Askold and Dir (Haskuldr or Hǫskuldr and Dyr or Dýri in Old Norse; died in 882), mentioned in both the Primary Chronicle and the Younger Redaction of the Novgorod First Chronicle, are the earliest recorded Varangian rulers of Kiev (modern Kyiv). There has been controversy over what these records mean for the historicity, origins, status and identity of Askold and Dir.
Accounts of Askold and Dir Primary Chronicle and Novgorod First Chronicle
The Laurentian Codex of the Primary Chronicle relates that Askold and Dir were sanctioned by Rurik to go to Constantinople (Norse Miklagård, Slavic Tsargrad). When travelling on the Dnieper, they settled in Kiev seizing power over the Polans who had been paying tribute to the Khazars.
Until the 19th century, the Primary Chronicle (the Nachal'naya Letopis') was habitually attributed to the monk Nestor. Modern investigators have not only placed his authorship in doubt, but have also sought to establish by internal evidence that the Primary Chronicle, instead of being a homogenous work, is a compilation from several chronicle texts of greater antiquity. Nestor the Chronicler is the undisputed author of the biographical work "The Narrative of the Life, Death and Miracles of the Holy and Blessed Martyrs Boris and Gleb" and a comparative study of two accounts presents no stylistic evidence that Nestor was in any way concerned with the composition or compilation of the Primary Chronicle, while the contradictions between the two narratives point rather in the opposite direction. A more likely candidate as author is Sylvester of Kiev, hegumen (abbot) of the St. Michael's Monastery in Vydubychi (a village near Kyiv), who may have compiled several sources in the year 1116. In any case, the Primary Chronicle was written approximately 250 years after the events involving Askold and Dir. The beginning of the Synod Scroll or "Older Edition" of the Novgorod First Chronicle is missing. The surviving text starts in the middle of a sentence in the year 1016. The lost contents of the Synod Scroll before the year 1016 are unknown, and can only be speculated about.
The murder of Askold and Dir The chronicle also states that they were killed by Varangian Novgorod prince Oleg the Wise in 882. Dating is tentative, as the annalistic legend was written in one and a half or two centuries after the event. Behind the annalistic story there is a real event, violent transition of authority in Kiev to new dynasty Rurikovich. The murder described in the Primary Chronicle (Tale of Bygone Years) and the Novgorod First Chronicle. According to the Primary Chronicle, Oleg set forth, taking with him many warriors from among the Varangians, the Chuds, the Slavs, the Meryans, the Ves', the Krivichians. He thus arrived with his Krivichians before Smolensk, captured the city, and set up a garrison there. Thence he went on and captured Lyubech, where he also set up a garrison. He then came to the hills of Kiev, and saw how Askold and Dir reigned there. Oleg came to the foot of the Hungarian hill using trickery, he hid his warriors in the boats, left some others behind, and went forward himself bearing the child Igor’. Oleg sent messengers to Askold and Dir, representing himself as a guest (merchant) on his way to Greece on an errand for Oleg and for Igor', the prince's son, and requesting that they should come forth to greet them as members of their kinship. Askold and Dir straightway came forth. Then all the soldiery jumped out of the boats, and Oleg said to Askold and Dir, "You are not princes nor even of princely stock, but I am of princely birth."Many scholars believe the conquest of Kiev took place a generation later; see Oleg of Novgorod for discussion of the controversy surrounding this date. Igor' was then brought forward, and Oleg announced him as a son of Rurik. They killed Askold and Dir, and after carrying them to the hill, they buried them there, on the hill known as Hungarian. After that, without resistance from the people of Kiev, Oleg settled to rule in Kiev, proclaiming it the "mother of Rus' cities" (the chronicler called Kiev "mother" rather than "father" through the prince's words, because "mother of cities" is a literal translation of the Greek word "metropolis," i.e., "capital").
+Original text in Old East Slavic:VariantsВ лѣто . ҂s҃ . т҃ . ч҃ [6390 (882)] Поиде Ѡлгъ поємъ вои свои 32 многы . Варѧгы Чюдь. Словѣны . Мѣрю . Весь Д . Кривичи 33 . и приӕ городъ Е и посади в нєм̑ мужь свои . ѿтуда поиде внизъ . и пришєдъ 34 взѧ Любечь . и посади мужь свои . и при̑доста къ горамъ Києвьскымъ . и оувидѣ Ѡлгъ . ӕко Ѡсколдъ и Дирд̑ъ 35 Ж кнѧ̑жита . и похорони вои въ лодьӕхъ . а другыӕ назади ѡстави . а самъ З прид̑ . носѧ Игорѧ молод(а) 36 и приступль . под̑ Оугорьскоє . похоронивъ вои свои . и посла къ Асколду . и Диру 37гл҃ѧ . ӕко гостьє єсмы . идемъ въ Грѣкы ѿ Ѡлга . и ѿ Игорѧ̑ кнѧжича И. да приид(е)та 38 к роду своєму к нам(ъ.) Асколдъ же и Дирд̑ъ 39 прид(о)ста 40. и выскакаша вси 41 из лодѣи . и реч̑ Ѡлгъ къ 42 Асколодови І. и Дирови . в(ы) 43неста кнѧзѧ ни роду к(нѧ̑)жѧ . но азъ єсмь роду к(нѧ̑)жа . и вынесоша Игорѧ К. сь 44 сн҃ъ Рюриковъ . и оубиша Асколода І 45. и Дирд̑а 46 Г. и несоша на гору 47 .єже с(ѧ) нн҃ѣ зоветь Оугорьско(є) 1 . Ѡлминъ дворъ . на то(и) 2 могилѣ поставилъ божницю А ст҃го Николы . а Дирд̑ова 3 Д могила за ст҃(о)ю Ѡриною . и сѣде Ѡлегъ . кнѧжа в Кыєвѣ . и реч̑Ѡлегъ . се буди мт҃(и) городом̑ 4Рус̑скымъ . и бѣша оу него Словѣни . и В(а)рѧзи . и прочии прозвашасѧ Русью . се 5 же Ѡлегъ нача городы ставит̑ . и оустави дани Словѣнм̑(о) 6 /л.10/ и Кривичемъ . и Мерѧмъ . и оустави Варѧгом̑ дань даӕти . ѿ Новагорода . т҃ . гри̑венъ на лѣт̑ . мира дѣлѧ єже до см҃рти Ӕрославлѧ даӕше 7 Варѧгом̑ Варіанты: 32 Х. опущено. 33 Х. приб. и пріиде къ смоленскоу и с кривичи. 34 Х. опущено. 35 Х. дирь. 36 Х. молода. 37 Х. дироу. 38 Х. пріидита. 39 Х. дирь. 40 Х. пріидоста. 41 Х. приб. прочіи. 42 Х. опущено.43 Х. вы. 44 Х. а се. 45 Х. асколда. 46 Х. дира. 47 Х. приб. и погребоша на горѣ. 1 Х. оугорское идеже ннѣ. 2 Х. тои. 3 Х. дирова. 4 Х. градовом. 5 Х. сеи. 6 Х. словеном. 7 Х. дааху.Notes to the original text, 1908Д Въ словѣ весь буква е вставлена надъ строкой. Е На правомъ полѣ приписано смольнескъ. Ж Вторая буква д въ Дирдъ новою рукою, потомъ соскоблена. З Правый край страницы заклеенъ и потому концы строкъ пропадаютъ; дополненныя буквы заключены здѣсь въ скобки. И Послѣ жи въ княжича стерты двѣ буквы чи. І Въ асколодови, асколода о переправлено въ ъ. К Въ игоря я передѣлано изъ а. Л Буква ж передѣлана изъ з.М Здѣсь буква В оторвана съ краемъ листа. А Слово божницю зачеркнуто и надъ нимъ написано: олма црквь. Д Буква д въ дирдова надписана другой рукой. Translation of notesД In the word весь letter е is inserted above the line Е On the right margin is inscribed смольнескъ (Smolensk, city). Ж Second letter д in Дирдъ (Dir) written by a new hand, then scratched off. З The right edge of the page is taped and therefore the ends of the lines are missing; the augmented letters are enclosed here in brackets. И After жи in княжича two letters чи are erased. І In асколодови, асколода letter о has been changed to ъ. К In игоря letter я is made from а. Л Letter ж is made from з.М Here the letter В is torn off with the edge of the sheet. А The word божницю is crossed out and above it written: олма црквь. Д The letter д in дирдова (Dir's) is written by another hand.Translation to English:In the summer (year) of 6390 (year 882) Oleg set forth, taking with him many warriors from among the Varangians, the Chuds, the Slavs, the Merians and allA the (23) Krivichians. He thus arrived with his Krivichians before Smolensk, captured the city, and set up a garrison there. Thence he went on and captured Lyubech, where he also set up a garrison. He then came to the hills of Kiev and saw how Askold and Dir reigned there. He hid his warriors in the boats, left some others behind, and went forward himself bearing the child Igor'. He thus came to the foot of the Hungarian hill, and after concealing his troops, he sent messengers to Askold and Dir, representing himself as a strangerB on his way to Greece on an errand for Oleg and for Igor the prince's son, and requesting that they should come forth to greet them as members of their raceC. Askold and Dir straightway came forth. Then all the soldiery jumped out of the boats, and Oleg said to Askold and Dir, "You are not princes nor even of princely stock, but I am of princely birth." Igor' was then brought forward, and Oleg announced that he was the son of RurikD. They killed Askold and Dir, and after carrying them to the hill, they buried them there, on the hill now known as Hungarian, where the castle of Ol'ma (likely Álmos) now stands. Over that tomb, Ol'ma built a church dedicated to St. Nicholas, but Dir's tomb is behind St. Irene's. Oleg set himself up as prince in Kiev, and declared that it should be the mother of RussianЕ cities. The Varangjans, Slavs, and others who accompanied him were called Russes. Oleg began to build stockaded towns, and (24) imposed tribute on the Slavs, the Krivichians, and the Merians. He commanded that Novgorod should pay the Varangians tribute to the amount of 300 grivnÿ a year for the preservation of peace. This tribute was paid to the Varangians until the death of Yaroslav.Notes to The Primary Chronicle23. The Hungarian hill (Uhorska Hora) at Kiev is traditionally located on the west bank of the Dnieper just north of the Crypt Monastery and beyond Berestovo, some two kilometers south of the Podol, or riverside section of the city; cf. N. Zakrevsky, Opisanie Kieva (Moscow, 1868), pp. 191–198. 24. St. Irene's, constructed by Yaroslav the Wise ca. 1040, was situated slightly southwest of the extant Cathedral of St. Sophia. Its ground plan has been established by excavation; cf. Alpatov-Brunov, Altrussische Kunst (Augsburg, 1932), p. 17, with literature.Comments to the English translationThis translation is based on the English version published by the late Professor Samuel Hazzard Cross in Volume XII (1930) of the Harvard Studies and Notes in Philology and Literature. The translation may also have some inaccuracies or points that should be clarified
A – The Old Slavonic text uses the word Весь while listing the tribes who participated with Oleg on his journey to Kiev from Novgorod. The word весь (ves') translates as "all" and "whole". But in the context of the enumeration of ancient Slavic and Finno-Ugric tribes, it most likely meant the tribe Ves' (Vepsians), which is spelled exactly the same.
B – The original text says "гостьє єсмы" which translates as "we are guests". The interpretation of the word "guests" differs among translations, some English sources interpret it as "strangers" while some Slavic sources interpret it as "merchants".
C – The word "race" does not accurately convey the meaning of the word "род". A closer translation would be "kinsfolk" or "kin". Askold, Dir and Oleg were all Norse.
D – We can't say for certain if Igor was a son of Rurik or just of his kin. Rurik is a legendary personality, the founder of the Rurikid dynasty, the first known prince of Novgorod, there are a lot of unknowns and a lot of theories around him. Some historians go as far as suggesting that the author of Primary Chronicle wrote a politically biased work to legitimize the rule of the Rurikid dynasty and create a legend for them. This is possible because who is the author of the Primary Chronicle is also a matter of dispute.
Е – The modern word "Russian" didn't exist at the time, it was developed much later on. The sources that use the word "Russian" instead of the historical terms Russes, Rhos, Rusiches or Rus' when working with annals are politically biased. Equating all ancient eastern Slavs with Russians is incorrect, the people of Rus' were a big ethnic mix.