… Having ordered a piece of tinder to be tied to the birds, set it on fire and released the birds into the city. They flew to their nests and burned the city of the Drevlyans. Iskorosten fell. Olga imposed an exorbitant tribute on the surviving townspeople. For many years, the legend about the miraculous capture of the Drevlyansky fortress was passed down from generation to generation. The chronicler willingly included it in The Legend of Vengeance. Historians pass over this episode in silence. It is not surprising - the chronicle version raises a number of questions
In the first half of 946, the Kiev princess Olga set out on a campaign against the Drevlyans, who killed her husband, Prince Igor a year earlier. The troops took several Drevlyan fortresses. But Iskorosten (Korosten), the city of Prince Mal on the Uzh River, could not be conquered on the move. The protracted siege decayed the fighting spirit of the squad. The princess was also worried about the approaching autumn thaw. This prompted her to look for an extraordinary solution …
Military stealth
A wise and great woman began peace negotiations. Surprised by her softness, the Drevlyans asked: “What do you want from us? We are glad to give you honey and furs. " But she replied: "Now you have neither honey, nor furs, so I ask you a little: give me from each yard three pigeons and three sparrows." Having given out to her soldiers some a pigeon, some a sparrow, she ordered to tie a small piece of tinder to each bird. And when it began to get dark, she ordered the tinder to be set on fire and the birds set free. They flew into their nests, and then dovecotes, cages, sheds and haylings broke out. And there was no courtyard where it would not burn …
Iskorosten fell. Olga imposed an exorbitant tribute on the surviving townspeople. For many years, the legend about the miraculous capture of the Drevlyansky fortress was passed down from generation to generation. The chronicler willingly included it in The Legend of Vengeance. Historians pass over this episode in silence. It is not surprising - the chronicle version raises a number of questions.
Why did Olga wait for the coming autumn, and did not apply the “bird version” much earlier? Why were the pigeons and sparrows released at nightfall? Why, finally, a bird carrying fire should fly headlong to its native nest?
What was hidden behind the mysterious burning birds? But what if Princess Olga used some mysterious weapon that possessed incredible power at that time? Is it possible?
Brahma's weapon
Promotional video:
… A heated battle unfolded at the walls of the ancient city. The clinking of weapons and armor, the death moans of people and the neighing of fallen horses merged into one terrible cacophony. And in the middle of this raging sea of death, like moving cliffs, towered huge war elephants, crushing the doomed screaming from fear.
The scales hesitated. The defenders' troops wavered. The enemy pressed them to the open gates of the city. The last resort remained. The ruler, once again circling the battlefield, raised his hand, signaling to the priests. “Weapon of Brahma! Weapon of Brahma! - A reverent whisper swept among those close to him.
Several people, dressed in black robes, carried out of the temple a long pointed object - a huge iron arrow. It was carefully placed on a special stone pedestal with a long polished groove.
The priests knelt down and, loudly shouting sacred words, called on the god Brahma to accurately direct the weapon at the enemies.
The senior priest was handed a torch mounted on a long bamboo pole. He waited for everyone to leave the platform, and, hiding behind a stone ledge, raised the torch to the iron arrow.
Like a thousand snakes, she hissed, like a thousand thousand hearths, breathed out the smoke, and with a roar like thunder, she fell from her place. In a moment, the chariots were on fire. People, horses, elephants lay defeated, burned by a terrible explosion …
What is it? Another fantasy tale of a war on another planet? No, the events described took place on Earth, apparently, almost three thousand years ago.
Historical monuments and chronicles of the past keep mention of an unusual weapon. Here is his description from the ancient Indian composition "Mahabharata". “A blazing projectile with the radiance of fire was fired. A thick fog suddenly covered the army. All sides of the horizon were plunged into darkness. Evil whirlwinds rose. The clouds roared into the sky … It seemed that even the sun was spinning. The world, scorched by the heat of this weapon, was in a fever … ". An impressive ancient story! And far from the only one.
According to the recipes of the ancient Greeks
… In 717, Theophanes in his "Chronography" talked about the capture of the Sideron fortress, located in the mountain pass between Tsebelda and Sukhumi. Spafari Leo laid siege to the fortress, but the location and power of the fortifications did not allow them to capture it. The lion agreed with the defenders of the fortress, promising not to harm them, if only they let him in with 30 soldiers. "But his words, - wrote Theophanes, - Leo did not keep, but ordered his thirty companions:" When we enter, seize the gate, and let everyone enter. " As soon as this happened, the spafari ordered to throw fire in the direction of the fortress. A big fire broke out, and families began to go out, taking with them what they could only take from their property.
One of the eyewitnesses wrote that the incendiary mixture was thrown towards the enemy from special copper pipes. This sight caused horror and surprise to the enemy. The combustible mixture was applied to a metal spear launched by a giant sling. It flew with the speed of lightning and with a thunderous crash and looked like a dragon with a pig's head. When the projectile reached the target, an explosion occurred, a cloud of acrid black smoke rose, after which a flame appeared, spreading in all directions; if they tried to extinguish the flame with water, it flared up with renewed vigor …
Most researchers attribute the appearance of Greek fire to the 7th century and associate it with a certain Callinnikos from Heliopolis in Syria. For example, a certain Byzantine historian reports: “In the year 673, the overthrowers of Christ undertook a great campaign. They sailed and spent the winter in Cilicia. When Constantine IV learned about the approach of the Arabs, he prepared huge double-deck ships, equipped with Greek fire, and ships carrying siphons … The Arabs were shocked, they fled in great fear."
The Byzantines carefully kept the secret of the Greek fire, but in the 10th century in Russia they already knew about it …
Secret deal
In 941, the Kiev prince Igor went on a campaign against the Greeks. The Byzantine Emperor Roman sent his troops headed by Theophanes Patricius to meet the Rus. There was a collision. “… And of course, - wrote the chronicler, - the Russians won, but the Greeks began to fire with trumpets on the boats on the Russians. And the vision is scary. Russia, seeing the flame on itself, threw itself into the sea water, at least to get rid of it. Then a lot of Russian people and the Greeks with boats were burned and drowned … ". The news of this defeat soon reached Rus. "When they came, they told about the former misfortune from the fire, and the Greeks, having it on their ships, let it go and burn the judgment."
Being in a hopeless position under the walls of the Drevlyansky Iskorosten, Olga turned to Byzantium for help. That is why I had to wait so long. Ambassadors of the Kiev princess secretly arrived in Constantinople, concluded a treaty and received weapons. The agreement was not recorded anywhere, because it violated the law "forbidding the sale of weapons to barbarians."
… Deception, deceit, unsurpassed cruelty of the ruler did not go beyond the morality of that time. They are not condemned by chroniclers, but, on the contrary, are glorified as properties and advantages of the highest wisdom.
As for the reasons for her cruel actions, they were caused not so much by a feeling of revenge as by the desire to establish herself in the role of the head of the principality, to prove to everyone that she, Olga, could rule with a hand no less firm than that of the male rulers.
Alexander FOMIN
