Abstract
One of the best ways of how generational wisdom might be passed to the next generations is the ancient Slavic tale "the Lay of Prince Igor". This essay is aimed at outlining the tale's message to the audience concerning values and problems of Kievan Rus. In this context, attention is paid not only to the events described but also to the form of the narration.
Key words: Kievan Rus, Prince Igor, Polovtsy, internecine feud, Yaroslavna's lament.
With the development of human civilisation, the ways of tracking history have evolved and separated from fictions. On the other hand, it was not always like that. There were times when literary works and oral tales were the sources not only of the other generations' wisdom abut also quite useful sources of historical events. One of the best examples of how history and generational wisdom were passed to the offspring is the ancient Slavic tale "the Lay of Prince Igor". The aim of this essay is to outline what the tale tells the audience about values and problems of Kievan Rus. In this context, attention is paid not only to the events described but also to the form of the narration.
The tale tells the story of Prince Igor and his brother Vsevolod from the Rurik Dynasty of Russ princes, who attempted a campaign against the Eastern nomad rivals in the face of Polovtsy (Magnus, 1915, p. 82). They failed and were defeated at the battle near the river Kayala. As a result, Vsevolod was killed in the battle, and Igor was enslaved. Later Igor managed to escape and return to his homeland. The main purpose of the whole tale is not simply in emphasising of the failed campaign and description of events. The aim was to show the degradation of the previously glorious kingdom of Kievan Rus and dissolution of the true Russ spirit behind irrelevant quarrels (Magnus, 1915).
One of the most crucial problems was the internecine feud between the Kievan princes for territories (kingdoms), which resulted in the inability to face external threat from the East. The author does not only argue that there were very few princes to go with Igor and Vsevolod, but he emphasises that their actions were driven by territorial considerations rather than vital necessity to fight Polovtsy as a matter of defence. In this regard, Svyatoslav Vsevolodic argued that both brothers "soon have begun to harass the land of the Polovtsy with your swords and to seek fame for yourself" (Magnus, 1915, p. 104). This judgement of the author was due to the fact that Polovtsy did not conduct huge raids on the Russ territories because Igor's father Svyatoslav Olegovic managed to suppress Polovtsy and keep them outside Slavic lands. Although the threat was always there, the campaign aimed at gaining glory of the forefathers and subsequent respect and influence within other princes of the Kievan Rus. The Svyatoslav's lament and appeal to the princes shows that Igor's defeat was a common defeat of all Slavic kingdoms, because their inability to stand together against the external enemy, "for the insult to our time, for the Russian land" (Magnus, 1915, p. 108).
Except for a description of kingdom's decline, the tale gives a quite a vivid picture of the values system of Kievan Rus. First of all, it is immediately evident that code of honour and pride were still praised in times of Igor. Physical dominance and valour in the battlefield, just as the ability to protect one's land were largely praised. In that time, they still had strong ancestral bonds, since sons were praised or compared for deeds of their father and bloodlines measured power and influence, just as strength of the sword. From the religious perspective, the tale reflects the reality of artificially imposed Christianity, which irrespective of the official status still was not practiced and subsequently believed in Kievan Rus. This is proved by constant references to the Slavic Pagan gods and suggesting that princes' blood line was coming from them- "the scions of Stribog ", god of winds (Magnus, 1915, p. 98). Evidence was the importance of the nature and suppositious believes in omens, significance of bird signs and natural elements. This is particularly evident in Yaroslavna's lament, when she refers to three the most important elements - wind, water and sun (Magnus, 1915, p.116-117).
Although the original manuscript of the tale was lost and theory of forgery still exists, from the point of cultural details and the very Slavic or Russ spirit of the narration, it seems to be quite authentic. Although, from the scientific perspective, its authenticity should be proved by material evidence, for the readers, the tale can be judged as authentic because it fulfils the purpose of the ancient ballads - to pass the knowledge of the past to the new generations and to teach them wisdom. The tale revives the spirit of Kievan Rus.
Reference
Leonard A. Magnus (1915). The Tale of the Armament of Igor. Oxford: Oxford University
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