The Russian Giant Svyatogor and the Norse Útgartha-Loki

THE giant hero Svyatogor is found in a small number of the oral narrative poems known as byliny, which are still current in north Russia, and in a few current Russian oral prose narratives. He is a strangely nebulous figure, and his origin and identity have evaded the curious scrutiny of scholars. He lacks the distinctive traits of Mikula the husbandman, who appears as his fellow-traveller in certain versions of the byliny. On the other hand he is in no sense a heroic figure, though he is brought into close association with Ilya of Murom, and also, sporadically, with other heroes of ancient Kiev and Novgorod, though the two latter associations are obviously adventitious. He resembles the giant of folk-tales, whose character seems to consist wholly of vast size and strength, though his strength is never represented as in actual use. He is definitely styled a giant (velikan) one of the few supernatural beings who figure as heroes of byliny and his name has been thought to mean 'Holy Mountain'. The stories associated with him whether prose or verse are wholly lacking in local associations or local colour. It is stated in several versions that 'he was not allowed in holy Russia: damp mother earth could not bear his weight'. He dwells in the north, 'On the lofty mountains, on the holy mountains', but his vast strength is a sorrow to him

Ancient history · Old Norse · Folklore, Mythology, and Literature Studies · Historical and Archaeological Studies · History · Linguistics and language evolution