Category Archives: Russian

Human Alchemy

Posted on October 19, 2022 by Nathan

The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, by Christopher Healy – This is an amusing take on well-known fairy tales focuses on what happens after the stories, and that it isn’t always just living happily ever after. The princes from Cinderella, … Continue reading →

Posted in Alchemy, Authors, Book Reviews, Fairy Tales, History, Humor, L. Frank Baum, Language, Magic, Maps, Mathematics, Middle Ages, Monsters, Mythology, Nursery Rhymes, Oz, Oz Authors, Philosophy, Relationships, Religion, Russian, seanan mcguire, Theosophy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Daughter of Disease, Maker of Snakes

Posted on June 27, 2020 by Nathan

Picture by Tero Porthan In my ongoing search for topics from mythology and folklore, and specifically in terms of ogres and witches, I saw a mention of the Syojatar (properly spelled with marks above the letters, but that’s a hassle) … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Fairy Tales, Finnish, Health, Magic, Monsters, Mythology, Norse, Russian | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Iron Constitutions

Posted on June 20, 2020 by Nathan

I’ve been looking a bit into witches, and I latched onto one physical trait the Russian Baba Yaga is sometimes said to have, which is iron teeth. Such teeth seem to be associated with witches in general in Slavic lore. … Continue reading →

Posted in African, British, Christianity, Fairy Tales, Finnish, German, L. Frank Baum, Magic, Monsters, Mythology, Oz, Oz Authors, Religion, Russian, Slavic, Technology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Yikes, Spikes!

Posted on May 20, 2020 by Nathan

I thought it might be worth looking at the Mario enemies known as Spikes, since they seem to be rather prominent nowadays. I’ve even seen them as stuffed animals at the Nintendo store in Manhattan, although I don’t have one … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Donkey Kong, Fairy Tales, Focus on the Foes, Magic, Mario, Monsters, Mythology, Norse, Russian, Toys, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Dragons Is the Craziest Peoples

Posted on May 24, 2019 by Nathan

It seems like dragons becoming human or humans becoming dragons is a pretty common theme. I guess it makes sense for a person who turns into animals to become a dragon, as they’re big, powerful, and often intelligent as well. … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Authors, Breath of Fire, C.S. Lewis, Cartoons, Chronicles of Narnia, Dragon Quest, Fairy Tales, Greek Mythology, incryptid, Japanese, Magic, Monsters, Mythology, Norse, Russian, seanan mcguire, Slavic, Ursula K. LeGuin, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

A Koschei Deal

Posted on August 8, 2018 by Nathan

Her Majesty’s Wizard, by Christopher Stasheff – I saw this book on a list of recommendations somewhere, and I didn’t realize at the time that the author had just died in June. This is the first book of the Wizard … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Book Reviews, Catholicism, Christianity, Diana Wynne Jones, Fairy Tales, History, Magic, Mythology, Nursery Rhymes, october daye, Religion, Russian, seanan mcguire, Slavic | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Have Mercy on the Natural World

Posted on July 21, 2018 by Nathan

I still haven’t had much chance to listen to music as of late, what with moving and all, but here are my thoughts on two albums that came out this year: Decemberists, I’ll Be Your Girl – I listened to … Continue reading →

Posted in Albums, Music, Mythology, Neko Case, New Pornographers, Russian | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Remember the Old Stories

Posted on April 11, 2018 by Nathan

Rendezvous with Rama, by Arthur C. Clarke – Since I’ve read the whole Space Odyssey series, I decided to give these books a shot as well. They’re fairly similar in tone, with an emphasis on space exploration and visits by … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Christianity, Eastern Orthodox, Fairy Tales, Magic, Mythology, Oz, Religion, Russian | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

A Frosty Reception

Posted on January 7, 2017 by Nathan

Since our President-Elect is in love with Vladimir Putin and insists that everyone should constantly say “Merry Christmas,” I guess we’d better learn about Christmas in Russia, right? It might seem a little late for this, but Orthodox Christmas is … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Authors, Christianity, Christmas, Discworld, Eastern Orthodox, Fairy Tales, History, Holidays, Mythology, New Year's Day, Religion, Russian, Terry Pratchett | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Unnatural Creations

Posted on December 31, 2016 by Nathan

Baba Yaga: The Wild Witch of the East in Russian Fairy Tales, translated by Sibelan Forrester – This volume collects a number of stories involving the infamous Russian witch, as well as some analysis of her character. It’s a bit … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Book Reviews, Fairy Tales, Humor, Monsters, Mythology, Russian | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment