The Wild Christ Podcast

Grettir & The Dead Man Who Would Not Stay Dead

There was once a man in Iceland named Grettir Ásmundarson. Grettir the Strong, they called him. And strong he was. Strong enough to lift stones that two men could scar

Hafez & The Handless Maiden, part 5

It was not at the end of the first day that he saw a thin trail of smoke, the first month, or even the first year. For seven years, the King wandered that forest looking

Vallejo & The Tale of the Handless Maiden, part 4

So the Queen mum, as it were, goes to see the maiden. And she says, “Look, I don't know what has happened to my son, but he's kind of volatile I hear, he's changed afte

Lorca & The Tale of the Handless Maiden, part 3

For Claudio Guillén In the branches of the laurel tree I saw two dark doves One was the sun and one the moon Little neighbors I said where is my grave —  In my tail said

The Tale of the Handless Maiden - part 2

When you are vulnerable you can make very bad deals; after losing your hands, what are the initiatory steps to growing them back? A very bad deal has consequence for a p

Gunnar Ekelof & The Tale of The Handless Maiden

There are many versions of The Handless Maiden from around the world. It’s a fairy tale that was collected by the Brothers Grimm in 1812, but its roots are much older. O

Robert Bly & Fatima and the Crow

Forough Hekmat collected these tales from his own childhood in Iran. Fatima may be a little old woman, but her heart is massive and her courage in the face of injustice.

Ghalib & The Story of No-Song

There was once a young man who had no song. Now, you should understand that this was a serious thing. Everyone had a song. The women had songs for grinding corn and so

Rumi & The Story of the Skeleton Woman

The Skeleton Woman is an Inuit tale of healing, that describes a harrowing journey in which the heroine is left for dead under the sea but is caught by a fisherman whose

Hafez & The Story of the Young King of the Black Isles

In this story, a young king who was being held prisoner in his own hall by his own wife after the king struck down her lover in the woods. In payback, the young queen tur

Rumi & The Myth of Macha

We all know the power and pain of suffering – how it refines our character and can often be our ‘making or breaking’. It’s as much a force of nature as the rain or wind,

Hauge & Parzival

Parzival's travels have been steeped in struggle and uncertainty since he left King Arthur’s court, yet he proves to be a formidable hero, gaining respect through his vic

Machado & Parzival

Parzival encounters Gurnemanz, who serves as a mentor figure, teaching him the virtues and etiquette of knighthood. Through Gurnemanz’s guidance, Parzival undergoes a tra

Kabir & Beowulf — What is Found Now is Found Then

In the poetry of Kabir and the tale of Beowulf we hear a question that would awaken us to the wound we carry, and would doctor it: What does what we do now affect what be