Theodore the Varangian and his son John
Varangian Christian father and son killed in Kievan Rus' pagan sacrifice.
They were killed in a story recorded in the Primary Chronicle under the year 6491 (983), which glorifies their deaths as Christian martyrs persecuted by the pagan establishment of Kievan Rus' during the reign of prince Vladimir the Great.
Quick Facts
- Date of event
- Year 6491 (983) per the Primary Chronicle; also traditionally July 12, 978
- Location
- Kiev (modern Kyiv)
- Religion
- Christian (father and son); pagan (the crowd)
- Ruler at time
- Prince Vladimir the Great
- Chronicle
- Primary Chronicle
- Died
- Unknown; July 12, 978 (traditional date)
Facts from the source article.
Text in the Primary Chronicle
After Vladimir marched on the Yatvingians, conquered them, and returned to Kiev, he and his people made sacrifice to the idols. The elders and boyars proposed casting lots on boys and girls, and whoever the lot fell upon would be slaughtered in sacrifice to the gods. A Varangian who had immigrated from Greece and adhered to the Christian faith lived near the spot where the Church of the Holy Virgin later stood. He had a son, fair in face and heart, on whom the lot fell through the devil's hatred. Messengers told the father that the gods had claimed his son, but the Varangian replied that the idols were only wood that would rot, unable to eat, drink, or speak, whereas the God of the Greeks made heaven, earth, and all life. He refused to give up his son to devils. The people armed themselves, broke down the stockade around the house, and found the father and son standing on the porch. When the father said that if the gods were real they would send one of their number to take his son, the crowd shouted, broke the structure under them, and killed both. No one knows where they were buried, as the people were ignorant pagans.
Later traditions
The pagans killed both father and son. Martin C. Putna commented that despite having fewer ulterior motives than other early Rus' martyrs, the two have a surprisingly meagre following. The exact date of their death is unknown; some historians argue it happened in summer of 983 during a revolt of the Gentiles. Legend holds that their courage standing alone against the angry pagans impressed Vladimir and influenced his decision to become a Christian.
More in Human Sacrifice in Folklore and Mythology
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