Friedrich Nietzsche and a guy named Bronze Age Pervert want to return to the Bronze Age of Greek civilization to reinvigorate our culture with abundant vitality. The trouble is, Greek paganism, like all paganism, lacks the vitality they so desire. The life force they want can't fulfill their desires. What can?

Susannah Black Roberts, Senior Editor of Plough and Mere Orthodoxy, joins the show to discuss her essay, The Birth of Comedy, which offers a critique of this view. We discuss Nietzsche's misreading of Homer's Odyssey and how Jesus' words to St. Peter about the Gates of Hades are misunderstood by Christians today.

Follow Susannah on X (formerly Twitter) @suzania

The Birth of Comedy: https://mereorthodoxy.com/the-birth-of-comedy

Mere Orthodoxy: https://mereorthodoxy.com/

Plough: https://www.plough.com/en

Susannah also wrote a fairy tale!

The Good People: https://kirkcenter.org/essays/the-good-people/

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Demon snake gods, human sacrifice, and what does Conan the Barbarian have to do with Hernan Cortez? Alexander Palacio joins the show to talk about his sword and sorcery series, Ashes of the Urn. We also talk about story structure, the writing process, and how much power Barnes and Noble shelf stockers have over the culture.

Follow Alexander on Twitter (now X?) @conan_es

Author’s Books/Articles Mentioned:
Ashes of the Urn Series:
The Turquoise Serpent
The Flowers of the Moon

A History of Lost Adventure - https://im1776.com/2022/07/05/a-history-of-lost-adventure/
Conan the Cultural Hero - https://mansworldmag.online/conan-by-conanesq/

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Gothic fiction author, Eleanor Bourg Nicholson, returns to the show to discuss Emily Brontë's novel, Wuthering Heights. We discuss the novel's religious and gothic themes, Emily's background and beliefs and much more. Find out why so many people misread the relationship between the two main characters by tuning in!

Author’s Books Mentioned:

Brother Wolf

A Bloody Habit

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Books Mentioned:

My Brother's Keeper by Tim Powers

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Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm were German academics and philologists and are famous for their collection of folk tales, which includes Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood, and Snow White. Rev. G. Ronald Murphy, S. J. joins the show to these stories and his book, The Owl, The Raven, and the Dove: The Religious Meaning of the Grimm's Magic Fairy Tales. Fr. Murphy is the professor emeritus of German at Georgetown University.

His bio can be found here: https://gufaculty360.georgetown.edu/s/contact/00336000014RkSzAAK/g-murphy

The Grimm brothers weaved Norse and Classical mythology with Christian symbolism to try to revive these stories to their original meaning. Fr. Murphy and I dive deep into these tales and even compare the different versions from Charles Perrault to Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Fr. Murphy's book is excellent and you can find it here: https://www.amazon.com/Owl-Raven-Dove-Religious-Meaning/dp/0195151690

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Author and poet Marly Youmans joins the show to discuss her recently published book, Seren of the Wildwood from Wiseblood Books:

"Seren is born on the brink of Wildwood, realm of shadowy fey who listen and laugh–who sometimes bless and sometimes curse. As she grows into young womanhood, shaped by a familial tragedy tied to her conception, she is lured from home by a whispering mystery in Wildwood, where the supernatural roams freely through time and space. In riddling, often dangerous forests and mountains marked by fallen powers and holy women, oracles, hermits, and giants, Seren finds both violence and balm on a path arrowing toward transformation."

Fairies, demons, giants, and more! Marly also discusses the creative process and how, sometimes, characters appear from the mists of our minds. This potent poem needs to be read more than once.

Buy Seren of the Wildwood here: https://www.wisebloodbooks.com/store/p129/seren-of-the-wildwood-by-marly-youmans.html

Follow Marly on Twitter @marlyyoumans

Find Marly Youmans' other books here: https://thepalaceat2.blogspot.com/

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Richard Rohlin has wrapped a living sword, giants, unfathomable sea monsters, liturgy, angelic stars, and more into his new tabletop role playing game from Strange Owl Games. Amboria: The World Under Starlight is the result of about 20 years of myth-making and poetry. Culture, ritual, and liturgy are expertly woven together in this rich, textured, completely unique game. Richard returns to the show to discuss his new game and why Christians (and everyone else) should play role playing games.

Not only that, but Richard has a collection of essays coming out on recovering the sacramental imagination called Finding the Golden Key.

Follow Richard on Twitter @richardrohlin

Author Links:

Amboria Kickstarter Page: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/strangeowlgames/amboria-roleplaying-in-the-world-under-starlight?ref=discovery

Finding the Golden Key - Recovering the Sacramental Imagination Page: https://findingthegoldenkey.com/

The Symbolic World Universal History Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_N5s4n_lwB8&list=PLVX4HUUPrIY_M2uZP3yW6EEiod3fGD6FD

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Book Club number three has arrived! In this installment, we discuss The King of Elfland's Daughter by Lord Dunsany. We discuss the book, Dunsany the man, his influence on fantasy literature, his religious leanings, and why this book is (should be considered) a classic. I am joined by Dan, Andrew and John Palmer.

As always, these episodes are available for everyone to listen and enjoy, but only patrons and special guests can participate in the discussion. If interested, then check out the link to my Patreon below.

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C. S. Lewis called Christ the myth that became fact in an essay called..."Myth Became Fact". What does this mean? Well, Cameron Dixon joins the show to discuss that essay, phenomenology, the Divine Liturgy, and how Santa Claus fits into it all. Most of the essays and poems we discuss can be accessed for free on the internet.

Cameron Dixon's substack: https://camerondixon.substack.com/ and his Twitter is @praxisofman

Author’s Articles Mentioned:
Santa Claus as the Hypostasis of Christmas
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Follow me on Twitter @AaronIrber
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Books/Essays Mentioned:
The Fount of Knowledge by St. John Damascene
Myth Became Fact by C.S. Lewis
MYTHOPOEIA by J. R. R. Tolkien
Most of the Time the Earth is Flat by Jonathan Pageau
https://orthodoxartsjournal.org/most-of-the-time-the-earth-is-flat/

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Raphael Aloysius Lafferty was an author, a teller of tall tales, and a Catholic from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Gregorio Montejo of Ktistec Press and I discuss Lafferty's fiction, his life, his unique storytelling style, and why no one has ever heard of him (or have they?). We compare Lafferty's style to another famous Catholic speculative fiction author, Gene Wolfe. Wolfe even said that Lafferty is "our most original writer". Lafferty's fiction defies classification. 
Ktistec Press publishes Feast of Laughter: An Appreciation of R. A. Lafferty and has two new books coming out soon. One is called The Wolfe’s Lair - Critical Essays on Gene Wolfe and the other is In a Green Tree by R. A. Lafferty. Both will be bought by me (and hopefully you too). Ktistec Press' books can be found on Amazon. 
Gregorio Montejo's Twitter is @KtistecPress
Books Mentioned:
Past Master
Fourth Mansions
In a Green Tree
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The Aztecs were one of the most bloody civilizations in history. In fact, blood, along with corn, was central to their ritual practices and sacrifices. Without the spilling of blood, the world would end. Lydia Lei, history and literature teacher at Chesterton Academy, joins the show to discuss the Aztec religion and their religious symbolism. We talk about how these symbols were incorporated into the tilma of Our Lady of Guadalupe. I mispronounce more names. 
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Books Mentioned:
Guadalupe Mysteries: Deciphering the Code by Grzegorz Gorny & Janusz Rosikon
Our Lady of Guadalupe: And the Conquest of Darkness by Warren H. Carroll
Nican Mopohua https://www.kofc.org/en/resources/our-lady-of-guadalupe/nican-mopohua.pdf

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