Childbirth In Pre-Petrine Russia Summary

The origins of Kievan Rus’ have been the subject of scholarly debate for some time. Mainly this has been framed under the Normanist question. This inquiry asks, did the Varangians organize political and social order in the Rus’ lands, or was there a sociopolitical infrastructure in place upon arrival? Eve Levin’s article “Childbirth in Pre-Petrine Russia: Canon Law and Popular Traditions” describes the connection between the Slavic pagan rituals and Orthodox Christian theology present during childbirth in medieval Russia, using the term “dvoeverie” which means dual-belief. Does Levin’s article also help us answer the Normanist question? This essay will argue it does, and along with the Primary Chronicle it also provides evidence for the anti-Normanist hypothesis that there was a sociopolitical order in place in the Rus’ lands prior to the arrival of the Varangians. Although Levin’s article does not focus on the Varangians and their cultural contributions to the emerging Rus’ state, it provides the reader with clues as which to what degree Varangian religion played in the important rituals of childbirth. In fact, there are never any allusions to Varangian influence on childbirth rituals, and therefore Slavic paganism. Levin’s article does not mention northern European influence whatsoever. However, her frequent arguments about Slavic origin lead one to believe the rituals of childbirth in Rus’ are derived from a long tradition of Slavic paganism and adherence to its practices. One passage of Eve Levin’s article directly addresses the origin of these rituals. Levin writes, “Thus most of the rituals surrounding childbirth came from pagan practices either from the ancient Mediterranean or from the Slavs and other indigenous peoples of Eastern Europe” (Levin, pg. 45). Levin’s omittance of Varangian influence here is deliberate, and clearly shows their lack of influence on the practices of Slavic paganism. Levin goes on to describe in her article the meticulous and rigid rituals of medieval Russian childbirth in detail, including the use of spells and potions to ease the difficulty of labor, as well as the practices surrounding the disposal of afterbirth (Levin, pg. 53-55). These spells are often compared to practices used by other Slavic peoples, such as Serbians, but never to the practices of Northern Europe (Levin). Their inclusion into the practices of Russian Orthodox Christianity after the Christianization of Rus’ also alludes to the old age of the traditions used in childbirth. These practices were likely infused with Russian Orthodoxy in order to ease the conversion of the local population to the new religion. We also know from the Primary Chronicle that the arrival of the Varangians in Rus’ was not long before the Christianization of the area. Due to this, as well as lack of mention of the Varangians in Levin’s article provides the reader with strong circumstantial evidence that the Slavic tribes of Rus’ had some social order in place prior to the arrival of the Varangians. Many would point to the Slavic tribes acceptance of Varangian rule as a counterargument to the aforementioned points. In the Primary Chronicle, it states the Slavic tribes of Northern Rus’ invited the Varangians to rule over their territory, despite defeating their first attempts at invasion, in order to instill a system of law and order over the war torn area (Chronicle, pg. 49-50). However, this does not dispute …show more content…
This is not to gloss over many important details and nuances, such as the Rurik Dynasty, which would be claimed until the 1500s, being of Varangian origin. There is no doubt that the Varangians have had a great impact on the shaping of Rus’. However, the Levin piece, as well as class lectures and the Primary Chronicle, have provided evidence there was not only a Slavic identity prior to the Varangians, but a social and economic order which the Slavic tribes of the Rus’ lands adhered to. These social and economic realities on the ground prior to the arrival of the Varangians serve as the foundations on what would become the Rus’ state, and therefore the Varangians had come to rule over a sociopolitical order that was already in existence. Due to this, the answer to the Normanist debate seems to be anti-Normanist in