CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2023
| Author | Duffield, Joshua Michael |
|---|---|
| Title | Axing the Volkhv: Magic & Sorcery in the Tale of Bygone Years |
| Summary | Magic, sorcery, the Devil, Christianization, and consolidation of political authority are major topics discussed in the medieval Kyivan Rus’ by the monks of the Cave Monastery through the chronicle tradition. This study will use the Povest Vremennykh Let’ in its Laurentian redaction in order to analyze sorcerous activity by male individuals known as the volkhv within the Rus’ focused on the year 1071. I will specifically look at who the volkhv were, attitudes regarding them from within the Povest Vremennykh Let’, areas of influence on sorcery, how to define them, and their purpose within the chronicle. In Chapter 1 I will investigate the historiographic background and research on magic and the Rus’. In Chapter 2 I will analyze traditions and historical heritages regarding magic, demonic belief, and sorcery in the areas abutting the Rurikid dynasty for import of ideas and concepts. Chapter 3 will examine the 1071 volkhv, their beliefs and practices, and the threat they posed to the consolidation of the princely realms. Chapter 4 showcases the Antichrist, the Devil, and his demons as they war against the Church while black robed monks use their holy gifts of soothsaying and prayer to fight back. The Church and the princes of the Rus’ were attempting to unify and control a disparate land still undergoing conversion. I will show how the volkhv and demonic were turned into a foe and unifying threat for the purposes of completing and motivating this unification while also demonstrating the prospective and present strength of Rus’ian faith. The volkhv and the monks stand on opposite ends of the holy spectrum as they both sought to interpret God’s providentialism in the world around them. The volkhv were turned into a useful polemical tool through the pen of the chroniclers. They were turned from a real group of shamans and service magicians into a concept of sorcerers that used the threat of Antichrist and the Devil in order to urge unity between the Church and the princes. |
| Supervisor | Klaniczay, Gábor. Nagy, Balázs. |
| Department | Medieval Studies MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2023/duffield_joshua.pdf |
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