Древняя Русь и Скандинавия: Избранные труды

Up to the middle of the tenth century all the names mentioned by the annalist are of Old Norse origin. These are the names of successive Kievan rulers Olg or Oleg (< Helgi) and Igor’ (< Ingvarr), of the latter’s commander-in-chief Svenel’d (< Sveinaldr), and of a group of Oleg’s emissaries who concluded a peace treaty with Byzantine emperor in 911 (or in 907 and 911) after a successful attack on Constantinople in 907. Among fi fteen representatives of prince Oleg only two have probably Finnish names, while others bear purely Scandinavian names Karly (< Karli), Inegeld (< Ingjaldr), Farlof (< Farláfr), Veremud (< Vermundr), Rulaf (< Hróðláfr), Gudy (< Góði), Ruald (< Hróðláfr), Karn (< Karn), Frelav (< Friðláfr), Ruar (< Hróarr), Truan (< Þrándr), Fost (< Fastr), and Stemid (< Steinviðr)[854]. The set of names in the 911 treaty is homogeneous and testifi es that among the upper layer of Oleg’s retinue there are neither Slavs, no Scandinavians using Slavic personal names.

The situation changes in the mid-tenth century. The treaty of 944 includes 76 names: of representatives of the princely family (12), their emissaries (11), other agents and their masters (27), and merchants (26). It is in this list where Slavic names appear for the fi rst time. Most of them belong to members of the princely family: Svjatoslav, the son of grand prince Igor’, Volodislav, and Predslava, whose relations to Igor’ are not stated. Other princes and princesses, including Igor’s two nephews, have Old Norse names: Ol’ga (< Helga), Igor’s wife, Akun (< Hákon), Igor’s nephew, Sfanda (< Svanhildr), Uleb (< Óleifr), Turd (< Þórðr), Arfast (< Arnfastr), Sfi r’ka (< Sverkir). Princes’ emissaries bear Old Norse names too, but for three persons whose names are Finnish. There is no correspondence between princes and their emissaries in regard to the origin of their names. Ol’ga is represented by an agent with a Finnish name Iskusevi while Volodislav has an agent named Uleb (< Óleifr). The list of other agents includes a number of Finnish and no Slavic names while the list of merchants contains three Finnish and two Slavic names[855].

The predominance of Old Norse names is obvious though Slavic ones start to appear. The usage of the latter is restricted to two groups, namely the princely family and merchants. The penetration of Slavic names into princely anthroponymicon indicates the beginnings of assimilation processes. Princes of Scandinavian origin started to feel a necessity and found it possible to borrow local names for at least some of their scions thus breaking off with the ancestral tradition of naming. As to the warrior stratum, the treaties reveal no tendency for them to make use of Slavic names as yet. The «Primary chronicle», however, names a man with a Slavic name Pretich among the highest officials some twenty years after the treaty of 944[856]. Two other commanders-in-chief of Igor’ and Svjatoslav mentioned in the chronicle are Svenel’d and Asmud. The difference in the usage of Slavic names by the Rurikides and by warriors can be explained by the second group’s greater mobility. The majority of warriors came to Rus’ and went home, and only a part of them stayed forever. At the same time they must have suffered less pressure to accommodate themselves to the local population than the princes who needed support on the part of local nobility. The adherence of warrior elite to traditional names is attested by the name of Svenel’d’s son Ljut (< Ljótr)[857].

The practice of name-giving in the princely family can be further traced since the 980ies, in the generation of Svjatoslav’s grandchildren. The «Primary chronicle» supplies information about twelve sons and a daughter of Vladimir the Saint[858]. Only one of Vladimir’s sons has an Old Norse name – Gleb (< Guðleifr). All the rest have Slavic names, mostly compounds with – slav (< slava, «fame») as a second stem.