Šimon
Encyclopedia
Šimon was a Varangian (Viking
) whose story is related in the Kiev
an Patericon
and his story concerns the creation of the Kievan cave monastery
, where he is reported to have been its most important donor.
(ON: Hákon) who took part in the Battle of Listven
. When Afrikan died Jakun expelled Šimon and his brother Friand (ON: Friandi).
Šimon would live in Kievan Rus'
for the rest of his life, and he first served Yaroslav I the Wise
and later his son
. In 1068, he joined Yaroslav's three sons in the Battle of the Alta River
against the Polovtsians. It is reported that before the battle, saint Anthony of Kiev, predicted a dire outcome for the battle, but he also predicted that Šimon would be saved through a miracle. Šimon survived the battle, but he was severely wounded. Anthony took care of Šimon and healed his wounds. In recognition, when Anthony founded the cave monastery, Šimon donated a belt and a wreath of gold that his father Afrikan had used to adorn a crucifix. The gifts were worth 50 gold grivnas. The Varangian was probably one of the first to be buried in the monastery and he was the first one to receive a written remission from the monastery that both he and his descendants were pardoned for all their sins.
His son Georgi also showed affection for the cave monastery and sent gold and silver from Suzdal
to the decoration of the grave of Saint Theodosius of Kiev
. When Gregori died, he left a letter to his family asking them to help the monastery financially. Šimon's great-grand-children were buried in the Dmitri church in Suzdal, which was built by its bishop Jefrem who had been ordained in the cave monastery.
's identification between the names Alfrekr and Alrikr, Stender-Petersen connected Afrikan to the Alrekr who appears on the runestones Sö 101 and Sö 106 in Sweden. Omeljan Pritsak
, however, opposes this idenfication as he considers Jakun to have been Jarl Hákon Eiríksson
who died in 1029, while Alrekr would not yet have been born.
The first scholar who undertook to identify the people mentioned in the Patericon was Fyodor Braun
, and he suggested that Afrikan was based on an archaic pronunciation of the Old Norse dialect of Södermanland
. The form would have been an oblique case
of *afreki, i.e. *afriką (son) < *afrikan. The name Friand would not have been the name of a person, since the name is otherwise not attested among the Old Norse names, and Braun suggested that it was the appellative form of frjá ("to love"), frjándi, and which meant "nephew" in some Old Norse sources. Likewise, he did not consider Šimon to be derived from Sigmundr because ši reflected the Södermanland pronunciation of si, and thus Šimon referred to a Varangian having the Christian name Simon. According to Braun, the Patronicon was based on the account of a Varangian who would have reported that "Jakun had expelled his nephew (*frjándi) Simon Afrekąson".
Basing himself on Braun's analysis, Pritsak suggests that Jarl Hákon Eiríksson had a brother named *Afreki who is unattested in Old Norse sources. This brother would have died and then Hákon banished his nephew Simon which may have been due to Afreki having cooperated with Olaf II of Norway
. Simon would have been only c. 12 years old.
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
) whose story is related in the Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
an Patericon
Patericon
Patericon or paterikon , a short form for πατερικόν βιβλίον , is a genre of Byzantine literature of religious character, which were collections of sayings of saints, martyrs and hierarchs, and tales about them.Among the earliest collections of this kind are the Αποφθέγματα των άγίων γερόντων...
and his story concerns the creation of the Kievan cave monastery
Kiev Pechersk Lavra
Kiev Pechersk Lavra or Kyiv Pechersk Lavra , also known as the Kiev Monastery of the Caves, is a historic Orthodox Christian monastery which gave its name to one of the city districts where it is located in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine....
, where he is reported to have been its most important donor.
Story
Šimon was the son of Afrikan (ON: Alfrekr), a king in the land of the Varangians. Afrikan was the brother of JakunJakun
Jakun may refer to:*Yakun, an 11th century Viking warrior in Russia.*Jakun people*Jakun language...
(ON: Hákon) who took part in the Battle of Listven
Battle of Listven
The Battle of Listven was part of the succession struggle following the death of Vladimir the Great in 1015. It was fought between Mstislav of Chernigov and Kievan forces supporting Yaroslav the Wise; Mstislav defeated Yarslav...
. When Afrikan died Jakun expelled Šimon and his brother Friand (ON: Friandi).
Šimon would live in Kievan Rus'
Kievan Rus'
Kievan Rus was a medieval polity in Eastern Europe, from the late 9th to the mid 13th century, when it disintegrated under the pressure of the Mongol invasion of 1237–1240....
for the rest of his life, and he first served Yaroslav I the Wise
Yaroslav I the Wise
Yaroslav I, Grand Prince of Rus, known as Yaroslav the Wise Yaroslav I, Grand Prince of Rus, known as Yaroslav the Wise Yaroslav I, Grand Prince of Rus, known as Yaroslav the Wise (Old Norse: Jarizleifr; ; Old East Slavic and Russian: Ярослав Мудрый; Ukrainian: Ярослав Мудрий; c...
and later his son
Vsevolod I of Kiev
Vsevolod I Yaroslavich , ruled as Grand Prince of Kiev from 1078 until his death.-Early life:...
. In 1068, he joined Yaroslav's three sons in the Battle of the Alta River
Battle of the Alta River
The Battle of Alta River was a 1068 clash on the Alta River between Kipchak army on the one hand and Kievan Rus' forces of Grand Prince Iziaslav I of Kiev, Prince Sviatoslav of Chernigov, and Prince Vsevolod of Periaslavl on the other in which the Rus' forces were routed and fled back to Kiev and...
against the Polovtsians. It is reported that before the battle, saint Anthony of Kiev, predicted a dire outcome for the battle, but he also predicted that Šimon would be saved through a miracle. Šimon survived the battle, but he was severely wounded. Anthony took care of Šimon and healed his wounds. In recognition, when Anthony founded the cave monastery, Šimon donated a belt and a wreath of gold that his father Afrikan had used to adorn a crucifix. The gifts were worth 50 gold grivnas. The Varangian was probably one of the first to be buried in the monastery and he was the first one to receive a written remission from the monastery that both he and his descendants were pardoned for all their sins.
His son Georgi also showed affection for the cave monastery and sent gold and silver from Suzdal
Suzdal
Suzdal is a town in Vladimir Oblast, Russia, situated northeast of Moscow, from the city of Vladimir, on the Kamenka River. Population: -History:...
to the decoration of the grave of Saint Theodosius of Kiev
Theodosius of Kiev
Theodosius of Kiev is an 11th century saint who brought Cenobitic Monasticism to Kievan Rus' and, together with St Anthony of Kiev, founded the Kiev Caves Lavra...
. When Gregori died, he left a letter to his family asking them to help the monastery financially. Šimon's great-grand-children were buried in the Dmitri church in Suzdal, which was built by its bishop Jefrem who had been ordained in the cave monastery.
Scandinavian sources
Based on Vilhelm ThomsenVilhelm Thomsen
Vilhelm Ludwig Peter Thomsen was a Danish linguist. In 1893, he deciphered the Turkish Orkhon inscriptions in advance of his rival, Wilhelm Radloff...
's identification between the names Alfrekr and Alrikr, Stender-Petersen connected Afrikan to the Alrekr who appears on the runestones Sö 101 and Sö 106 in Sweden. Omeljan Pritsak
Omeljan Pritsak
Omeljan Pritsak was the first Mykhailo Hrushevsky Professor of Ukrainian History at Harvard University and the founder and first director of the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute.-Career:Pritsak began his academic career at the University of Lvov in interwar Poland where he...
, however, opposes this idenfication as he considers Jakun to have been Jarl Hákon Eiríksson
Håkon Eiriksson
Håkon Eiriksson was Earl of Lade and king of Norway as a vassal under Knut the Great.Håkon Eiriksson was from a dynasty of Norwegian rulers in the eastern part of Trondheim, bordering the Trondheimsfjord. He was the son of Eirik Håkonson, ruler of Norway and earl of Northumbria...
who died in 1029, while Alrekr would not yet have been born.
The first scholar who undertook to identify the people mentioned in the Patericon was Fyodor Braun
Fyodor Braun
Friedrich Braun or Fyodor Aleksandrovich Braun was a Russian-German scholar who provided philological and mythological backing for the Normanist theory....
, and he suggested that Afrikan was based on an archaic pronunciation of the Old Norse dialect of Södermanland
Södermanland
', sometimes referred to under its Latin form Sudermannia or Sudermania, is a historical province or landskap on the south eastern coast of Sweden. It borders Östergötland, Närke, Västmanland and Uppland. It is also bounded by lake Mälaren and the Baltic sea.In Swedish, the province name is...
. The form would have been an oblique case
Oblique case
An oblique case in linguistics is a noun case of synthetic languages that is used generally when a noun is the object of a verb or a preposition...
of *afreki, i.e. *afriką (son) < *afrikan. The name Friand would not have been the name of a person, since the name is otherwise not attested among the Old Norse names, and Braun suggested that it was the appellative form of frjá ("to love"), frjándi, and which meant "nephew" in some Old Norse sources. Likewise, he did not consider Šimon to be derived from Sigmundr because ši reflected the Södermanland pronunciation of si, and thus Šimon referred to a Varangian having the Christian name Simon. According to Braun, the Patronicon was based on the account of a Varangian who would have reported that "Jakun had expelled his nephew (*frjándi) Simon Afrekąson".
Basing himself on Braun's analysis, Pritsak suggests that Jarl Hákon Eiríksson had a brother named *Afreki who is unattested in Old Norse sources. This brother would have died and then Hákon banished his nephew Simon which may have been due to Afreki having cooperated with Olaf II of Norway
Olaf II of Norway
Olaf II Haraldsson was King of Norway from 1015 to 1028. He was posthumously given the title Rex Perpetuus Norvegiae and canonised in Nidaros by Bishop Grimkell, one year after his death in the Battle of Stiklestad on 29 July 1030. Enshrined in Nidaros Cathedral...
. Simon would have been only c. 12 years old.
See also
- VorontsovVorontsovVorontsov, also Woronzow, Woroncow is a celebrated Russian family, which attained the dignity of Counts of the Holy Roman Empire in 1744 and Serene Princes of the Russian Empire in 1852....
- one of several Russian noble families who claimed male-line descent from Šimon