Bogatyr

This article is about the medieval epic heroes. For other uses, see Bogatyr (disambiguation).

Three of most famous bogatyrs, Dobrynya Nikitich, Ilya Muromets and Alyosha Popovich, are represented together in Victor Vasnetsov's 1898 painting Bogatyrs.

The bogatyr (Russian: богатырь; Old East Slavic богатырь, Ukrainian: богатир; from baghatur, a historical Turco-Mongol honorific) is a stock character in medieval East Slavic legend (byliny), akin to a Western European knight-errant.

Kievan Rus'

Many Kievan Rus' epic poems, called Bylinas, prominently featured stories about these heroes, as did several chronicles, including the 13th century Galician–Volhynian Chronicle. Some of bogatyrs are presumed to be historical figures, while others, like the giant Svyatogor, are purely fictional and possibly descend from Slavic pagan mythology.

Most of stories about bogatyrs revolve around the court of Vladimir I of Kiev (958–1015). There served the most notable bogatyrs or vityazs: the trio of Alyosha Popovich, Dobrynya Nikitich and Ilya Muromets. Each of them tend to be known for a certain character trait: Alyosha Popovich for his wits, Dobrynya Nikitich for his courage, and Ilya Muromets for his physical and spiritual power and integrity, and for his dedication to the protection of his homeland and people.

An early usage of the word bogatyr was recorded in Sernitskiy's book "Descriptio veteris et novae Poloniae cum divisione ejusdem veteri et nova," ("A description of the Old and the New Poland with the old, and a new division of the same,") printed in 1585 in an unknown location, in which he says, "Rossi… de heroibus suis, quos Bohatiros id est semideos vocant, aliis persuadere conantur." ("Russians... try to convince others about their heroes who they call Bogatirs, meaning demigods.")

Novgorod Republic

The Novgorod Republic produced a specific kind of hero, an adventurer rather than a noble warrior. The most prominent examples were Sadko and Vasili Buslayev.

Later notable bogatyrs also include those who fought by Alexander Nevsky's side and those who fought in the Battle of Kulikovo.

Epic bogatyrs

Victor Vasnetsov's "Knight at the Crossroads"

• Ilya Muromets, regarded as the greatest of the bogatyrs, from Murom
• Dobrynya Nikitich – from Ryazan (based on a historical warlord of Vladimir I)
• Alyosha Popovich – from Rostov
• Svyatogor, a giant knight who bequeath his strength to Ilya Muromets (purely fictional)
• Gavrila Alexich of Novgorod, who served Alexander Nevsky in Battle of Neva (historical)
• Ratmir of Novgorod, who served Alexander Nevsky in Battle of Neva (historical)
• Vasili Buslayev of Novgorod
• Peresvet, who sacrificed himself against the Tatars at the Battle of Kulikovo (historical)
• Anika the Warrior
• Duke Stepanovich
• Dunaj Ivanovich
• Volha (possibly based on Oleg of Novgorod)
• Sukhman The Bogatyr
• Nikita the Furrier

See also

• Bylina, oral epics of the Slavic world
• Victor Vasnetsov (1848–1926), Russian painter of depictions of bogatyrs
• Knight-errant
• Slavic mythology

References

• Богатыри и витязи Русской земли: По былинам, сказаниям и песням. (1990) Moscow: "Moskovsky Rabochy" publishers (Russian)