Kyi,_Czech,_Khoryv_and_Lubed_in_der_Radziwiłłchronik

Kyi, Shchek and Khoryv ( uk, Кий, Щек, Хорив ; orv, Кии, Щекъ, Хоривъ) were three

legend A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess ...

ary brothersoften mentioned along with their sister Lybid ( uk, Либідь, links=no ; orv, Лыбѣдь, links=no)who, according to the '' Primary Chronicle'', founded the

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

city of

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe. Kyi ...

, which eventually became the capital of

Kievan Rus' Kievan Rusʹ, also known as Kyivan Rusʹ ( orv, , Rusĭ, or , , ; Old Norse: ''Garðaríki''), was a state in Eastern and Northern Europe from the late 9th to the mid-13th century.John Channon & Robert Hudson, ''Penguin Historical Atlas of ...

and present-day

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

. There is no precise and historically established information about the rule of Kyi and the establishment of the city of

. Oleh Yastrubov.
"And gave it its name Kyiv"
'. Newspaper "Den". 14 July 2006.

Historical background

In the Primary Chronicle which is traditionally believed to have been written by a monk of Kyiv Cave Monastery by the name of Nestor and finished in 1113, a special place is held by the legend about the foundation of Kyiv by three brothers. In the legend, Nestor places those brothers onto various hills of Kyiv. Geographically, the

old Kyiv Old Kyiv or Old Kiev ( uk, Старий Київ) is a historical neighborhood of Kyiv. Other names include Upper City, Old Town, and others. It is located at the far eastern portion of the Shevchenko Raion. Old Kyiv historically represents the ...

is located on a higher right bank of

Dnieper } The Dnieper () or Dnipro (); , ; . is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. It is the longest river of Ukraine and ...

which is an extension of the

Dnieper Upland The Dnieper Upland or Cisdnieper Upland ( uk, Придніпровська височина, translit=Prydniprovska vysochyna) is a southeastern European plain occupying the territory between the Dnieper and the Southern Bug. It lies in central Uk ...

where remnants of the

Church of the Tithes The Church of the Tithes or Church of the Dormition of the Virgin ( uk, Десятинна Церква, ) was the first stone church in Kyiv.Mariya Lesiv, ''The Return of Ancestral Gods: Modern Ukrainian Paganism as an Alternative Vision for a ...

are located. The Chronicle further states that there were people ("who did not know what were saying") who considered Kyi a mere ferryman. But, then it argues that Kyi as a prince of his gens was visiting Czargrad and received great honors from the Emperor. Dmitry Likhachov combined attestations of the Nikon Chronicle which also indicates that Kyi with a great army marched onto Czargrad and received great honors from the Emperor. During his expedition to

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...

, Kyi also found a city of Kyivets on the

Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , p ...

. Nestor also names the approximate date of the assault on Kyiv by the

Khazar Empire The Khazars ; he, כּוּזָרִים, Kūzārīm; la, Gazari, or ; zh, 突厥曷薩 ; 突厥可薩 ''Tūjué Kěsà'', () were a semi-nomadic Turkic people that in the late 6th-century CE established a major commercial empire coverin ...

as "after the death of Kyi" which confirms the hypothesis of

Boris Rybakov Boris Alexandrovich Rybakov (Russian: Бори́с Алекса́ндрович Рыбако́в, 3 June 1908, Moscow – 27 December 2001) was a Soviet and Russian historian who personified the anti- Normanist vision of Russian history. He is ...

, 6th-7th centuries. In his chronicle Nestor does not indicate the date of Kyi's death nor the existence or absence of his heirs who continued to rule after his death. The chronicle does mention a meeting between local residents with the arrived

Askold and Dir Askold and Dir (''Haskuldr'' or ''Hǫskuldr'' and ''Dyr'' or ''Djur'' in Old Norse; died in 882), mentioned in both the Primary Chronicle and the Nikon Chronicle, were the earliest known ''purportedly Norse'' rulers of Kiev. Primary Chronicle ...

who asked them referring to Kyiv, whose city it was and received the answer that the three brothers who built it were long dead and the residents now paid tribute to the

Khazars The Khazars ; he, כּוּזָרִים, Kūzārīm; la, Gazari, or ; zh, 突厥曷薩 ; 突厥可薩 ''Tūjué Kěsà'', () were a semi-nomadic Turkic people that in the late 6th-century CE established a major commercial empire coverin ...

. However, the Polish historian

Jan Długosz Jan Długosz (; 1 December 1415 – 19 May 1480), also known in Latin as Johannes Longinus, was a Polish priest, chronicler, diplomat, soldier, and secretary to Bishop Zbigniew Oleśnicki of Kraków. He is considered Poland's first histo ...

drew attention to the Przemysł Chronicle that asserts "after the death of Kyi, Shchek, and Khoryv their children and grandchildren who descended from them by direct lineage ruled for many years".

Excerpt from the Ruthenian Primary Chronicles

Translation by Dmitry Likhachov

Translation by Samuel Hazzard Cross

Archaeological excavations

Archaeological excavations have shown that there was indeed an ancient settlement starting with the 6th century. Some speculate that Kyi was a real person, a '' knyaz'' (prince) from the tribe of the Polans. According to legend, Kyi, the eldest brother, was a Polianian Prince, and the city was named after him. In addition, the legend says that the appearance of a large city on the hilly banks of the

was predicted by Andrew the Apostle.

Historiographical interpretation

Many historians consider Kyi and his rule circa the 6th century to be actual history. Among such historians are

, Dmitry Likhachov, Aleksey Shakhmatov, Alexander Presnyakov,

Petro Tolochko Petro Petrovych Tolochko (; 21 February 1938) is a Soviet and Ukrainian historian, archaeologist, and political activist. He is one of the leading specialists in history of the Kievan Rus (Old Rus) and one of leading researchers of the NASU Instit ...

, and Nataliia Polonska-Vasylenko. The names of Kyi and his brothers have equivalents in an Armenian chronicle from the 7th century, ''History of Taron'', by

Zenob Glak Zenob Glak ( hy, Զենոբ Գլակ) was an Armenian historian who became the first abbot of the Glak monastery (also known as ''Surb Karapet Monastery'', dedicated to St. John the Baptist ) in the Taron region of Greater Armenia. He began the c ...

. Sakač, S. K. (1940).
Krapina-Kijev-Ararat, Priča o troje braće i jednoj sestri
'. Obnovljeni Život 21/3-4: 129–149, Zagreb In it, Kyi and Khoryv have counterparts in brothers Kouar and Horian, while Polyans is paralleled in the Balounik district. The legend also has parallels in the Croatian ''origo gentis'' of five brothers and two sisters (Kloukas, Lobelos, Kosentzis, Mouchlo, Chrobatos, Touga and Bouga) from the 30th chapter of '' De Administrando Imperio'' by Constantine VII (10th century), and the ''Bulgarian apocryphal chronicle'' (12th century) about the ethnogenesis of the Bulgarians. All three speak about people who migrated to a foreign land, whose leader was of the same name (Kyi in Kyiv, Chrobatos in Croats, and Slav in Bulgarians), while Kyivan and Croatian mention a sister. The female personality and number three can be found also in three daughters (youngest Libuše) of Duke Krok from ''

Chronica Boemorum The ''Chronica Boemorum'' (Chronicle of the Czechs, or Bohemians) is the first Latin chronicle in which the history of the Czech lands has been consistently and relatively fully described. It was written in 1119–1125 by Cosmas of Prague. The ...

'' (12 century), two sons and daughter (

Krakus II Krakus II ( lat, Gracchus; pl, Krak) was a mythological ruler of Poland. He was the successor of and son of the alleged founder of the City of Kraków, Krakus I, and he was the younger brother of Lech II, according to Wincenty Kadłubek. He tie ...

Lech II Lech II was a legendary ruler of Poland mentioned by 15th century chronicler Jan Długosz. He was the son of the alleged founder of the City of Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Sit ...

, and

Princess Wanda Princess Wanda (reputedly lived in 8th century Poland) was the daughter of Krakus, legendary founder of Kraków. Upon her father's death, she became queen of the Poles, but committed suicide to avoid an unwanted marriage to a German. Wanda legen ...

) of

Krakus Krakus, Krak or Grakch was a legendary Polish prince, king and founder of Kraków, the ruler of the Lechitic tribe of Vistulans. Krakus is also credited with building Wawel Castle and slaying the Wawel Dragon by feeding it a dead sheep full ...

legendary founder of

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

from '' Chronica seu originale regum et principum Poloniae'' (12-13th century), and three brothers

Lech, Czech, and Rus Lech, Czech and Rus' (, ) refers to a founding legend of three Slavic brothers who founded three Slavic peoples: the Poles (or Lechites), the Czechs, and the Rus'. The three legendary brothers appear together in the ''Wielkopolska Chronicle'' ...

from ''

Wielkopolska Chronicle The ''Wielkopolska Chronicle'' (or ''Chronicle of Greater Poland'', pl, Kronika wielkopolska) is an anonymous medieval chronicle describing supposed history of Poland from legendary times up to the year 1273. It was written in Latin at the end o ...

'' (13th century). Khoryv or Horiv, and his oronym Khorevytsia, some scholars related to the Croatian ethnonym of

White Croats White Croats ( hr, Bijeli Hrvati; pl, Biali Chorwaci; cz, Bílí Chorvati; uk, Білі хорвати, Bili khorvaty), or simply known as Croats, were a group of Early Slavic tribes who lived among other West and East Slavic tribes in the ar ...

. Paščenko related his name, beside to the Croatian ethnonym, also to the solar deity

Khors Khors, Хорсъ is a Slavic god of uncertain functions mentioned since the 12th century. Generally interpreted as a sun god, sometimes as a moon god. The meaning of the theonym is also unknown: most often his name has been combined with th ...

. Near Kyiv there is a stream where previously existed a large village named Horvatka or Hrovatka (it was destroyed in the time of

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secretar ...

), which flows into Stuhna River.

Modern tributes

UkraineP89-200Karbovantsiv-1992 f-donated

In addition to the respective hills and the river, there are ''Shchekavytska'' and ''Khoryva'' Streets in Kyiv's ancient neighborhood of

Podil Podil ( uk, Поділ) or the Lower cityIvankin, H., Vortman, D. Podil (ПОДІЛ)'. Encyclopedia of History of Ukraine. is a historic neighborhood in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. It is located on a floodplain terrace over the Dnieper betwe ...

. In 1982, Kyi, Shchek, Khoryv and Lybid were depicted (standing on an ancient riverboat) in a sculpture at the river-side of Navodnytsky Park. The Monument to the Founders of Kyiv, created by Vasyl Borodai, soon became iconic for the city and has been used as

's unofficial emblem. In the 2000s another statue was installed at a fountain of the

Maidan Nezalezhnosti Maidan Nezalezhnosti ( uk, Майдан Незалежності , literally "Independence Square") is the central square of Kyiv, the capital city of Ukraine. One of the city's main squares, it is located on Khreshchatyk Street in the Shevchen ...

References

External links

Основатели Кий, Щек и Хорив и их сестра Лыбедь, князья Аскольд и Дир

A HISTORY OF UKRAINE. EPISODE 14. THE FOUNDING OF KYIV
* Dmytro Lavrov.

'. The

Mirror Weekly ''Dzerkalo Tyzhnia'' ( ua, Дзеркало тижня), usually referred to in English as the ''Mirror Weekly'', was one of Ukraine's most influential analytical weekly-publisher newspapers, founded in 1994.Kiev princes Kyi and Askold (КИЇВСЬКІ КНЯЗІ КИЙ І АСКОЛЬД)
'. Magazine "Voyenna istoriya". 2002 {{DEFAULTSORT:Kyi, Shchek And Khoryv 6th-century Slavs History of Kyiv Slavic mythology Origin myths Mythological city founders Sibling trios