Kyi, Shchek and Khoryv
Legendary siblings who founded the city of Kyiv.
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Kyi, Shchek and Khoryv are the three legendary brothers, often mentioned with their sister Lybed', who according to the Primary Chronicle founded the city of Kiev (modern Kyiv). The city eventually became the capital of Kievan Rus' and is the present-day capital of Ukraine. There is no precise and historically established information about the existence of the four siblings or the establishment of the city.
Quick Facts
- Field
- Legendary founders
- Known for
- Founding of Kyiv
- Nationality
- Polans (Slavic tribe)
- Siblings
- Sister Lybed'
Facts from the source article.
Background
According to the Primary Chronicle (c. 1110s), written by a monk of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra traditionally attributed to Nestor, the three brothers and their sister founded Kiev. Nestor places the brothers onto various hills of Kyiv.
The Chronicle states that some people considered Kyi a mere ferryman, but it later claims Kyi, as a prince of his gens, visited Czargrad and received great honors from the Emperor. Dmitry Likhachov combined attestations of the Nikon Chronicle, which also recounts that Kyi with a great army marched onto Czargrad and received great honors from the Emperor. During his expedition to Constantinople, Kyi also founded a city of Kyivets on the Danube.
The Chronicle does not indicate the date of Kyi's death nor the existence or absence of heirs. It mentions a meeting between local residents with Askold and Dir who asked whose city Kjiv was, and received the answer that the three brothers who built it were long dead and the residents paid tribute to the Khazars. However, the Polish historian Jan Długosz points out the Przemysł Chronicle that asserts, 'after the death of Kyi, Shchek and Khoryv, their children and grandchildren who descended from them by direct lineage ruled for many years.'
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Kyi, Shchek and Khoryv (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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