The Truth in The Tale: Legends of Princess Olga

As legend has it, Prince of Kievan Rus Igor was hunting in the forest and wanted to cross the river

, but he didn't have a boat. Suddenly the Prince saw a boat navigated by a young man. Igor called the man and ordered to row him across the river. When the Prince got into the boat, he took a closer look at the boatman and saw that it wasn't a young man, but a beautiful young girl dressed in men's clothing. It was Olga. Prince Igor began flirting with her, but Olga frowned and proudly said, "Why are you, Prince, embarrassing me with your indecent words? Though I am young and not of a noble origin, and there is nobody to protect me here, but you should know: I would better jump into the river than let you ruin my good name." Ashamed, Igor quitted talking to Olga, but her beauty and wisdom sunk deep into his heart. When time came for Igor to get married, he chose Olga and married her.

In 945 Prince Igor was murdered by the Drevlyanes tribe. Olga was overwhelmed by grief, and when the Drevlyanes claimed for Kiev's throne they demanded Princess Olga to marry the Drevlyanes' Prince Mal, - Olga took cruel revenge of her husband's murder.

Prince Mal sent his delegation to ask Olga to marry him. When they arrived in Kiev on a boat, Olga sent a messenger to tell them that they would be carried in the boat straight to her castle the next morning. Meanwhile the delegation was treated with a nice dinner; Olga gave a command to dig a huge deep ditch outside of the city. The next morning Mal's people were thrown into the ditch along with the boat and buried alive.

Though Olga brutally killed his people, Prince Mal was determined to marry Olga and sent his distinguished men to ask her hand in marriage. Olga played the same trick: Mal's people were given good reception. According to tradition, the delegation was invited to the washing-house. While they were bathing Olga gave an order to lock the door and set the washing house on fire. The Drevlyanes were burnt to death.

The next year Olga marched her kinsmen into the Drevlyane's land. She conquered all their towns except the main town Iskorosten. The Princess laid siege to Iskorosten and required that the town's inhabitants would send her three sparrows and three pigeons from each house. She promised to raise the siege if they granted her wish. The Drevlyanes fell for Olga's cunning plan: they caught the birds and sent them to the Princess. Olga orderedher soldiers to tie a piece of sulfur and small pieces of cloth to birds' feet and let them fly back to their nests. Sparrows flew under hay eaves and pigeons flew to their cotes, and the town was set on fire. Iskorosten burst into flame like a huge candle. Panic hit the town and people tried to flee from it. Hundreds of town's inhabitants were killed, others were taken as slaves and the town was burnt to the ground.

Princess Olga was not only a cruel ruler of her time, but also the first person who adopted Christianity in Kievan Rus.Around the year 950,Olga and her court went to Byzantium where Olga was baptized. The Tale of Bygone Years tells us that Byzantine Emperor Konstantin fell in love with Olga admiring her beauty and intelligence. Konstantin wanted to marry her, but Olga told him, "I am a pagan and you cannot marry me. If you want me to be baptized, you should do it yourself." The Emperor and the Patriarch baptized Olga and gave her Christian name Elena. Than Konstantin asked for Olga's hand again, but Olga replied, "How can you marry me now after naming me your daughter and becoming my Godfather? It's against Christian laws. You know this, don't you?" Konstantin had to admit, "You outwitted me, Olga"; he gave her a lot ofvaluable presents made of gold and silver, and let her go home.

People call Olga wise; church a saint and history great.

The Truth in The Tale: Legends of Princess Olga

By: Olga

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