In A Certain Land
You know The Brothers Grimm, but do you know the weird and whimsical fairy tales of Russia? Nicholas Kotar brings you Russia’s most beloved fairy tales as you would have heard them from a grandparent sitting near the hearth on a cozy winter evening, the wind howling outside and the courage of these heroic stories lighting a flame in your heart. Enter the world of Baba Yaga, the mysterious hag who can be both friend and foe, and follow Ivan the Idiot as he faces off against a cunning dragon with six heads. These are not stuffy, academic translations, but vividly enacted retellings from Nicholas Kotar’s 3-volume fairy tale collection, accompanied by the original music of composer Natalie Wilson.
Don’t be fooled: these are not just tales for children. As Russian philosopher Ivan Ilyin reminds us, the spiritual meaning of the fairy tale is “like refined and sweet-smelling honey. If you drip it on your tongue, you’ll taste all the ineffable essence of Russia’s nature–the smell of the earth, the heat of the sun, the fragrance of flowers, and something else that is subtle and rich, something eternally youthful and yet eternally ancient… Only he who worships at the altar of facts and has lost the ability to contemplate a state of being ignores fairy tales. Only the one who wants to see with his physical eyes alone, plucking out his spiritual eyes in the process, considers the fairy tale to be dead.”
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- Update frequency
- every 12 days
- Average duration
- 21 minutes
- Episodes
- 9
- Years Active
- 2025
The Silver Platter and the Honey-Ripe Apple
Once upon a time, in a land of sunlit meadows, birch forests, and whispering winds, there lived a girl so forgotten that even her own family called her nothing but “idiot-girl.” She wasn’t beautiful …
The Tale of the Tsar Bear
The Tale of the Frog Princess
In a far-off kingdom, in a time long faded into song and silence, a king bids his sons to cast their arrows to the wind—and where the arrows fall, there they shall find their fates. The eldest finds …
The Tale of the White Duck
A prince and a princess are married — but their happiness is short-lived. Called away on a distant journey, the prince leaves his bride alone in her tower, with a single warning: do not leave, do not…
The Tale of the Juvenescent Apples and the Water of Life
When an aging king seeks the mythical apples of youth and the water of life, his boldest sons fail and vanish into enchantment. Only Prince Ivan—humble, cunning, and brave—undertakes the perilous jou…
At the Pike’s Command
“At the Pike’s Command” is a classic Russian fairy tale brimming with magic, mischief, and unexpected transformation. Emelya, a lazy and carefree fool, prefers the warmth of the stove to the world be…
Vasilissa the Beautiful
When her mother dies, young Vasilissa is left with only a strange gift—a tiny doll that comes to life when fed. As her cruel stepmother turns home into a prison, the doll becomes her secret protector…
Vasilissa the Wise and the King of Underland
When a wander-lusting king accidentally breaks the laws of hospitality when quenching his thirst, he is forced to give his only son as a hostage to a dangerous king of the underwater lands.
But this …
The Chestnut Roan
Welcome to this new storytelling podcast, where Natalie Wilson and I collaborate to create a story-music experience of the Russian fairy tale that you won't hear anywhere else.
This is the first episo…