Symbols of the Rurikids

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Srebrenik (silver coin) of Sviatopolk I of Kiev. On the reverse of the coin is stamped the princely symbol of Sviatopolk in the form of a bident, of which the left prong ends in a cross.

Throughout the

Rurikid knyazes of the Kievan Rus' used unique symbols to denote property rights over various items. They are depicted on punches, seals, and coins of the Rurikids. In contrast to Western European heraldry, where coats of arms
belonged to entire families, or were inherited without changes by firstborn sons, Rurikid symbols were personal, with every knyaz devising an emblem of their own for themselves.

Images of knyazes’ symbols

A srebrenik of Vladimir the Great.
Rurikid
knyazes.

As a rule, on the coins of Kievan knyazes, one encounters figures resembling an inverted letter “П”, to which are added “offshoots” from below or in the middle, and likewise dots, crosses, etc. The same symbols could look different depending on the item on which they were depicted. Thus, the emblems of the knyazes on seals are depicted schematically, in a maximally simplified form, whilst on coins the same symbols have a large number of additional ornamental elements. The heraldic symbols of Rus’ knyazes are known to us not only in the form of depictions on coins and seals, but also on pendants, rings, weapons, etc. Based on these findings, it is possible not only to trace the evolution of the symbols of the knyazes of Kievan Rus’, but also to try to reconstruct their origins.

History

Origins

The use of depictions of the bident and trident makes the symbols of the Rurikids resemble the complex imperial coats of arms of the

Khazar Khanate as symbols of supreme authority — they were the tamgas of the ruling families. This was a continuation of Sarmato-Alan traditions of the use of such signs, dating from the time of the Bosporan Kingdom.[1] Bident and trident tamgas are known from the 8th and 9th centuries in the Khazar world in the details of belt garnitures (Podgorovsky tumulus), in the form of graffiti on the stone blocks and bricks of fortresses (Sarkel, Mayatsky, Semikarakorsky, and Khumarian settlements), and in the form of pottery stamps on vessels (Dmitrievsky tumulus). Possibly in the Kievan Rus’ such symbols came straight from the Khazars, much like the title “Khagan”, known to the first Rus’ knyazes.[2][3][verification needed
]

Written sources

The first information on the emblems of Rus knyazes comes from the middle of the 10th century.

Luga dues and tribute; and her hunting grounds were over all lands and signs and places and pogosts.”[4] The word “signs” here refers to the symbols marking the knyaz's property. Russkaya Pravda testifies that this word means an item marked with the knyaz's symbol. In Russkaya Pravda there are also other references to the sphere of the knyaz's emblems: “But for the knyaz’s horse, which has a mark, 3 grivĭnas.”[5] Undoubtedly, by the word “mark” one is to understand “the knyaz’s brand (stamp)”. Written sources, however, do not give a description of the knyazes’ emblems.[6]
Depictions of the “coats of arms” of Rus’ knyazes are known to us by surviving coins and seals of the time.

Decline of the personal symbols of the knyazes

The knyazes’ personal symbols proliferated widely over the territory of the Kievan Rus’. Seals with their images notarized state documents,[7] coins were minted with the symbol of the knyaz, and artisans branded their products with the knyaz's coat of arms. The “coat of arms” of the knyaz was borne by the tivuns and the druzhina. In this form the symbols of the Rurikids survived to the middle of the 12th century. In the 13th century the coats of arms of the knyazes practically wholly fell into disuse, which is often associated with their evolution. According to many scientists, the schemes of the arms simplified so much that they lost the ability to create variants marking individual ownership.[8] Consequently, the knyaz's “coat of arms” lost its personal character and acquired the character of the emblem of a place or the coat of arms of a family.

Modern usage

Despite the fact that the heraldic symbols of the knyaz of Kievan Rus’ ceased to be used in the 13th century, in the 20th century some of them began to be used in the role of coats of arms and emblems.

Coat of arms of Ukraine

Main article: Coat of arms of Ukraine
  • Coat of arms of Ukraine.
    Coat of arms of Ukraine.

In 1917 after the

Ukrainian National Government
.

After the collapse of the

USSR in 1991, by decree of the Verkhovna Rada on 19 February 1992 the trident was approved as the small state coat of arms of Ukraine.[9] In accordance with article 20 of the constitution of Ukraine of 1996, “the main element of the large State Coat of Arms of Ukraine is the Symbol of the Princely State of Volodymyr the Great (the small State Coat of Arms of Ukraine)”[10]
(which, despite the official status of this decision, makes a historic stretch: as was said above, the “coat of arms” of Volodymyr was only his personal symbol, as with the other emblems of the Rurikids of the time).

Coats of arms of administrative divisions of Ukraine

In the coats of arms of the cities,

Principality of Chernihiv
.

Symbolism of Ukrainian institutions and organizations

The trident of Vladimir is used in the symbolism of the state institutions of Ukraine, and its stylizations still continue to be used in many Ukrainian organizations throughout the world.

Religious symbolism

Coat of arms of the UAPC.
Coat of arms-symbol of the Native Ukrainian National Faith.

A modified trident of Saint Vladimir was found as a basic element of the coat of arms of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAPC) before it merged to form the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.

The trident of Volodymyr is also used by followers of the Native Ukrainian National Faith, a branch of the Slavic Native Faith, as part of the basic symbol of their religion — the trident umbegone by sunbeams.

Coats of arms of administrative divisions of Belarus

In

Izyaslav of Polotsk is used as a component of the coats of arms of several settlements and raions
.

Coats of arms of administrative divisions of Russia

In Russia the falcon of Rurik is used as a component of the coats of arms of several settlements and raions. The fast bird image is perceived as Rurik's family totem.[11][12] The image of the falcon, symbolizing the heroic warrior, knyaz leading his military squad, is repeatedly mentioned in the cornerstone of ancient literature of Kievan Rus The Tale of Igor's Campaign.[13] As a patrimonial symbol of knyazes, the image of falcon has been present on the flags and emblems of several Russian cities, such as Suzdal, Sokol, Kumertau, and others.

Coats of arms of armed forces of Italy

Coat of arms of the third artillery regiment of the Italian armed forces

The trident of Vladimir is present on the coats of arms of all the

Second World War
.

Emblem of the NTS

The trident of Vladimir is also used by the

Russian emigrants in Belgrade. According to article 7 of the modern charter of the union, “the emblem of the movement is the native symbol of the great knyaz Saint Vladimir, the founder of Kyevan Rus, depicted in the form of a golden trident on a white, blue, and red field, or in black and white with no field”.[14]

References

  1. ^ Яценко С. А. Знаки-тамги ираноязычных народов древности и раннего средневековья. М. 2001.
  2. ^ Плетнева С. А. От кочевий к городам. Салтово-маяцкая культура. М. 1967. С. 128.
  3. ^ Флерова В. Е. Образы и сюжеты мифологии Хазарии. М. 2001. С. 53 — 54.
  4. ^ Шахматов А. А. Повесть временных лет, т. I, Petrograd, 1916, с. 69.
  5. ^ Русская Правда по спискам Академическому, Карамзинскому и Троицкому. Edited by Professor Б. Д. Грекова. Moscow — Leningrad, 1934, с. 6.
  6. ^ Рыбаков Б. А. Знаки собственности в княжеском хозяйстве Киевской Руси X—XII вв., с. 230.
  7. ^ Янин В. Л. Актовые печати Древней Руси X—XV вв., т. 1-2. Москва, 1970.
  8. ^ Янин В. Л. Княжеские знаки суздальских Рюриковичей. — КСИИМК, 1956, вып. 62, с. 16.
  9. ^ Постановление Верховного Совета Украины от 19 февраля 1992 года № 2131-XII.
  10. ^ Закон «Конституция Украины» от 28 июня 1996 года № 254к/96-ВР.
  11. ^ "Герб Старой Ладоги" [Coat of arms of Staraya Ladoga]. heraldicum.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 24 May 2020. The connection of the Rurik symbols with the world of birds is supported by a large group of scholars
  12. ^ Voitovich, Leonid. "Рюрик и происхождение династии Рюриковичей: новые дополнения к старым спорам" [Rurik and the origin of the Rurik dynasty: new additions to old dispute]. cyberleninka.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 24 May 2020. O. Rapov, who saw the trident as a falcon flying down, suggested the bird could be Rurik's family totem, while indicating that it was not generally worshiped among the Slavs or the Scandinavians
  13. ISBN 5-86007-009-8
  14. ^ Charter of the National Alliance of Russian Solidarists

Bibliography

  • Болсуновскій К. В. Родовой знакъ Рюриковичей, великихъ князей кіевскихъ. Геральдическое изслѣдованіе, предназначенное къ чтенію на XIV Археологическомъ Съѣздѣ в г. Черниговѣ. Kiev, Typo-lithography by С. В. Кульженко, 1908; 8 с.: ил.
  • Русская Правда по спискам Академическому, Карамзинскому и Троицкому. Edited by Professor Б. Д. Грекова. Moscow — Leningrad, 1934.
  • Рыбаков Б. А. Знаки собственности в княжеском хозяйстве Киевской Руси X—XII вв.
  • Шахматов А. А. Повесть временных лет, т. I, Petrograd, 1916.
  • Якубовский А. Ю. Ибн-Мискавейх о походе русов в Бердаа в 943—944 гг. in “Византийский временник”. Leningrad, 1926, т. XXIV.
  • Янин В. Л. Актовые печати Древней Руси X—XV вв., т. 1-2. Moscow, 1970.
  • Янин В. Л. Княжеские знаки суздальских Рюриковичей. — КСИИМК, 1956, вып. 62.
  • Молчанов А. А. Знаки Рюриковичей: итоги и проблемы изучения // Древнейшие государства Восточной Европы. 2005. Рюриковичи и Российская государственность. — М., 2008. — С. 250—270.

External links

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