Fusion of Cultures in Tenth-Century Rus Rituals

Abstract

It is a well-established thesis that Vikings in the East—labelled as Rus’ in the contemporary sources—developed an identity of their own due to their merge with the local population of Eastern Europe. The interaction of these Scandinavians with the Slavic inhabitants of the region has long been noted; however less attention was paid to the relationship between Rus’ and Eastern steppe nomadic tribes. This study aims to explore Rus-nomadic relationships from a cultural perspective by examining recorded Rus ritual traditions as reflections of an identity which contains not just Scandinavian or Slavic but also steppe nomadic elements. It will be argued that depending on the location of each group of Rus’, their ritual traditions indicate different cultural impacts; let it be Slavic, Byzantine or even nomadic. By adapting to the local circumstances, Rus’ could be, therefore, very diverse as their different groups were exposed to the mentioned influences to a varying degree.