Óláfr Tryggvason: un ospite speciale alla corte di Vladimir il Santo
By the end of the 10th century started the conversion of the Norwegian and Russian peoples, following the efforts of two very important figures in the history of these countries: Óláfr Tryggvason and Vladimir the Saint. The evidence of frequent contacts between Scandinavian adventurers and the Slavi...
| Published in: | Studi e materiali di storia delle religioni |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | Italian |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Morcelliana
2012
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| In: |
Studi e materiali di storia delle religioni
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| Further subjects: | B
International Relations
B Rus B Kievan Rus B Oddr B variags B Sagas; History & criticism B Olafr B Scandinavia B Vladimir, Grand Duke of Kiev, ca. 956-1015 B variaghi B Holmgarðr B Russia |
| Summary: | By the end of the 10th century started the conversion of the Norwegian and Russian peoples, following the efforts of two very important figures in the history of these countries: Óláfr Tryggvason and Vladimir the Saint. The evidence of frequent contacts between Scandinavian adventurers and the Slavic, Baltic and Finnish peoples that would have eventually merged to form the ethnic group of the ancient rus can be found in the Norse sa-gas and in the old Russian chronicles. In this paper we will discuss two episodes from the Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar of Oddr Snorrason (about 1170) and from the Povest' vremennyh let (1118), which show the variags, the Norse merchants settled in Eastern Europe, as the leading figures involved in the adoption of Byzantine Christianity by the rus. The presence of Vladimir the Saint in the Óláfs saga confirms not only the historical reliability of the contacts between the two peoples but can be considered also an important information about the role of intermediaries between the Slavs and the Byzantine clergy that has been played by the variags, who often visited the cities of the Byzantine Empire as merchants and hired soldiers. The saga and the chronicle discussed in his paper show also the use of a common ecclesiastical language, since both texts are the product of monastic culture, particularly when describing the Slavic pagan idols, whose existence is confirmed by archaeological evidence, and in the statements regarding the uselessness of heathen rites. (English) |
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| ISSN: | 2611-8742 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Studi e materiali di storia delle religioni
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