Northern Gods and Forgotten Graves―Society and Culture of Kyivan Rus'

The early Vikings colonizers took Slavic wives, who then raised the children of the Norse in the language and ways of the Slavs. A working father in those days would be absent for long periods on the longboats, and so the core culture (language and beliefs) would have been assimilated by the invaders within a couple of generations. The Kyivan Rus’ morphed into a powerful Slavic tribe. They then became Christianized, and came under the influence of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Subsequently, they developed their own legal code. These were all milestones on a 700 year development of regional culture.

Culture consists of “symbols, language, beliefs, values, and artifacts” (PressBooks, 2010). The early culture of Kyivan Rus’ makes for a fascinating study.