Boyan, in East Slavic mythology, the epic poet and singer. Known from the "Word of Igor's Campaign" (the name Boyan is also found in the inscriptions of Sophia of Kiev and in the Novgorod chronicler): "Boyan is prophetic, if anyone even creates a song, thought spreads along a tree, a gray wedge on the ground, a crazed eagle under the clouds" … In the songs of Boyan, thus, the shamanic tradition associated with the concept of the world tree and the skills of early Slavic poetry, dating back to the common Indo-European poetic language (cf. the German-Scandinavian myth of Honey poetry), was expressed. The epithet Boyan is characteristic - "Veles's grandson".
In the Lay, Boyan is also portrayed as a historical singer of the 11th century, singing about "the first times of strife." He let "ten falcons into a herd of swans", and the caught swan sang a song, laid "prophetic fingers on living strings" and they themselves roared glory to the princes.
The author of "The Lay of Igor's Campaign" told us about this legendary Old Russian singer and songwriter. Depicting people or describing events, the author of the Lay often resorted to allegories, used symbols and metaphorical language, so that his descriptions are full of various mysteries for us. There is a lot of mystery about Boyan's personality. The epithet “prophetic” refers us to those times when the singer-poet was considered endowed with special wisdom, secret knowledge and the ability to predict, predict, and even cause events with his songs. On the other hand, Boyan is a "nightingale of the old days." This emphasizes the beauty of his songs, perhaps even the sophistication and impeccability of his poetic manner. Probably, Boyan was characterized by the breadth of ideas, the free flight of imagination "a fantasy game:" if someone wanted to sing a song, then thought spread along the tree, like a gray wolf on the ground,a gray eagle under the clouds. " We learn that Boyan not only composed and performed his songs, but also played the harp himself, and this game was just as extraordinary.
“Then he let ten falcons into the herd of swans: the one who overtook which one, the first one, and sang a song … Boyan, brothers, did not let ten falcons into the herd of swans, but put his prophetic fingers on living strings; they themselves roared glory to the princes”. The gusli seemed to be playing magically under the poet's fingers! The author of the Lay, as it were, measures the events of his poem to Boyan and comes up with two tunes for him, with which he would begin the song about Igor's campaign: “It was not a storm of falcons that brought wide across the fields - flocks of jackdaws are running to the Great Don”; “Horses neigh behind Sula - glory rings in Kiev; Trumpets are blowing in Novgorod - there are banners in Putivl. When did Boyan live? This can be guessed by the names of the princes whom, as the author of the Lay testifies, the singer sang.
This is "old Yaroslav", that is, Yaroslav the Wise (died in 1054); "Brave Mstislav, who stabbed Rededya in front of the regiments of Kasog." These words need comment. Mstislav Vladimirovich, prince of Chernigov and Tmutarakansky (died in 1036), brother of Yaroslav the Wise, became famous for his heroic deed, about which the chronicle told about 1022: the prince went to the Kasogs (Circassians), and when the regiments converged, the Kasozh prince Rededya proposed to solve the case single combat; Rededya was “great and strong”, and Mstislav began to faint, then he turned to the Mother of God for help and immediately gained strength, “hit Rededya on the ground and, drawing a knife, stabbed Rededya, and went into his land, took all his property and his wife and his children, and laid tribute on the Kasogs. " It was this prince who sang the glory of Boyan. And the third hero mentions "Red Roman Svyatoslavich", Prince of Tmutarakansky,grandson of Yaroslav the Wise, killed in 1079. If we add to this that, according to The Lay of Igor's Host, Boyan “recalled the first times of strife,” that is, the beginning of princely strife, then most likely he lived in the middle or in the second half of the 11th century (at least at this time his poetic creativity falls).
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Boyana was later recalled in other works of Ancient Rus, and in the 19th century, but everyone had the same source - "The Lay of Igor's Campaign." Whether such a singer-poet was in reality or the author of the Lay “invented” it, creating a poetic image in which he embodied the real features of the court singers of Kievan Rus, will remain a mystery forever. However, thanks to the Lay, Boyan entered the consciousness of the people of Ancient Rus as a great composer and performer of oral songs for the glory of princes.