The Great Tales

Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick, Dcn. Seraphim Richard Rohlin, and Ancient Faith Ministries
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  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Myth, Legend, Christ

  1. FEB 13

    The Cup of the Gjukings

    We continue #HoaryNorthernWinter as we resume the Volsunga Saga and find out what happens to our great dragon-slaying hero when he comes to the Hall of the Gjukings and is offered certain magical draughts...

  2. JAN 16

    The Rhizomatic Evolution of the Nibelung Dragon-Slayer

    The story of Sigurd the dragon-slayer is one of the most celebrated tales in all of European literature—but it doesn't come to us in a single, authoritative form. Instead, it spreads like a root system across languages, centuries, and cultures: Old Norse sagas and Eddic poetry, Middle High German epic, Scandinavian ballads, and medieval German song. In this episode, we begin mapping that rhizomatic network, introducing the major sources that preserve the Völsung-Nibelung tradition before diving deep into three extraordinary poems from the Icelandic Codex Regius.

  3. JAN 3

    Dragonsbane of the North

    Greatest among the Norse and Germanic tales is the Völsunga saga – the story of Sigurd the Dragon Slayer, the cursed ring of Andvari, and how a powerful family of storied warriors went up (literally) in flames. Let the #HoaryNorthernWinter begin!

  4. 12/19/2025

    The Beowulfian Apostle

    Fr. Andrew and Dcn. Seraphim conclude their discussion of "Andreas," the Old English poem about St. Andrew rescuing St. Matthew from an island of cannibals. One of the wildest stories involving the apostles is told in multiple early sources, from the 4th-century Greek "The Acts of Andrew and Matthias among the Anthropophagi" to Homily XIX in the 10th-century Old English Blickling Homilies to the 1700-line 10th-century Old English poem “Andreas,” found in the Vercelli manuscript. In this story, the Apostle Andrew rescues one of his fellow apostles from Marmidonia, a city of cannibals. In the earlier source, it’s St. Matthias, but in later sources it’s the Apostle Matthew the Evangelist. (Could they be the same saint?) The devil makes an appearance, as does Christ multiple times and some angels. St. Andrew appears here as a rescuing hero who nonetheless is entirely dependent on God. And of course there’s a flood and a ring of fire.

  5. 12/05/2025

    The Flood of St. Andrew

    Delving into Old English sources, Fr. Andrew and Dcn. Seraphim read “Andreas,” the 10th-century poem that looks and sounds like Beowulf and tells the tale of how St. Andrew rescued St. Matthew from a city of cannibals.

  6. 11/22/2025

    Two Pilgrim Tales

    Back from their pilgrimage to Scotland and Northumbria, Fr. Andrew and Dcn. Seraphim tell two tales from the road -- how St. Cædmon went from shepherd to hymnographer and how St. Oran insisted he be buried alive on Iona.

  7. 10/08/2025

    The Wight Stuff

    It was a graveyard smash. From the fjords to the graves, it caught on in a flash! Our hosts tell some Viking-age ghost stories, from Grettir’s late-night tussles with draugr to Angantyr’s rude awakening. Prepare for a monster mash of restless dead, barrow brawls, and heroes who know how to crash the crypt. In this very special episode recorded live at The Lord of Spirits Conference, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick and Dcn. Seraphim Richard Rohlin tell some Old Norse stories about waking the dead, putting the walking dead back in their graves, and the deadly repercussions of not keeping the Christmas Eve fast.

  8. 09/19/2025

    Sleeping Beauty and the Bird Bombardier

    The hosts of The Great Tales podcast read and discuss two strange, dark, wondrous, and perplexing fairy tales: Little Briar Rose (aka Sleeping Beauty) and The Juniper Tree.

See All (30)

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About

Myth, Legend, Christ

Information

  • Creator
    Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick, Dcn. Seraphim Richard Rohlin, and Ancient Faith Ministries
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    30
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Ancient Faith Ministries
  • Show Website
    The Great Tales

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