The Third Son

The ways and deeds of days gone by, a narrative unlegend founded. I am Nicholas Kotar, fantasy author and orthodox deacon, and you are listening to in a certain kingdom. This is a podcast where I tell famous and not so famous Slavic fairy tales and myths, and where I share my fascination and love for the stories that help us better see and live in the real world. Hello dear friends, and welcome to a new episode of In a Certain Kingdom. This week we're starting with a new region and a new storytelling tradition. Many thanks to Dr. Mary Ford for suggesting this Carpatho-Russian tale, and I will take this opportunity to welcome your suggestions for Slavic fairy tales if you have any favorites. I'm always excited to learn what you'd like to hear. Today's story is sponsored by my wonderful patrons who have made it possible for In a Certain Kingdom to premiere new episodes once every two weeks with no definitive end season three insight. If you'd like to support the work of independent creatives like Natalie and me, I welcome you to become a patron of the show by joining my community of story lovers at patreon.com/nicholaskotar. We'd be honored to have you. Tell onto the show. This is episode one of season three, The Third Sun. Once there lived a poor man who had three sons. The eldest was called Petro, the second Javrilo and the youngest Ivan. When the boys had grown up the father called them to his side and said, "I become old my children and can no longer take care of you. You're old enough to go out into the world and fend for yourselves. I'll be expecting you back in a year's time. The one who has earned the most will stay with me to the end of my days." The sons left home and soon each found himself some work. After a year, the eldest son returned with lots of money. The next day, the second son returned with some lumps of gold. The following day, the youngest son came home, empty handed. The father got angry with him and turned him out of the house. When the poor lad went into the wide, wide world, he walked and he walked until night descended. He entered a dark forest, sat down on a stump, took out the last crust of his bread and began chewing it, pondering over where he could go and what he could do. He was so lost in thought that he did not notice a giant appear in front of him. "What praise on your heart, my lad?" asked the giant. Ivan told him everything, "You can enter my service if you like," proposed the giant. Ivan agreed and followed his new master. They walked to the heart of the dense forest where the giant had a cottage for his home. And there, Ivan settled down. He lived well. It was not much work to do. The giant taught him how to ride a horse and how to wield sword. He also taught his servant to read, write, and count. A year passed in this manner. Then, one day, the giant came home and said, "Ivan, settle your horse. Take your sword and ride to the south. There, beyond two mountains, you will find a black castle surrounded by a black wall. In this castle lives a black vampire whom you must destroy." The lad prepared for the journey. A bit farewell to the giant and rode to the south. At last, after riding for three days, he saw the sinister black castle surrounded by a black wall. Ivan made his way into the courtyard and there, he saw the vampire sitting with an iron club in his hands. And the vampire demanded, in a horrible voice, "What do you want here? How dare you tread upon my land?" "I've come to fight you," replied Ivan. The vampire burst into a hideous roar of laughter and hurled the iron club at the lad. Ivan ducked, and the club flew past him. Then he picked it up, swung it, and hut the vampire so hard that he dropped dead to the ground, failed by the mighty blow. Ivan entered the black castle and found a black horse and black harness there. He jumped on the black horse, tied his own to the saddle and set off for home. The giant had already been waiting for Ivan. When he saw his servant safe and sound, he praised him and took the horse to the stable. Time passed. Ivan was growing wiser and harder. One day the giant called him and said, "Now you must ride to the north. When you pass the impenetrable forests and the impassable swamps, you will see a red castle. In that castle lives a red vampire who has done much harm to the people. You must destroy him. When the vampire dies, the swamp will dry up, and the people will be able to so wheat on them." Ivan wasted no time and rode to the north the very next day. He rode and he rode until he entered a dense impenetrable forest. He can hardly make his way through, so he took out his sword and began hacking himself a path. He hacked and he cut until nightfall and was thus forced to spend the night there. Hobbling his horse, lest it should stray away, Ivan lay down on the moss and mussoon fast asleep. But he did not sleep long when he woke up. He saw that the trees around him had retreated. The landscape glowed with a miraculous light and the ground was carpeted with fragrant flowers. In the trees, birds were singing in a way that Ivan had never heard before. Attracted by the sounds, the nymphs came out of the forest and the water goblins crawled out of the lakes to join together in merry dances and songs. All kinds of animals gathered around them and none of the stronger attacked the weaker ones. Sitting on a bow over Ivan's head was an old owl by whose side a little turtle dove snuggled. The owl was telling her something and she was listening, very attentively. Ivan too gave an ear to the owl's story from which he learned that the forest had been bewitched and everything in it was dead. It was only with his coming and hacking his way to its heart that everything came back to life. That was why the birds and the animals were so overjoyed. Ivan looked with wonder at the things he saw and again he fell asleep. Awakening at dawn, he looked around and saw that he was lying on the edge of the forest and before him spread a great field covered with fragrant flowers. Why the swarms have dried up? He thought I must hurry to finish off the vampire. Ivan mounted his horse and galloped away. It was not long before he saw the red castle with the red wall. He flew into the courtyard and at once came a face to face with the red vampire who was already waiting for him. They started to fight. The vampire was soon drained of his strength and Ivan killed him. He entered the red castle and found a red horse in red harness there. Taking it along with him he hurried home. On his way he saw people in the fields plowing in hay. Ivan felt happy at the sight and spurred his horse on to tell the good news to his master. The giant was happy to see Ivan safe and sound. He took the horse and harness and told him to have a good rest. But Ivan did not rest for long because he had to go to the west to do away with the white vampire. This time he had to ride through arid steps and hot deserts. Huge snakes threatening his life blocked his way. Monstrous spiders fell upon him trying to entangle him in their webs and visions and phantoms tried to divert him from his path. He saw lakes and rivers but whenever he approached them to quench his thirst they moved away no matter how hard he tried to reach them. Ivan decided to head directly westward not turning from the road and so he did. At last he came to a huge white castle enclosed by a white wall. Here Ivan fought his toughest battle ever but he overpowered the white vampire too. Took away his white horse and harness and sped home. On his way Ivan saw the deserts were in bloom. Brooks bubbled in the deep gullies the lakes filled with water glistened in the sun and birds were singing in the trees. Ivan came home gave the horse and harness to the giant and went to rest. After a good rest he took to his studies and learned many new things but all the time he wondered why did his master who was so strong and so wise sent him to slay the vampires instead of doing it himself and so one day he asked the giant please don't be angry with me for asking but why did you such a strong and clever man keep sending me to kill the vampires instead of fighting them yourself. The giant smiled and answered you see my son when a great deed is performed by someone who was strong and clever and is not worth as much as when it is accomplished by someone who was weak and inexperienced. Remember great deeds are offered before not by men who know much and have great strength but by those who are strong and will and wish. The master's answer completely satisfied Ivan and set his mind in ease. Once the giant invited Ivan on a trip they mounted their horses and set off on their way they rode through a city which was in mourning. Black flags drooped from the flag poles. Ivan and the giant asked the town's folk what evil had been fallen the city and they answered our city has been visited by a dreadful dragon he has eaten up half of our cattle and will probably devour the rest of it. If we do not bring him the Tsar's daughter she has a good heart and has agreed to give herself up to the monster of course it's hard on her but it's hard on us too but we cannot live without cattle that's why we are grieving if there were only a brave man who would slay the dragon that Tsar would give him his daughter in marriage and his sardom as a reward Ivan you must free that Tsar's daughter and rescue the country from this disaster said the giant they returned home and Ivan untied the black horse he had taken from the black vampire bid farewell to the giant and set off for the city when he arrived there he learned that the Tsar's daughter was already gone to the dragon in the forest Ivan overtook the dragon just as he was making his way to a large cave Tsarievna Ivan cried out it's too early for you to die when she saw Ivan the tears on her cheeks dried and she smiled at him with happy eyes Ivan went up to the cave into which the dragon had disappeared and shouted hey you creep out of there I've come to fight you wait a while you show me midget I'm not ready yet thunderous voice replied from the cave shortly after the dragon flew out of the cave with a threatening hiss and a terrible roar Ivan jumped on his horse rushed to engage him they clashed in mortal combat Ivan chopped one head after another off the dragon's body but no sooner did one head fall off then another appeared in its place spitting fire Ivan and searing him Ivan felt his strength draining away in a flash the dragon knocked him and his horse to the ground fell on Ivan and started to shock him Ivan levels his sword and ripped open the monster's belly the dragon let out a roar that shook the leaves off the trees but that was the cry of death Ivan looked about him and saw the Tsar's daughter standing at a distance why are you so sad the dragon is dead and you can go home to your parents he said to her I will not go home alone she said I'll go only with you for you have saved me and my people she took Ivan by the hand and they mounted his horse and rode into the city the people were weeping and mourning their city of life stop crying I'm alive she said Ivan has rescued me what a jubilation there was the people followed them to the Tsar's palace the Tsar was also pining away with grief over the loss of his only daughter but when he saw her beaming with happiness he wept for duly when he was told that Ivan had saved his daughter from certain death he gave her in marriage to him a wedding feast was held the like of which the world had never seen Ivan invited his master the giant to the feast and there they were making Mary and gay and if they're still alive they're having their fun to the present day this season I'm starting a major project in the analysis section of in a certain kingdom repeatedly throughout the first two seasons I've touched on this issue because it's one that repeatedly worries people the question of the imagination and the usefulness or like thereof of imaginative storytelling for Christians honestly it shouldn't be an issue I will be so bold as to say that until modernity it wasn't an issue especially not for Christians not because Christians didn't read stories but because they did and never thought anything of it it was part of the fabric of life especially if you lived in the village especially if you were in the old world but we live in a strange time now where our hearts and minds are divorced from each other and for some odd reason some Christians seem to live and act as though this were a good thing though I will be honest I don't think they realize that's what they're doing it's time in any case to address that central question definitively for the modern Christian in a way that can be referenced repeatedly for those who are interested in it what does the church say if it does say anything about the role or the importance or the danger of imaginative storytelling in the life of a Christian everyone wants a straight answer everyone wants a direct quote that begins probably with some phrase like St. Macarius the Great said quote imaginative storytelling is dot dot dot followed by a perfectly memeable quote that you can then share on Instagram with a pretty picture well sorry folks you're not going to get that quote or that's straight of an answer this question is a modern question so don't expect a modern answer from an ancient writer but we will piece together something like it over time I'm sure of it but to begin some ground rules need to be established I'm going to be using different sources as I journey through the literature I'm going to quote the fathers directly I'm going to read critical literature on the fathers I'm going to read critical literature on the scriptures there will also be works by more modern theologians who may or may not be saints or who may or may not be orthodox there might also be some works of history or philosophy clearly not all of these sources are created equal so to speak ideally the scriptures would be the basis for any theological argument aided by the interpretations of scripture provided by the fathers after that comes the secondary literature on both the scriptures and the fathers and finally come modern theologians as well as the works of history and philosophy that's my hierarchy of importance that doesn't mean that I'll be systematic about it however one week I might focus on some scriptural passages another week it might be a work of philosophy by modern theologian another week it might be specifically a work of a single father initially this might be confusing but what I'm hoping to achieve is a kind of kaleidoscope of insight that at first might seem random but with time we'll begin to call a lesson to discernible patterns ideally I hope that at the end of all this there will be enough material for a book of some kind but let's not get ahead of ourselves the second rule to keep in mind is this words don't always mean what you think they mean the word poetry for example can mean a great many things and not all of them what you expect the same with the word drama the same with the word fantasy determining the best possible meaning for one of these words in context is vitally important but it may shock or surprise or discomfort you tough sometimes the ancients simply didn't use the kinds of words to mean the kinds of things that we do I hope you will be patient and willing to consider the possibilities third rule this is an honest exploration of an amateur this is not a scholarly work don't expect PhD level work from me because that's not what I'm doing however if those of you who are experts find flaws in my reasoning or in my interpretations I insist that you let me know this after all is a journey of discovery I have no idea where it will take me and I'd like to take the right roads if it all possible all the help you can provide if you know what you're talking about of course is very appreciated and so if you know of a book or a holy father or an article that might be useful and helpful in this investigation please tell me about it if you don't know how to contact me directly you can find the contact form on my website nickeliscochar.com and so let's begin I think any exploration of the subject of imaginative storytelling within the context of the Christian spiritual life must begin with a consideration of the parables of Christ to set the stage I will remind you of some points I made in last seasons episode one these quotes which are extensive come from my translation of metropolitan helerion al-fei of six volume opus the life and teachings of Jesus Christ in his volume on parables which is volume four he says the following beginning with a quote from the gospel of mark now this next section is it's a long section and it's all quoted directly from the book I'll let you know when the quote ends until you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God but unto them that are without all these things are done in parables that seeing they may see and not perceive and hearing they may hear and not understand lest at any time they should be converted and their sins should be forgiven them mark chapter four verses eleven and twelve luke's virgin luke chapter eight verse ten is essentially the same these words are part of a dialogue between Jesus and the Jews occurring after he gave a man blind from birth his sight the miracle itself as described by john vividly illustrates that double action that Jesus provokes in his listeners those who came to him with faith received illumination those who came with doubt in their heart not only did not become illuminated but on the contrary only demonstrated their blindness to a greater extent if we pay attention to the meaning of his words as they are rendered in mark and luke we can constitute as fact that he speaks the parables not to make understanding of his teaching easier for his listeners in fact it seems that the opposite is true he seems to be making understanding more difficult for his listeners however that is not quite the case the parabolic genre shares elements of both pros and poetry as a rule the telling is in pros however figurative language short expressiveness and axiomatic expressions used repeatedly things like whoever has ears to hear let him hear these are elements that are common to verse and so they give each parable which is a work of pros fiction they give each parable a poetic coloration consequently the way people listen to parables is similar to how they read poetry as a rule readers don't search for moral lessons in poems interestingly enough much more important are the images the sounds the rhythm the play of words or other techniques of poetic mastery Jesus often did turn to his listeners with direct instruction even using the imperative the sermon on the mount is a good example however in parables he used an entirely different method of telling which intentionally left a great deal more space for personal imagination personal fantasy and personal creative interpretation in the parables of Jesus we see not only a t-shirt of morality but a kind of poet or storyteller who envelops his thoughts into flexible and multifunctional forms which presuppose a multilayered reception by means of the heart not so much the head though narrative informed the parable is allegorical in content its purpose is to transform the listener from a passive receiver of the good news into an active disciple it requires the personal intellectual and spiritual endeavors of those who listen personal labor to parse out its meaning and then provoked the active working the mind every person must accept the parable therefore in his own way it seems that this is exactly why Jesus spoke in parables in the first place Jesus choice to use parables as the primary mode of transmitting the good news is also connected with the inherent potential of the genre which differentiates it from realistic non-fiction narrative forms and the Old Testament for example God spoke with his people in the language of command often expressed and strictly imperative mood often accompanied with threats of punishment for delinquency however in the New Testament God spoke with his people in a different language he no longer commands respecting the free choice of every individual person unquote here for a second this is me a dick and nickel is talking metropolitan helerion makes an interesting point however there are some who who will dispute his assessment of the Old Testament being spoken by God only in the language of command in fact there are some very interesting works scholarly works that suggest that in fact the writers of the Old Testament used some techniques that are common to fiction in other words they use storytelling techniques that are implicit in the way that the that the narrative is structured but I'm going to talk about that in a different episode back to the quote by metropolitan helerion a contemporary orthodox theologian wrote the following the parabolic genre has the ability to encompass a wide swath of listeners from simple fishermen to philosophers subtle in thought every one of these can find something consonant with his own interests in a parable and so the parable must have several layers of interpretation the same words can transmit different degrees of truth in parables the truth is not imposed parables are the only means of reaching that profoundly personal depth of human consciousness that neither accepts coercion nor compulsion the living never ending dialogue of every parable with human consciousness allows it to move from a static form of communication to a dynamic living co operation through the characteristically unique aspect of a genre a fluidity of interpretation that avoids direct and static meaning now the words every parable offers a personal reading it's meaning reveals the self to individual people based on their own life circumstances based on their own unique context moreover the meaning of the parable can be revealed differently each subsequent reading this is true of individual people and even entire generations of people based on the different levels of his own spiritual development that person may understand the meaning of each parable differently entire groups of people may interpret their significance in a way based on their common cultural context the specific challenges of their time and many other factors that will of course affect interpretation end of quote so to sum up Jesus used the parable a storytelling form a form of fiction specifically because it is the most capable of awakening the heart of the listener to the content of his call they call to love they call to forgive they call to actively live for others he did this knowing that fiction far more than nonfiction has the capacity to aid the listener or the reader in empathizing with the character of a tale of imaginatively putting himself or herself in place of the hero and this happens not in the level of the rational mind but on the level of instinct it happens on the level of the heart this is very important because the purpose of listening to the parable is not simply to say oh what a beautiful story but it is to apply the lessons that it suggests imaginatively to yourself and then go and live it there's a very difficult to do for someone whose imagination is not trained case in point look at how the Pharisees responded to the parables they did not see them as stories that were intended for them to change their lives they rationally analyzed and criticized and critiqued them for their content why because they were not in the habit of training their imagination a point that I will develop in later episodes I will try to prove this point especially about the training of the imagination next time when we examine how St Gregory the theologian himself read the parables and how personally he read them how he wrote poetry about his interaction with the parables and then how he wrote poetry about poetry it's beautiful and fascinating I hope you'll join me next time thank you for listening if you'd like to find out more about the exciting and dangerous world of Slavic fairy tales check out the Ravensson epic fantasy series which is inspired by these stories and is now available completely in audiobook format if you find yourself moved by these fairy tales consider becoming a patron of the podcast your contribution will go a long way towards supporting independent creators like me and Natalie we are eternally grateful to our community of story lovers they are a constant inspiration to me and a joy to serve visit patreon.com forward slash Nicholas co-star for more information this show is edited and its beautiful music is originally composed by Natalie Wilson at nwcomposing.com in a certain kingdom is a listener supported presentation of ancient faith radio