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Step into the Triune Monarchy with Avram Davidson’s unforgettable story “The Old Woman Who Lived with a Bear” (from The Enquiries of Doctor Eszterhazy, 1975).

This professional narration brings to life the wit, mystery, and folkloric strangeness of Dr. Engelbert Eszterhazy’s world — where Gothic traditions, superstition, and rational inquiry intertwine.

Whether you’re a longtime Davidson devotee or new to his genius, this is a chance to immerse yourself in one of his finest Eszterhazy adventures.

👉 Stay tuned for our follow-up discussion episode where Bob and Virgil dive into the story’s themes, humor, and deeper meanings.

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Avram Davidson (himself) warms up for a lecture and pulls you aboard a lateen-rigged dhow to ask the irresistible question: where, exactly, did Sinbad sail—Borneo, Sumatra, Serendib, even Madagascar—or only through our imaginations?

Show notes:

• Paul Bunyan vs. Sinbad: why tall tales can still point to real shores

• Baghdad’s golden age, Harun al-Rashid, and merchants’ cargo lists like poetry

• Dhows, monsoons, “islands” that breathe (whale? turtle?), and apes near Sumatra

• The rukh/roc, Aepyornis eggs, and dagobas that look like giant eggs from afar

• Marco Polo, Ibn Battuta, and the joys of pure serendipity

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Bob and Virgil unpack Avram’s clues—dhows, monsoons, Borneo and Sumatra, Sri Lanka’s dagobas, Madagascar’s giant eggs—and debate how far a fable can take you toward the truth.

• Reading the text like a chart: Kabil/Kasil → Borneo?

• Sumatra’s “island of apes,” ears to the shoulders, and traveler’s overlap with the Odyssey

• The roc vs. Aepyornis: why giant birds matter even when they can’t fly

• Serendip/Anuradhapura: when a white dagoba becomes a “roc egg” on the horizon

• Takeaways for modern readers: how to spot facts hiding in folklore

Hashtags:

#podcastdiscussion #AvramDavidson #sinbad #mythology #historypodcast #IndianOceanWorld #borneo #sumatra #srilanka #madagascar #marcopolo #ibnbattutamall

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