Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - Impressions of Russian Literature - I
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has been proofread at least once.
(diff)
(history)
Denna sida har korrekturlästs minst en gång.
(skillnad)
(historik)
encamped, murders the king’s brother, and brings to the
king his severed head. “See here, my lord, if you know
this head.” Yaroslaf turns red. “This deed we
Norsemen have done,” says Eymund, “but now let your
brother be buried in a becoming and honorable manner.”
Yaroslaf answers, “You have done a rash deed, my
friends, which weighs heavily upon me. You have
killed him; then bury him also.” About condemnation
of the event, even on the side of the injured brother, not
a word is said. Senkovski properly notices the improbability
of attributing to the Varing-Russian heroes of that
age the aversion of the Christian monk to bloodshed.
It was only cowardice that was despicable in their sight.
For the perfidious and bold wrong-doer they had a
respect which was not denied to him even when they were
in arms against them.
The language, as well as the peculiarities of race, of
the ruling warrior caste of Scandinavian Russians was
speedily absorbed by the great Slavic people, largely
because the Varings seldom married any other than
native-born wives; therefore no traces of the Norse mythology
are to be found in Russia. On the other hand, we meet
(especially in the only written epic poem of Russia) not
a few reminiscences of the old Slavic worship of God
and nature. Still, what we know about the mythical
beings is very little. The Slavs worshipped the heavens
by the name of Svarog. The sons of the heavens were
Dazhbog, god of the sun (and wealth. From dazh — day,
and bog — god), and the god of fire, Ogon (Indian, Agni).
The god of the sun had other names besides: Hors and
Volos, who like Apollo was god of the flocks and of the
poets. Perun corresponds to Thor as the god of
thunder. Stribog is the god of the winds. In addition they
worshipped “the damp mother earth;” the spring season,
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
