I Might Believe in Faeries

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm were German academics and philologists and are famous for their collection of folk tales, which includes Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood, and Snow White. Rev. G. Ronald Murphy, S. J. joins the show to these stories and his book, The Owl, The Raven, and the Dove: The Religious Meaning of the Grimm's Magic Fairy Tales. Fr. Murphy is the professor emeritus of German...

Author and poet Marly Youmans joins the show to discuss her recently published book, Seren of the Wildwood from Wiseblood Books: "Seren is born on the brink of Wildwood, realm of shadowy fey who listen and laugh–who sometimes bless and sometimes curse. As she grows into young womanhood, shaped by a familial tragedy tied to her conception, she is lured from home by a whispering mystery in Wild...

Richard Rohlin has wrapped a living sword, giants, unfathomable sea monsters, liturgy, angelic stars, and more into his new tabletop role playing game from Strange Owl Games. Amboria: The World Under Starlight is the result of about 20 years of myth-making and poetry. Culture, ritual, and liturgy are expertly woven together in this rich, textured, completely unique game. Richard returns to the sho...

Book Club number three has arrived! In this installment, we discuss The King of Elfland's Daughter by Lord Dunsany. We discuss the book, Dunsany the man, his influence on fantasy literature, his religious leanings, and why this book is (should be considered) a classic. I am joined by Dan, Andrew and John Palmer. As always, these episodes are available for everyone to listen and enjoy, but only...

C. S. Lewis called Christ the myth that became fact in an essay called..."Myth Became Fact". What does this mean? Well, Cameron Dixon joins the show to discuss that essay, phenomenology, the Divine Liturgy, and how Santa Claus fits into it all. Most of the essays and poems we discuss can be accessed for free on the internet. Cameron Dixon's substack: https://camerondixon.substack.com/ and his Twit...

Raphael Aloysius Lafferty was an author, a teller of tall tales, and a Catholic from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Gregorio Montejo of Ktistec Press and I discuss Lafferty's fiction, his life, his unique storytelling style, and why no one has ever heard of him (or have they?). We compare Lafferty's style to another famous Catholic speculative fiction author, Gene Wolfe. Wolfe even said that Lafferty is "our mo...

The Aztecs were one of the most bloody civilizations in history. In fact, blood, along with corn, was central to their ritual practices and sacrifices. Without the spilling of blood, the world would end. Lydia Lei, history and literature teacher at Chesterton Academy, joins the show to discuss the Aztec religion and their religious symbolism. We talk about how these symbols were incorporated into...

*This episode contains content that may not be suitable for children. Essayist, poet, and playwright, Jane Clark Scharl joins the show on this episode of I Might Believe in Faeries. Her new play, Sonnez Les Matines, features Ignatius of Loyola, John (Jean) Calvin, and François Rabelais in 1520s Paris who are all embroiled in a gruesome murder. We also discuss one of her future projects for an epi...

Neil DeGraide, of the band Dirt Poor Robins, joins the show on this episode of I Might Believe in Faeries. We talked about their recent album Deadhorse and the newly released silent film, Queen of the Night.  Dirt Poor Robins Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@dirtpoorrobins Website: https://www.dirtpoorrobins.com/ ****************************************************************************...

John Emmet Clarke from the (amazing) Catholic book publishing company, Cluny Media, joins the podcast to discuss the book Greek Myths and Christian Mystery by Hugo Rahner SJ. No, not that Rahner, but his much more interesting brother. This book has been republished by Cluny Media and we discussed the first section. We talked about pagan mystery cults, Christian baptism, the Cross, the symbolism of...

Book Club number two is here! In this episode we talk about The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers, possibly the greatest time travel story ever written. I am joined by Dan and Andrew again as well as patrons Dave Kisby and John Palmer and special guest Ben Espen. Ben is the host of the website, With Both Hands, and writes about wonder stories and fantasy authors like Tim Powers. We have a loose conversat...

I had the wonderful, and unexpected, opportunity to interview comic book creator, and practicing Catholic, Mark Millar! Mark wrote such comic books as Wanted, Kick-Ass, Old Man Logan, Superman: Red Son and Marvel's Civil War. Many of his comic books have been turned into major blockbuster movies and his own comic book company, Millarworld was purchased by Netflix in 2017. We talked about his faith...

In this special episode of IMBIF, I am joined by my very good friends, Dan and Andrew to discuss Elantris by Brandon Sanderson. This is sort of an example episode of how I want to conduct these book club discussions every 3 months. After this episode, book club discussions will be open to all Patreon subscribers who want to participate. I will provide a Zoom link to subscribers via Patreon. Dan an...

Jonathan Geltner joins to show to discuss his debut novel, Absolute Music. We talk about creation, music, the history of the word “fantasy” and much more. Author’s Books Mentioned: Absolute Music (2022) Five Great Odes by Paul Claudel translation (2020) Gene Wolfe: Epic Fantasy and Faithful Reading (2021) https://slantbooks.org/close-reading/essays/gene-wolfe-epic-fantasy-and-faithful-reading/ Cla...

Does reading fantasy make you holy? Maybe! Theologian and poet, David Russell Mosley, comes on the show to talk about his book, Being Deified, and his poetry. David can be found on Twitter @elflandletters  The conversation paused because I had to take some bread out of the oven for my lovely wife. I have also included a link to the recipe for Cinnamon Swirl Yogurt Quick Bread! https://www.a-kitche...

In this episode, Katarinya returns to discuss the Nephilim (Giants) found in both Scripture and mythology. This episode was originally a live stream on Youtube.  Parental Advisory Warning: In this episode, we talk about adult themes that may not be suitable for children.  Follow Katarinya on Twitter: @KatarinyaMariya *********************************************************************************...

Professor and Tolkien scholar, Michael Jahosky, joins me on the show to discuss his book, The Good News of the Return of the King: The Gospel in Middle Earth. We talk about myth, parables, fairy stories and allegories and what they have to do with The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and The Silmarillion. Michael is also the host of the Mythic Mission podcast where he explores the intersection of my...

Christopher Tompkins, owner of Darkly Bright Press, joins me to discuss the works of the author Arthur Machen. Christopher has written a lot about Machen and horror fiction in general at his press and blog, Darkly Bright Press. We discuss Machen's fiction, both horrific and wondrous. We also talk about Machen's theory of literature and his Christian faith. Darkly Bright Press Website: https://dark...

Hey everyone! In this brief announcement, I describe my goals for this podcast and how we can get there. Check out my Patreon page and look at the subscription tiers. If this is something you want to support, please do so!  If we hit the goal, I can start releasing two episodes per month! Thank you and God bless. Here is the link to my Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/imightbelieveinfaeries?f...

This episode is one of the main reasons I started this podcast. I wanted to talk to my favorite author, Tim Powers. And I did. And it was great. We discussed a wide range of topics including his books, mythology, literature, Catholicism and other things as well. Enjoy! His website can be found here: http://theworksoftimpowers.com/ His books can be purchased wherever books are sold! https://subterr...

Thomas J. Salerno and Aaron talk about superheroes and how they relate to Christianity. Thomas writes for Word on Fire, Voyage Comics, Aleteia and more. Adam West was not mentioned in this episode, but he is here in the show notes. Adam. West. Thomas Salerno’s Website: https://thomasjsalernowrites.com/ Voyage Comics: https://shop.voyagecomics.com/ Articles written by Thomas Salerno: https://voyage...

Christopher Ruocchio comes on the show to talk about his Sun Eater series. We talk about his reversion to Catholicism, his books, and much more! His website can be found here: https://sollanempire.com/ Christopher Ruocchio’s Books Empire of Silence Howling Dark Demon in White Kingdoms of Death The Lesser Devil Avengers #50 - The Two Worthies ********************************************************...

Dragons in the Bible! Robert Miller, II, O.F.S., Ph. D. is a professor of the Old Testament and Associate Dean for Graduate Studies at The Catholic University of America. He wrote a book called “The Dragon, the Mountain, and the Nations.” We talk about dragons in both the Old and New Testaments and compare them to Near Eastern pagan mythology. What are these dragons? What is the Mountain and who i...

Richard Rohlin, co-host of the Amon Sul podcast, joins me to discuss St. Maximus the Confessor, Tolkien, and imaginary furniture. Richard Rohlin’s Projects Amon Sul Podcast Medieval Universal History - Symbolic World with Jonathan Pageau Finding the Golden Key - Sacramental Imagination https://findingthegoldenkey.com/blog/ Find Richard Rohlin on FaceBook - Richard Rohlin (Seraphim) ***************...

I am joined by Eleanor Bourg Nicholson, author of “A Bloody Habit”, “Brother Wolf”, the Ignatius Critical Edition of Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” and more. We discuss Dracula, both the book and monster, vampire lore and much more. Happy Halloween! Books by Eleanor Bourg Nicholson: Dracula - Ignatius Critical Edition (2012) A Bloody Habit (2018) Brother Wolf (2021) These books and more can be found at e...