16
Theodora (500–48), Byzantine Empress, wife to Justinian I.
17
Old Russian name for British Isles.
18
A well-known hero of Russian epic.
19
Agathyrs, Gelon, and Scyth are legendary Scythian heroes, sons (or, by other versions, grandsons) of Targitai. According to the legend, Scyth was the only one of three brothers who succeeded in drawing Targitai’s bow, so he and his people remained in Scythia, while his brothers led their tribes away to settle down in other lands. The colonization of great caves by Agathyrs and his people is the author’s assumption.
20
Vladimir I the Great (958–1015), a Grand Prince of Kiev, ruler of Kievan Rus’ in 980–1015. Originally a Slavic pagan, he converted to Christianity in 988 and Christianized the Kievan Rus’. His having hundreds of wives and concubines while a Pagan is a historical fact.
21
Slavic tribes who lived to the north of the Black Sea between 4th and 7th century AD were named Antes by Byzantine writers of that time.
22
Herodotus (484–425 BC) wrote about giant ants who, in his opinion, lived in Scythia.
23
Sazhen is an old Russian measure of length (about 2.16 m).
24
“To pass Crimea and Rome” and “to have seen [spent a night under] the priest’s pear tree” are well-known Russian sayings about a person who has seen much of life (e.g. because he or she has traveled a lot) and who is supposed to be very experienced and worldly-wise.
25
A small river near Kiev. In the waters of Pochayna, Prince Vladimir performed the christening of all Kievins in 988 AC.
26
Here and below, Oleg retells a Greek legend.
27
The ancient Russian writing (“lines and cuts”) and ancient Celtic writing actually look very similar at a glance. However, the possibility and probability of their common origin is an issue of debate in present-day academic literature.
28
In 1113 AC, there was a great riot of Kievins against the unjust economic and tax policy carried out by the administration of late Prince Svyatopolk. The riot was suppressed, but afterwards the next prince, Vladimir Monomakh, took some measures to ease the tax burden.
