Lord of the World was written in 1907 and is considered one of the classics of dystopian literature. The author, Fr. Robert Hugh Benson, was a Catholic convert from Anglicanism who wanted to write a book about the Antichrist. Lord of the World is that book.

Malrubius (Chris), from The Sun Eater discord, joins the show to discuss Lord of the World, why it was important to Pope Francis, and how it impacted other science fiction literature.

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Today, we delve into how Medieval Christians depicted ants and their predator, the sometimes legendary antlion, in Medieval bestiaries.

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I Might Believe in Faeries is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Resources:

“The Aberdeen Bestiary | the University of Aberdeen.” Abdn.ac.uk, 2019, www.abdn.ac.uk/bestiary/.

Aesop. “Library of Congress Aesop Fables.” Read.gov, read.gov/aesop/052.html.

Badke, David. “Medieval Bestiary : Animals in the Middle Ages.” Bestiary.ca, 1 Oct. 2024, bestiary.ca/index.html. Accessed 10 May 2025.

Druce, George C. “An Account of the Mυρμηκολέων or Ant-Lion.” The Antiquaries Journal, vol. 3, no. 4, Oct. 1923, pp. 347–364, bestiary.ca/etexts/druce-account-of-the-ant-lion.pdf, https://doi.org/10.1017/s0003581500015031. Accessed 9 May 2025.

The Etymologies of Isidore of Seville. Cambridge University Press, 8 June 2006.

“Gregory the Great - Moralia in Job (Morals on the Book of Job) - Book v (Book 5) - Online.” Lectionarycentral.com, 2025, www.lectionarycentral.com/GregoryMoralia/Book05.html. Accessed 9 May 2025.

Heck, Christian, and Rémy Cordonnier. The Grand Medieval Bestiary : Animals in Illuminated Manuscripts. New York, Ny, Abbeville Press, 2018.

von Bingen, Hildegard, and Priscilla Throop. Hildegard von Bingen’s Physica : The Complete Translation of Her Classic Work on Health and Healing. Rochester, Vt., Healing Arts Press, C, 1998. Hope, Louise, and Steve Schulze.

“The Project Gutenberg EBook of Metamorphoses, by Ovid.” Gutenberg.org, 2021, www.gutenberg.org/files/21765/21765-h/21765-h.htm#bookVII_fableVI. Accessed 9 May 2025.

This is a solo episode where I discuss medieval bestiaries and announce a new project I have been working on. I discuss animal symbolism, how Medieval bestiaries depicted animals, and the stories behind them.

There are supposed to be pictures with this episode so check out the YouTube video here: https://youtu.be/h06opKxl444

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Follow me on Twitter @AaronIrber

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How the heck do I describe this book?

In 1969, R. A. Lafferty wrote a novel. In it, he combined the spirituality of St. Theresa of Avila, conspiracy theories, immortal frog-men, psychic brain powers based on the ideas of the French paleontologist priest, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, badgers, modernist painters, and much, much more.

Reading a Lafferty story is like listening to an excitable drunk tell you an impossible, rambling shaggy dog story. You don't believe it when you're drunk, but you do when you sober up.

Gregorio Montejo, of Ktistec Press, returns to the show to discuss Lafferty's Fourth Mansions.

Follow him on Twitter.com @KtistecP

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A myth retold.

This book is C. S. Lewis at his most mature, and he considered it to be his favorite of his own works. Many readers find it to be a difficult book and hard to decipher. What is the story of Cupid and Psyche and how is Lewis retelling it?

Teacher and Lewis scholar, Annie Crawford, joins the show to discuss all of this and more.

Follow Annie Crawford on Twitter.com @annielcrawford

Check out her classes at The Symbolic World:

Till We Have Faces: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/till-we-have-faces-with-annie-crawford

The Cosmic Trilogy:

https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/c-s-lewis-ransom-trilogy

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Battle Of The Creek by Alexander Nakarada | https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com

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How does magic work in The Lord of the Rings? Does Tolkien have a "magic system?" Richard Rohlin returns to the show to discuss how Tolkien uses magic in his Legendarium.

This is a continuation to our previous episode on magic systems in fantasy.

Follow Richard Rohlin on Twitter.com @richardrohlin

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Battle Of The Creek by Alexander Nakarada | https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com

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In this episode, I get to discuss two of my favorite things: bees and mythology.

Salvator R. Tarnmoor, or Ludovico Ambrosius when he is writing, joins the show to discuss his recent collection of poems on honeybees. This anthology collects poems from authors thousands of years apart and includes selections on bees from Virgil, Homer, Shakespeare, Emily Dickinson, and many, many more.

Get ready for a heavy dose of ambrosia and some deadly stingers.

O Honeybees: An Illustrated Anthology of Bee Pomes

Follow Salvator R. Tarnmoor on Twitter.com @s_r_tarnmoor

Find his book here: https://www.amazon.com/Honeybees-Illustrated-Anthology-Bee-Pomes/dp/B0CFCLWNM2

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Battle Of The Creek by Alexander Nakarada | https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com

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Almost all books are stupid, or else they are too smart. If you think so too, then this guest's books may be just right for you!

Poet and novelist, E. L. Brooks, joins the show to discuss his two books, Phineiad: A Brief History of the Future, and The Loser, the Robot, and the Antichrist. If you enjoy online peasant romance, the death worship of immortal moon men, monsters, robots and warlords, then this is right up your alley.

E. L. Brooks can be found on Twitter.com at @PoetRegressive

Brooks' books can be found on Amazon. The link is embedded, but search for "E L Brooks" if you need to.

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Battle Of The Creek by Alexander Nakarada | https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com

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This is the final episode of the The Year of Our Lord, 2024. We are concluding this year with a bookclub discussion of The Place of the Lion  by Charles Williams. Williams was a member of the literary group, The Inklings, and friends with both C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien. Prior to meeting these literary giants, Williams published The Place of the Lion and a few other stories. 

In this episode, we discuss The Place of the Lion, the characters, and the “angelic/platonic” beings Williams uses. We also briefly mention the influence he had on both Lewis and Tolkien. 

Enjoy!

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Battle Of The Creek by Alexander Nakarada | https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com

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This was a really great episode! Richard Rohlin, Deacon Nicholas Kotar, and Christopher Ruocchio join the show to discuss magic in fantasy fiction.

What is magic? What are magic systems? How has the portrayal of magic changed in the last several decades? How do different authors approach magic in their books? What do liturgy and poetry have to do with magic? Why do we all have a problem with modern depictions of magic?

We address all of these questions and more. Hot takes abound!

Christopher Ruocchio's website: https://www.sollanempire.com/

Nicholas Kotar's website:

https://nicholaskotar.com/

Richard Rohlin's Kickstarter page:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/strangeowlgames/amboria-roleplaying-in-the-world-under-starlight

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Follow me on Twitter @AaronIrber

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Donate to my Patreon - I Might Believe in Faeries ⁠https://www.patreon.com/imightbelieveinfaeries⁠

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Battle Of The Creek by Alexander Nakarada | https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com

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