to the real world and to the reality of the material and spiritual life.