Tolkoviny

Abstract

The “tolkoviny” mentioned in the story “Povest’ Vremennych Let” about Oleg's campaign against the Greeks in 907, can be taken as a characteristic given by the chronicler to the participants of the campaign. It is not clear who this characteristic applies to. Most often it is usually applied to the Tivertsy. Much literature is devoted to searching for the meaning of the word “tolkoviny”. There are many options offered. The most common meaning is «allies» or «translators» (currently the latter is considered preferable). In the context of information about the relationship between the Rus’ and the Slavs, contained in the famous work of Constantine Porphyrogenitus, it can be decided that the chronicle provides additional information about the nature of these relations. Meanwhile, the word “tolkoviny” is unique. In addition to the chronicle story about the campaign of Oleg, a similar word is used only in the “Igor’ Tale”. The author of the article suggests giving up the search for the meaning of the word “tolkoviny”, and recognizing that we are dealing with an error in the text, committed in the early chronicles, and then repeated many times later. Instead of “tolkoviny” in the original source, the explanatory word “tolkovaniye” was inserted somewhere, which got into the main text when rewriting. The task of the phrase, set after listing the Slavs-participants of the campaign of Oleg, (without “tolkoviny”) was simply to draw the reader's attention to how the Greeks call part of the Slavs “Great Scythia”.

Keywords:

Ancient Rus’, Eastern Slavs, chronicles, Povest’ Vremennych Let, tolkoviny, Tivertsy, Uliches