The Bogatyrs of Old Kiev
by David Nalle
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Vladimir I, Prince of Kiev from 980 to
1015, brought Christianity and civilization
to the tribes of the Rus. In the years
following his reign, a group of oral stories
called Byliny grew up about the
Prince and the heroes he drew to his
court during this “Golden Age” of old
Russia.
At the height of his reign Vladimir had
gathered to him a “Druzhina”
of 29 superhuman
Bogatyr warriors. In addition,
each of these Bogatyrs had a Druzhina
of 29 heroes as his retinue. These “junior
Bogatyrs” were called Druzhiniks, and
brought to 870 the total number of heroes
at the Prince’s command.
During this period the Bogatyrs led the
armies of Kiev against a series of invading
steppe-nomad tribes led by the semidemonic
Tugarin Zmeevich. In addition,
each Bogatyr fought a variety of monsters
which lurked in medieval Russia.
Bogatyrs led the army in battle together,
but in combat with a single monster it
was their practice to engage them one
at
a time, preserving the glory of victory
for
a single Bogatyr.
Described below are the Prince Vladimir,
the eight major Bogatyrs, their
foes, and associated inhabitants of Russia
at the time. Characteristics for a typical
Bogatyr and Druzhinik are also given.
LESS FRIENDLY
INHABITANTS OF THE REALM
There are a variety of men and monsters
in the legends of the Kievan period.
The most notable are described below.
Bogatyrs generally prefer to capture and
convert a foe rather than slay him outright.
Bogatyrs traditionally will bring
their captives to Vladimir so that they
may pay homage to the prince, at which
point (in the legends) the monster usually
causes a ruckus all over again and has
to be dispatched anyway. Legend often
portrays Kievan monsters as nice guys
in
their own odd way.
| TUGARIN ZMEEVICH | DRAGON GORYNICH | PRINCE VSESLAV OF POLOTSK | SOLOVEI RAZBOINIK | BABA YAGA |
| - | - | - | - | The Bogatyrs of Kiev |
HISTORICAL
NOTE
Many of these heroes are based on or
resemble actual members of Vladimir’s
court during the turn of the century between
980 and 1015. This is an excellent
period for fantasy role-playing, because
it gave rise to so many legends and folk
tales.
In 1015 the glory of Kiev was tarnished
by the division of the Principality between
Vladimir’s three sons. Yaroslav
the Wise, who finally took the throne
from his warring brothers, restored unity
and strength to the Principality. But
by
then Kiev had passed from the realm of
legend to the realm of history, and the
days of the Bogatyrs were over. The
power of Kiev faded, and dominion over
Russia soon passed to Nijni Novgorod
and later to Moscow.
|
|
|
|
|
|