Home > Askold and Dir

They asked for permission to go to Constantinople ( Old Norse Miklagard, Slavic Czargrad). When travelling on the Dnieper, they saw a settlement on a mountain and asked about to whom it belonged. The answer was that it was Kiev and it had been built by three brothers named Kyi, Schek and Khoriv who were the ancestors of the inhabitants, but at the moment they were paying tribute to the Khazars. Askold and Dir settled in the town and gathered a large number of fellow Varangians and began to rule the town and the land of the Polans (eastern).

When Rurik died he was succeeded by Oleg who was of his kin and in whose care was Rurik's son Igor. Igor attacked an conquered Kyiv.

Scandinavian sources

According to the Norse Sagas, Askold was the son of HvitserkHvitsark (Whiteshirt) was one of the legendary sons of Ragnar Lodbrok. After having avenged his father together with his brothers, he went pillaging in Russia. He was, however, opposed by such a large foe, that he could not win. When asked about how he wi, one of Ragnar LodbrokRagnarr Lodbrok or Ragnar Lodbrok was a semi-legendary King of Denmark and Sweden who reigned sometime in the eighth or ninth centuries. Although he is something of a hero in his native Scandinavia, reliable accounts of his life are very sketchy and heavi's sons. Hvitserk was a contemporary of Rurik and was said to have waged a war of conquest in Eastern EuropeEastern Europe is, by convention, a region defined geographically as that part of Europe covering the eastern part of the continent. Generally this means that it lies between the Ural and Caucasus mountains and the western border of Russia, or alternative. When Hvitserk met an army that was too big even for him, the enemies asked in what way he wished to die. He wanted to be burnt alive on a mound of severed heads.

This article is partially based on content from the public domain "Owl Edition" of Nordisk familjebok.