Attributed to Nestor the Chronicler · Complete work
983–985: The Varangian Martyrs and the Bulgar Peace
983–985: The Varangian Martyrs and the Bulgar Peace of 46. Read it here for reference, or continue through the entire work without leaving the reader.
Open the complete readerOriginal Old East Slavic
В лѣто 6491. Иде Володимиръ на ятвягы и взя землю ихъ. И приде къ Киеву и творяше требу кумиромъ с людми своими. И ркоша старци и бояре: «Мечемъ жребий на отрока и дѣвицю, на негоже падеть, того зарѣжемы богомъ». И бяше варягъ одинъ, бѣ дворъ его, идеже бѣ церкви святыя Богородица, юже създа Володимиръ. Бѣ же варягь тъй пришелъ от Грѣкъ и дѣржаше вѣру в тайнѣ крестьяньскую. И бѣ у него сынъ красенъ лицем и душею, и на сего паде жребий по зависти дьяволи. Не тѣрпяше бо дьяволъ, власть имѣя надъ всими, сьй бяше ему акы тѣрнъ въ сердци, и тщашеся потребити оканный и наусти люди. И рѣша, пришедъша, послании к нему, яко: «Паде жребий на сынъ твой, изволиша бо ̀и бози себѣ, да створим требу богомъ». И рече варягъ: «Не суть то бози, но древо; днесь есть, а утро изъгнило есть, не ядять бо, ни пьють, ни молвять, но суть дѣлани руками въ древѣ секирою и ножемъ. А Богъ единъ есть, емуже служать грѣци и кланяются, иже створилъ небо, и землю, и человѣка, и зъвѣзды, и солнце, и луну, и далъ есть жити на земли. И си бози что сдѣлаша? Сами дѣлани суть. Не дамъ сына своего бѣсом».
Они же, шедъше, повѣдаша людемъ. Они же, вземъше оружье, поидоша на нь и разъяша дворъ около его. Онъ же стояше на сѣнехъ съ сыномъ своимъ. Рѣша ему: «Дай сына своего, дамы ̀и богомъ». Онъ же рече: «Аще суть бози, то единого себе послють бога, да поимуть сына моего. А вы чему перетребуете имъ?». И кликнуша и сѣкоша сѣни подъ ними, и тако побиша я. И не свѣсть никтоже, кде положиша я. Бяху бо человѣци тогда невегласи, погани, и дьяволъ радовашеся сему, не вѣды, яко близъ погибель хотяше быти ему. Тако бо и преди тъщашеся погубити родъ хьрестьяньскый, но прогонимъ бяше крестомъ честнымъ во иныхъ странах, здѣ же мняшеся оканьный, яко здѣ ми есть жилище, здѣ бо не суть учили апостоли, ни пророци прорекъли, не вѣдый пророка, глаголюща: «И нареку не люди моя люди моя»; о апостолѣхъ же рече: «Во всю землю изидоша вѣщания ихъ и в конѣць вселеныя глаголи ихъ».
Аще бо и тѣломъ апостоли суть здѣ не были, но учения ихъ, яко трубы, гласять по вселений въ цѣрьквахъ, имъже ученьемъ побѣжаемъ противнаго врага, попирающе подъ нозѣ, якоже попраста и сия отьченика, и приимъша вѣнѣць небесный съ святыми мученикы и съ праведными.
В лѣто 6492. Иде Володимиръ на радимици. И бѣ у него воевода Волчий Хвостъ, и посла пред собою Володимиръ Волчия Хвоста, и срѣте радимичи на рѣцѣ Пищанѣ, и побѣди Волчий Хвостъ радимичи. Тѣмь и русь корятся радимичемъ, глаголюще: «Пѣщаньци волъчья хвоста бѣгають». Быша же радимичи от рода ляховъ; и, пришедше ту, ся вселиша, и платять дань в Руси, и повозъ везуть и до сего дне.
В лѣто 6493. Иде Володимиръ на Болъгары съ Добрынею, уемъ своимъ, в лодьяхъ, а торкы берегомъ приведе на конехъ. И тако побѣди болгары. И рече Добърыня Володимиру: «Съглядахъ колодникъ, и суть вси в сапозѣхъ. Симъ дани намъ не платити, поидевѣ искать лапотникъ». И сътвори миръ Володимиръ с болгары, и ротѣ заходиша межи собою, и рѣша болгаре: «Толи не буди мира межи нами, оли же камень начнеть плавати, а хмель грязнути». И приде Владимиръ къ Киеву.
Musean translation
Mouseia’s complete machine-assisted Musean translation, made directly from the Old East Slavic text of the Hypatian Codex (O. V. Tvorogov’s 1997 edition, pinned Russian Wikisource revision), covering the undated introduction and every annal from 6360 to 6625 (852–1117 CE). Worker drafts were checked against the source paragraph by paragraph before publication. Years keep the chronicle’s own reckoning from the creation of the world; subtract 5508 for the approximate year CE, as the chapter titles do.
In the year 6491. Vladimir marched against the Yatvingians and took their land. He came to Kyiv and offered sacrifice to the idols with his people. The elders and boyars said: “Let us cast lots with the sword for a youth and a maiden; on whomever it falls, that one we will slaughter for the gods.” Now there was a certain Varangian whose court stood where the church of the Holy Mother of God now is, which Vladimir built. This Varangian had come from the Greeks and kept the Christian faith in secret. He had a son, fair in face and in soul, and on him the lot fell, by the devil's envy. The devil could not endure it, having power over all; this man was to him as a thorn in his heart, and the accursed one strove to destroy him and stirred up the people. Messengers came to him and said: “The lot has fallen on your son; the gods have chosen him for themselves, that we may make sacrifice to the gods.” The Varangian said: “These are not gods but wood: today it stands, tomorrow it has rotted. They do not eat or drink or speak, but are made by hands out of wood, with axe and knife. God is one, whom the Greeks serve and worship, who made heaven and earth and man and the stars and the sun and the moon, and gave all to live upon the earth. And what have these gods made? They themselves are made. I will not give my son to demons.”
They went and told the people, and the people took up arms and marched against him and tore down the court around him. He stood on the entryway with his son. They said to him: “Give your son; we will make him a sacrifice to the gods.” He said: “If they are gods, let them send one of their own gods to take my son. Why do you plead for them?” They shouted and hacked down the entryway beneath them, and so they killed them both. No one knows where they laid them. For men in those days were without understanding, pagans, and the devil rejoiced at this, not knowing that his own destruction was near. So before this he had striven to destroy the race of Christians, but was driven out by the precious cross in other lands; and here the accursed one imagined that here was his dwelling, for apostles had not taught here, nor had prophets prophesied—he did not know the prophet who says: “And I will call those not my people, my people”; and of the apostles it is said: “Into all the earth went out their voice, and to the ends of the world their words.”
For if the apostles were not here in body, their teaching sounds like trumpets through all the world in the churches; by that teaching we overcome the adversary enemy, trampling him underfoot, as these two passion-bearers trampled him and received the heavenly crown with the holy martyrs and the righteous.
In the year 6492. Vladimir marched against the Radimichians. He had a voivode, Wolf Tail; Vladimir sent Wolf Tail ahead of him, and he met the Radimichians on the river Pishchana, and Wolf Tail defeated the Radimichians. That is why the Rus' mock the Radimichians, saying: “The men of the Pishchana run from the Wolf's Tail.” The Radimichians were of the stock of the Poles; coming there, they settled, and they pay tribute to Rus' and haul the cartage to this day.
In the year 6493. Vladimir marched against the Bulgars with Dobrynia, his uncle, in boats, and brought the Torks by the shore on horseback. And so he defeated the Bulgars. Dobrynia said to Vladimir: “I have examined the captives, and they are all in boots. No tribute will these pay us; let us go seek wearers of bast shoes.” Vladimir made peace with the Bulgars, and they swore oaths between themselves, and the Bulgars said: “Let there be no peace between us until a stone begins to float and hops begin to sink.” And Vladimir came to Kyiv.
Plain English translation
Mouseia’s complete Plain English edition, made independently and directly from the same Old East Slavic text of the Hypatian Codex, paragraph for paragraph, and checked against the source before publication.
In the year 6491. Vladimir marched against the Yatvingians and took their land. He came back to Kyiv and offered sacrifices to the idols together with his people. The elders and the boyars said: “Let us cast lots on a boy and a girl; on whichever one the lot falls, we will slaughter that one as a sacrifice to the gods.” Now there was a Varangian whose courtyard stood where the church of the Holy Mother of God built by Vladimir now stands. This Varangian had come from the Greeks and kept the Christian faith in secret. He had a son, beautiful in face and in soul, and the lot fell on him through the devil's envy. The devil, who has power over all, could not endure this—the man was to him like a thorn in his heart—and the accursed one tried to destroy him and to set the people against him. Messengers came to the Varangian and said: “The lot has fallen on your son. The gods have chosen him for themselves, so that we may make a sacrifice to the gods.” The Varangian said: “These are not gods but wood. Today it stands, and tomorrow it is rotten. They do not eat, or drink, or speak; they are made by hands out of wood, with axe and knife. But God is one, whom the Greeks serve and worship, who made heaven and earth, and man, and the stars, and the sun, and the moon, and gave them to live on the earth. And what have these gods made? They themselves are made. I will not give my son to demons.”
They went away and told the people. The people took up weapons, marched on him, and tore down his courtyard around him. He stood on the upper porch with his son. They said to him: “Give us your son, and we will offer him to the gods.” He said: “If they are gods, let them send one of their own gods to take my son. Why do you plead for them?” They shouted and hacked through the porch under them, and so they killed them both. No one knows where they laid them. People were ignorant and pagan in those days, and the devil rejoiced at this, not knowing that his own destruction was near. For before this too he tried to destroy the Christian people, but he was driven away by the honored cross in other lands; here the accursed one thought he had his home, because the apostles had not taught here, and the prophets had not foretold here. He did not know the prophet's word: “I will call those who are not my people my people”; and about the apostles it says: “Their sound went out into all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.”
Though the apostles were not here in body, their teaching sounds like trumpets through the whole world in the churches. By their teaching we defeat the enemy who stands against us, trampling him under our feet, just as these two men trampled him down and received the heavenly crown together with the holy martyrs and the righteous.
In the year 6492. Vladimir marched against the Radimichians. He had a commander named Wolf Tail, and Vladimir sent Wolf Tail ahead of him. He met the Radimichians on the Pishchana River, and Wolf Tail defeated the Radimichians. That is why the Rus' taunt the Radimichians, saying: “The men of the Pishchana run from the wolf's tail.” The Radimichians were descended from the stock of the Poles; they came and settled here, and they pay tribute to Rus' and haul the cart duty to this day.
In the year 6493. Vladimir marched against the Bulgars with Dobrynia, his uncle, in boats, and he brought the Torks along the shore on horseback. And so he defeated the Bulgars. Dobrynia said to Vladimir: “I have looked over the prisoners, and they are all wearing boots. We will get no tribute from these people; let us go and look for wearers of bast shoes.” Vladimir made peace with the Bulgars, and they swore oaths between themselves, and the Bulgars said: “May there be no peace between us until a stone begins to float and hops begin to sink.” And Vladimir came to Kyiv.