The Origin of Rus

The Eastern Slavs managed to create in the 9^th century a powerful state called Kyivan Rus or Rus. The origin of the word Rus is still a mystery. Around A.D. 1100 Slavic history was written down in the Chronicle of Bygone Years (also known as the Primary Chronicle), a record that combines facts and legends. According to the Chronicle, in about A.D. 860 the Slavic people from Novgorod (located in northern Russia) asked Vikings from Scandinavia for aid: “Our land is great and rich, but there is no order in it. Come to rule and reign over us.” The Viking leader Riurik accepted the invitation. According to the Chronicle, “Riurik came with the Rus,” which means “Riurik came with a (Viking) army.” In many ancient sources Vikings are called “Rus.” Some historians (mostly from Western Europe) believe that the name Rus is derived from this word. They stress the fact that early Kyivan princes had Scandinavian names: Askold, Dir, Helgi (Oleh), Ingvar (Ihor), Helga (Olha), Voldemar (Volodymyr). Thus, according to these historians usually known as the Normanists,[13] the Vikings in the 9^th century established the state called Rus.

Other historians (mostly Ukrainian and Russian patriots) give another explanation of the word Rus. The word Rus is not of Scandinavian origin, according to them. They associate Rus with the names of the Ros River and her tributaries Rosava and Rostavytsa in central Ukraine. According to these historians, usually known as the Anti-Normanists, the Ros was a Slavic tribe, living in the valley of the Ros River, who later merged with the Polianians of the Kyiv region as well as with the Siverianians of Chernihiv region to form a new tribal union – Rus.

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