What would you do if the one you loved so dearly was suddenly and hopelessly taken from you? There being nothing you could do to combat it. Whether or not you had anything to do with it, watching them be ripped from your hands. Losing your joy in another. This was the case with Olga of Kiev.
Now, imagine being a Varangian (the name given by Greeks, to Rus’, Vikings and Anglo-Saxons) and having your husband, the king, be brutally murdered.
This is the story of a woman, a saint, named Olga of Kiev.
Brutal Fate of Olga’s Love
The events we’ll be discussing take place around 945. This is when Olga’s husband, Igor, died at the hands of the Drevlians. Igor’s death was particularly gruesome, it’s written that he was “captured by them, tied to tree trunks, and torn in two.” as depicted by the Byzantine chronicler, Leo the Deacon.
Of course, this is historical fiction, so it is to be taken with a grain of salt.
After Igor’s death, Olga had to assume the throne because her son was too young to rule. Twenty Drevelian negotiators were sent to Kyiv, in Olga’s court. They came to her with a message, reporting to her about how they had slain her husband and how they wanted her to marry their Prince Mal, Igor’s murderer.
Saint Olga of Kiev seeks revenge
She requested to honor their presence, claiming that if the negotiators went back to their boat, waited until the next day and asked to be carried in their boat, they would be. The next day they did exactly what they were asked and as promised, were carried by the people of Kyiv only to be brought into Olga’s court and dropped into a trench she had dug then buried alive.
I don’t know about you, but if I was told that my husband was killed, then was asked to marry his murderer, I would not have many kind graces to spare. Olga did not only let the Drevlians die at her hands through burying them, but told another diplomatic party who did not realize the fate of what had happened to the first to bring her one of their most honorable men.
Once they agreed, all of the men had arrived and Olga said that they must let her bathe them and let them clean themselves and rest in a sauna. The men obviously, unaware of what might have happened to them agreed and decided to take rest and comfort inside of the sauna. That was when Olga had the doors closed and let the entire room set on fire. The drevlians inside met an untimely demise, burning to death.
When revenge is not enough
This was only the second of four tricks that Olga devised, however. In her third to last trick she asked the drevlians to make a feast so that she might be able to honor her late husband in a funeral-like service. At this time the foods present were probably things like boar, fish and bread. The people agree and get together to eat and drink, and if you have any good mind of what happens at parties, you might know where this is going.
Truly, Olga did weep and cry for her husband. It’s a wonder you might think of what may be going through the partygoer’s minds at a time like this. The intense emotion that comes with the suffering being surrounded by people from the very tribe that killed your own husband, trying to convince you to marry your husbands own murderer, people, strangers, celebrating and enjoying themselves as you have little time to mourn for the love of your life.
Having to be clever enough to go through your plan without anyone knowing or stopping you, during a time of deep grief.
Olga of Kiev’s final reckoning
But, love, perhaps, seems to pull Olga through. Though some might say it was sheer determination. Olga makes her attendants continue to fill up the drinks of the Drevlians as they continue engorging themselves, until they are passed out drunk and incapable of really fighting back for themselves.
It’s then that she has all her attendants and servants — and even herself — slit the throats of the Drevlians. According to the Primary Chronicle, five thousand Drevelians were killed that night.
Of course, eventually Olga was able to eliminate all of the Drevelians through her wit.
She made some of them slaves while killing off others, and rebuilding their territory for herself and her tribe.
In the end, she continued to avoid any marriage proposals that came her way.
It really leaves you to wonder if her strength was a force of nature, the way she grew up, or nurtured, the love she held for her husband and her son or perhaps the rage and anger she must have felt hearing about his death.
Accepting lost love
Has anyone ever attacked your relationship to the point that you seek revenge?
There is something so painful about losing the ones you love.
Having them taken away from you makes you feel like you have the rage of a thousand suns boiling inside of you. You want to weep and sob and scream. It might feel like a piece of your heart is being ripped out of you.
True love might hurt
Lovers, true lovers, can leave a mark on your soul. You exchange your heart with someone else and they become a part of you. Losing them can mean as much to you as losing a part of yourself. As if you lost one side of your lungs, struggling to breathe.
Unfortunately, this type of hurt, just as Olga of Kiev experienced, can lead to obsession and seeking revenge, leading to self-destruction. Often violence perpetrated out of lost love only comes down to guilt and hurt. You may end up hurting other people you care about without even noticing. You may close your heart off to ever loving again.
By seeking revenge, you lose your future.
The story of Olga is a mix of true history, myths and legends. Historical fiction; and fiction is a way by which you can understand human nature, your proclivity toward paying back evil for evil.
If you can relate to Olga, you are not alone.
Maybe right now you feel like the hurt is too big for you to handle.
“It’s too hard to hope without the one who gave you hope,” you might think.
Reach out for help. There are people waiting to hold your hand to take the next step forward with you.
Don’t let revenge rule your life, pursue forgiveness.
Don’t give up on love.
**Contributing author: Aster
Lovelifelinks.com believes you can move past the hurt, forgive, and learn to love again.
Remember, you can feel love anywhere, anytime, all the time.
**Submitted by contributing author, Aster.
