A thousand years ago, a Norse warrior named Thorald died in battle near today's Vytachiv in the Kyiv region. Now, his story returned to the banks of the Dnipro 🇺🇦🇳🇴
In Vytachiv, the Foreign Ministers of Ukraine and Norway unveiled a replica of the Alstad runestone brought from Oslo. The inscription tells of a father who raised the stone in memory of his son – a Viking who fell while serving in the lands of Kyivan Rus during the reign of Yaroslav the Wise.
This monument reminds us that ties between Ukraine and Norway stretch back centuries – from shared history to today's partnership in the face of Russian aggression. From Viking-age links to modern diplomacy, these connections are real and enduring.
Cultural diplomacy matters. It protects historical truth – and it shows that Ukraine has always been part of Europe's shared story.
The last Norwegian Viking king, Harald Hardrade, went to Kyiv at a young age to serve Prince Yaroslav of Kyiv.
Many Vikings settled in Kyiv.
It’s easy for Norwegians to identify with the Ukrainian spirit. And so difficult to identify with the ruzzian.
The Byzantine pope's Varangian guard, led by Viking Harald Hardrada, used to navigate the Dniepro River. They would stop at an island in the river (Kortytsia, I think, or another island near that) to tap an ancient stone with their spears for luck. This stone is still there and is said to protect the area.
If anyone is interested in more information about the original stone in Norway, including the full rune text and its interpretations, there is a very good description of it in section N 62 in this English Wikipedia article.
Orthodox Christianity began in Ukraine with Prince Volodymyr of Kyiv’s conversion in 988 AD, and the subsequent baptism of the 'Kyivan Rus’. Rus was first used to describe the vast territory and the first churches with cupolas were created in Ukraine. Here’s a map of Kievan Rus with Kyiv as its capital. Note: no Moscow.
The Norse made it to Ukraine and Constantinople down the rivers of Europe, the Dnipro and Volga. The Ukrainian Chaika boats are rather reminiscent of Viking longboats.
The name "Ukraine" first appeared in 1187 in chronicles, meaning "land" or "region," used for various territories such as Pereyaslavl and Galicia, long before Moscow's imperial claims, with usage shifting to the entire Ukrainian territory by the 17th century and solidifying as the name of the nation.
Early Uses (12th-15th Centuries)
Chronicles: The name "Ukraine" (or Ukraina) is first recorded in the 1187 Hypatian Codex, mourning the Prince of Pereyaslavl, a region within 'Kyivan Rus'. It was Catherine II who took the Codex from Ukraine to St Petersburg as she was obsessed with learning about Kyivan Rus.
Synonymous with Principality: It referred to specific lands, like "Galician Ukraine," "Chernihiv Ukraine," or "Kyiv Ukraine," meaning a principality or country, not merely a peripheral area.
Slavic Roots: The word derives from the common Slavic kray, meaning "land," "region," or "country," similar to modern Ukrainian krayina (country) and Polish kraj (country/region).
Shifting Meanings (17th Century Onward)
Cossack Era: During the rise of the Cossack Hetmanate, the name "Ukraine" was increasingly used for the entire territory inhabited by Ukrainians.
Beauplan Map (1648): The term "Ukraine" was used on maps by Guillaume de Beauplan to denote the entire Cossack lands, solidifying its meaning as a geographical and political entity. These geograpgical regions were called voivodstva. The voivod (literal translation: "the one who leads the warriors") was usually the military commander next to the ruler.
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| By Vasseur de Beauplan - Description de l'Ukrainie, qui sont plusieurs provinces du Royaume de Pologne, Contenuës depuis les confins de la Moscovie, jusques aux limites de la Transilvanie. Ensemble leurs moeurs, façcons de vivres et de faire la Guerre. Par le Sieur de Beauplan, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12793762 |
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| Beauplans map of the Podilia and Kyiv voivodeships (1647) |
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