ARCHERY IN ANCIENT RUSSIAN FOLKLORE

Most Russians don’t realise how much archery is in their culture. It is only when it is pointed out to them, that they realise practically all their fairy-tale princes and ‘fools’ are usually either on a horse or shoot a bow. Countless old songs and sayings refer to bows and arrows, from bylinas to wedding rituals. Russian folklore is filled with references to the ‘noble weapon’. Here are just a few glimpses into the ‘legendary’, the ‘fantastical’ and the ‘real’ in ancient Russian culture.

BYLINA

Bylina (rus. “ылина”), literally translates as “something that was”. It is the name for traditional ancient Russian poems loosely based on historical fact. Social life and ritual played a big role in the formation of those bylinas, which were passed down orally from one generation to another. Most Russian folklorists believe the genre originated during the 10th-11th century, though they argue about its birthplace and categorisation. These narratives contain a curious mix of ancient and more modern Russian folk stories, epic songs, legends and actual historical events and figures. A more convenient way to categorise them is by content, such as heroic, fairy-tale, novella and ballad archetypes. All of these texts were only written