INHABITANTS OF THE HOLY RIVER OF NOVGOROD: THE VOLKHOV IN THE HISTORIC, CULTURAL AND MYTHOLOGICAL TRADITION OF MEDIEVAL NOVGOROD

Abstract

The River Volkhov, connecting Lake Ilmen and Lake Ladoga, used to be atransportation line of utmost importance in northern Russia (Fig. 1). As earlyas the 8th–9th century AD, the water route along the Volkhov was masteredby the Slavs – migrants from the southern shores of the Baltic Sea. During theViking epoch, two major townships of northern Russia appeared at the headand the outfall of the Volkhov: they were Ladoga and the predecessor of Novgorod, Rurik’s Township. And in the second quarter of the 10th centuryNovgorod the Great was founded. For the city’s population, the River Volkhovwas not only the basis of their economic life, but also a sacred natural feature.