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 post In a Certain Kingdom: The Wooden Eagle appeared first on Nicholas Kotar ..read more

In this episode, dear friend Richard Rohlin and I continue our discussion on The Rings of Power, picking up with episodes 6 and 7. We try to open up by focusing on the positives, but, as per usual, chaos ensues! While there does seem to be minimal progress in the maturation of the show and its […] The post Fantasy For Our Time: The Shadow is a Passing Thing… Or Is It? appeared first on Nicholas Kotar ..read more

In a variation of 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, […] The post In a Certain Kingdom: Prince Ivan, the Firebird, and Koschei the Deathless appeared first on Nicholas Kotar ..read more

At last, what you’ve all been waiting for . . . I discuss The Rings of Power!  My friend Richard Rohlin joins me for a wonderful conversation about the new series: what we like, what we don’t like. Like so many of us, I was set up to hate the show on the front end; […] The post Fantasy For Our Time: Without My Sword . . . What Am I? appeared first on Nicholas Kotar ..read more

This is the final video of my series on accepting unexpected hardships and using stories to help overcome them in a lasting way. Using Aragorn from The Lord of the Rings as our model, we’ve finally come to the crux of the matter. Time to accept our quest. But this is a delicate and difficult […] The post Fantasy For Our Time: Resilience and Courage Through Story – Accept Your Quest with Humility and Purpose appeared first on Nicholas Kotar ..read more

Welcome to week three of our series exploring how good stories can help us survive difficulty and come out stronger, living a deeper and more fulfilling life. In our first two videos, we discussed how to find a mentor and the importance of solitude for the deep life. Continuing using Aragorn’s life as a model, […] The post Fantasy For Our Time: Resilience and Courage Through Story – Examining the Heart of Ideas You Hate appeared first on Nicholas Kotar ..read more

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 […] The post In a Certain Kingdom: Prince Ivan, the Witch Baby, and the Little Prince of the Sun appeared first on Nicholas Kotar ..read more

Welcome to the second episode in my series on finding resilience and courage during unexpectedly difficult times, all through the wisdom of fairy tales and classic literature. Last week, we discussed how we can find a mentor. But find him or not, the next step in overcoming difficulties is harder. We must embrace solitude. The […] The post Fantasy For Our Time: Resilience and Courage Through Story – Finding Meaning in Solitude appeared first on Nicholas Kotar ..read more

In an age of information overload, we need, more than ever, to find someone to help us make sense of it all. But there are self-proclaimed experts, life coaches, and just plain hucksters everywhere! What’re we to do? Well, maybe we need to take a page out of Russian fairy tales. Just as Ivan the […] The post Fantasy For Our Time: Resilience and Courage Through Story – Finding Your Mentor appeared first on Nicholas Kotar ..read more

One of the biggest questions of our age is what we are to make of ourselves in a post-pandemic reality. If we allow it, hardship can unlock a deeply satisfying way of living; however, it requires an ability to live in the tension of survival and progress. When we are no longer reacting, there comes […] The post Fantasy For Our Time: What Aragorn Can Teach Us About the Deep Life appeared first on Nicholas Kotar ..read more