Pagan Rus Religion

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As in many parts of the ancient world, the people living in the Rus lands worshiped Pagan gods for thousands of years. Christianity became an influence on the Rus via the Byzantine Empire and the Kievan Rus state around 800 CE. The Byzantine Empire was the largest empire in the world in the 800s and 900s and the official religion of the Byzantines was Orthodox Christianity. The Byzantines' global influence was extraordinary but Kiev's (the Rus capital) close proximity to the Byzantine capital Constantinople added even more influence and pressure to the Rus than most places. Olga, who was ruling the Kievan Rus state as regent, officially converted to Christianity in 945 CE. Olga's gender and status as regent did not allow for Christianity to spread in the Rus state but for the first time churches and missionaries from Constantinople were allowed to stay in Kiev. (Notes from Kovalev class, 9/24/13) Olga's grandson Vladimir became the Grand Prince of the Rus from 980 to 1015. Vladimir felt there was a need to unite all of the diverse Rus tribes under one cultural and religious orientation. Vladimir invited representatives from several religions such as Judaism, Islam, Catholicism, and Orthodox Christianity to try and convert him and the Rus to their respective religions. The obvious choice for Vladimir was Orthodox Christianity from the Byzantine Empire. Constantine was a close neighbor to Kiev. Converting to Orthodox Christianity opened up trade and political options for the Rus that they never had before. The Rus and the Byzantines became trading partners and uneasy allies which helped the Rus kingdom stabilize and grow in the years to come. (Zenkovsky, 66)
The transition from Russian paganism to Orthodox Christianity was a com...

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...orite horse died unexpectedly which frightened Ivan terribly and he fled Pskov. (Haney, 76) Using the horse as a form of superstition allowed the horse to be revered as a sacred animal while still giving room for the saints and Jesus.
The Pagan Rus did not have a difficult time identifying and worshiping Orthodox Christianity because Orthodoxy fit their general ethical boundaries. The Rus, however, still had to find ways to make the opposing views of polytheism and monotheism culturally fit. They did this via a practice called double faith. Certain pagan rituals and stories were saved and some pagan rituals and stories were tweaked by locals to fit Christian saints and God. In this way, Russian Orthodoxy arguably adapted more to paganism and traditional folklore than vice-versa. This helped create one of the most unique cultures that permeates Russia to this day.

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