According to Nestor the Chronicler, Grand Duchess Olga was "the forerunner of the Christian land, like a daybreak before the sun and like a dawn before the light." Another great Russian historian N. Karamzin said that tradition called Olga Sly for her revenge on the Drevlyans, the church-Holy because she became the first Christian princess, and history-Wise for the arrangement of the state. Why did one woman get so many epithets? Judging by the historical sources that have come down to us, she was a really unusual PERSON. The famous commander Prince Oleg, who nailed a shield on the gates of Constantinople, inspired Pushkin's poem " The Song of the Prophetic Oleg "(later became the anthem of Russian officers. - Auth.), knew a lot not only about weapons, but also about the people around him. So, when he happened to accompany the future princess to Kiev, the prince, who had lived and seen the world, was so struck by the intelligence, modesty and piety of the young girl that he even gave her his name: the male form - Oleg, the female - Olga. The soft sign appeared later, for ease of pronunciation... But before this event, the future Olga lived quietly and peacefully in the virgin forests, not far from present-day Pskov. I would have lived and lived, if not for "his Majesty the Case". Once Oleg's nephew, then still very young Igor, the future Grand Duke of Kiev, was hunting near Vesya Vybutskaya (the former village of Vybutino. - Author). He liked the dense grove on the opposite bank of the river, and then the ferryman happened to be nearby - a young boy. As they sailed, the future Grand Duke noticed that this was not a young man, but a pretty girl. Accustomed to not denying himself anything, Igor tried to persuade the girl to carnal pleasures, but, to his surprise, received a tough rebuff. "You're planning something shameful for your own amusement, and for my own destruction," Olga said. "Don't touch me, or I'll jump in the water.".. The young prince was speechless with ... Читать далее