The Galician–Volhynian Chronicle and a decline in the interest in the omens in the Old Rus population of the 13th century

Abstract

The Galician–Volhynian Chronicle contains almost no descriptions of natural phenomena that other Russian chronicles perceive as omens – eclipses, comets, meteorites, diffraction phenomena, thunderstorms, etc. Even when any of these phenomena appears in the chronicle, the scribe remains indifferent to its mystical significance. A decline in the interest in predictions is typical of Old Rus literature of the 13th century, so the attitude of the southwestern scribes to omens is sometimes seen as the greatest manifestation of these tendencies. The author analyzes all three cases when the Galician–Volhynian Chronicle describes omens, focusing on the reasons why the scribes describe them. The perception of natural phenomena by the Galician– Volhynian chroniclers is compared with that of the scribes from other Russian lands. In all cases, the chroniclers of Southwestern Russia describe omens to emphasize heavenly protection of the Galician–Volhynian land and its princes. Omens in Old Rus were closely related to the theory of “executions and God's mercies.” The specificity of this theory’s rendition in the Galician–Volhynian Chronicle influenced the description of the omens. If other Old Rus chroniclers are most interested in the disasters that occurred in their own land, God in the chronicles of South-Western Rus punishes the enemies of the Galician–Volhynian land. Omens also work against enemies: when the plague falls on the native land, it should be perceived with courage and hope in God. Unlike other chroniclers, the Galician–Volhynian scribes valued good spirits more than contritition of the heart. The description of the omens could also be influenced by the focus of the chronicle on the subjects that change the world. If a certain phenomenon could not be associated with subsequent events, the scribe might not mention it as irrelevant.