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A certain Tsar collects artisans like trinkets. And what do you think? Of course they all compete for his attention. But once a goldsmith and a carpenter argue so much they nearly come to blows. The Tsar, never one to avoid an exciting opportunity, orders them to create the greatest work of art ever made. The result? Well, a hero's journey, two thwarted executions, a princess in a tower. And a story that is sure to stay with you for a long time.

In the analysis section, Deacon Nicholas wonders about creativity and how it can help inner transformation toward the good, the true, and the beautiful.

In a variation on a familiar story, Prince Ivan is the only one of his three brothers with the vigilance to find the thief of his father's golden apples. But when he tries to catch the thief - a firebird - he catches nothing but a tail feather. His father, overcome by the feather's beauty, promises riches to the son who brings back the firebird. Ivan repeatedly fails, and only through the help of a speaking wolf can he undertake the most difficult journey of all, through the dark forest of Baba Yaga, ending finally at the battlefield of the most dangerous foe of all: Koschei the Deathless Himself!

Little Prince Ivan was born dumb, and his parents couldn't wait to have another child. Anything was better than a voiceless future Tsar! But you should be careful what you wish for. They did have another child. A girl. But she had iron teeth. And an unfortunate taste for... well, everything! This strange, wonderful story has some of the most unusual and vivid images in all of Russian folklore.

Instead of an analysis section, Deacon Nicholas is soliciting your feedback, dear listeners! Do you have any ideas for how to make the analysis section of the podcast better? Let me know!

Today we're happy to share two shorter stories, one called "Just Like Salt" and the other the return of everyone's favorite villain: Baba Yaga.

In the analysis section, Deacon Nicholas recommends a wonderful new book that has some fascinating things to say about early Christian poetry and imaginative fictions. Be sure to check out "She Who Loved Much" by Fr Kevin Kalish, from Holy Trinity Publications.

This week we return to the world of mythical Kiev for another tale of the bogatyrs and... their wives? The Tale of Vasilisa Mikulishna is a wonderfully fun gender-swapping tale that puts masculine and feminine tropes on their head... only to put them all back in glorious order by the end.

In the analysis section, Deacon Nicholas offers a real-life example of someone who was conquered by Christ through a life of storytelling.

In "The Proud Bride," we see the classic trope of the shrewish bride who is impossible to marry off (think King Thrushbeard and the Taming of the Shrew) being tamed by a trickster figure of a groom. But this time, it's the Russian fairy tale version.

In the analysis, Deacon Nicholas reflects on some of the difficulties of the creative life by reading a wonderful essay by Ivan Ilyin on "A Wasted Day." Sounds depressing, perhaps, but in the beautiful words of Ilyin, it's a truly comforting reminder of the importance of seeking beauty every day.

When a mysterious old woman visits the house of three brothers, unexpected gifts begin to abound. But the greatest gift is sometimes the smallest, least expected thing...

In the analysis section, Deacon Nicholas continues his examination of the poetry of St Gregory the Theologian and finds some unexpected insight in a poem... about poetry.

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.

The Third Son, a Carpatho-Russian fairy tale, starts like the well-known parable of the talents. But this time, we're looking at it from the perspective of the lazy, third son who did nothing with the talent given to him. What happened to that poor son? Well, in this tale, he goes on a transformative journey where his own adventures and redemption ends up saving an entire land from the scourge of dark powers.

In the analysis section, Deacon Nicholas begins his apology for imaginative storytelling by setting up several ground rules for his investigation. If you're interested in learning what the Church does or doesn't say about the value of stories, you don't want to miss this episode!