But what transpired between lovers in ancient Rus’ remains shrouded in mystery. Church officials considered it their duty to find and destroy any records, scrolls, or chronicles that mentioned intimate relationships among Slavs. But this doesn’t mean sex didn’t exist in Ancient Rus’. Religion’s strict approach to sex has forever deprived modern humanity of much of this information.
THE INTIMATE LIFE OF THE SLAVS
The people of Rus’ weren’t particularly shy about sexual pleasures or sexual rituals. Until the arrival of Christianity, lovemaking was a virtually constant presence. Not a single holiday, whether folk or family, was celebrated without sex. Many historians studying the lives of the ancient Slavs tend to believe that even the seemingly innocent act of jumping over a bonfire on the feast of Ivan Kupala was a game with erotic overtones. Men could admire all the “charms” of young girls, who inevitably became publicly visible when their skirts were lifted during the jumps. This is precisely why Christian priests viewed this holiday very harshly in later years and punished those who observed this tradition.
Before the arrival of the new faith in Rus’, sex was an integral part of most pagan rituals. For example, during the time to sow fields and gardens, special rituals were performed. Young girls would walk naked through all the cultivated lands. In this way, they shared their reproductive powers with the earth, ensuring healthy crops. Men, on the other hand, traditionally sowed the fields naked. This ritual was meant to strengthen the bond between farmers and the land they toiled on. And to ensure a bountiful and good harvest, couples had sex right in the fields and gardens. In some cases, according to popular belief, simply simulating intercourse was enough. Evidence of other erotic traditions also survives. For example, historians have evidence that just 100 years before the advent of the new religion in Rus’, deflowering a girl the night before her wedding was a common practice. This was performed in a bathhouse with the help of several sorcerers. This may seem bizarre today, but back then, it had profound religious significance. Prince Svyatoslav abolished this custom. The responsibility of deflowering a girl fell solely on her own husband.
Shortly before the advent of Christianity in Rus’, the term “harlot” came into common usage. However, it carries no negative or offensive connotations. It was used to describe girls and women seeking a suitable husband. “Harlot” sounds very similar to the word “wander.” After the new faith took hold in the country, the term “harlot” became a derogatory term for sinful women. For example, those who lost their virginity before marriage, or those who brought men into their home while their husbands were still alive, or widows seeking new husbands. The famous “Tale of Bygone Years” contains several references to polygamy. Historians who described their experiences traveling through the towns and villages of Rus’ touched on the topic of polygamy and intimate relationships among the Slavs. For example, in his notes on the daily life of the Slavic peoples, the historian Procopius of Kemaria mentioned that in many families, husbands had several wives. Typically, the number was limited to four, but there were cases where there were even more. Prince Vladimir went the furthest with his twelve wives and nearly a thousand mistresses. He frequently traveled through cities, fulfilling his political obligations, and always found time and opportunity to relax in the company of women. The more influence the Christian Church gained, the more it opposed sex in Ancient Rus’. By the time its undisputed power consolidated over most aspects of ordinary life, intimate relationships and discussions of them became taboo. Restrictions were even placed on sex between spouses, and everyone else was forbidden from having any sexual relations at all.
Husbands and wives were forbidden from making love in any position other than the missionary position. This was explained by the fact that in other positions (according to the clergy, of course), the chances of conceiving were significantly lower. Therefore, they were considered positions for pleasure, not for conception. Not everyone agreed with such restrictions. Many jokes and sayings circulated among the people about this. Such disrespect for religion forced the clergy to take measures to guide sinners back to the right path. Everyone who came to confession was obliged to disclose all their sexual misdeeds, lay before the priest all their “dirty and sinful” thoughts, and thus cleanse themselves of them.
Otherwise, the sinner faced punishment. If not from God Himself, then certainly from local authorities. Special documents were even drawn up for priests to follow when hearing confessions. They contained questions they were required to ask. And if a person refused to discuss these matters, they risked punishment. Nowadays, we often see people trying to pass off wishful thinking as reality—Ancient Rus’ is held up as an example of a pure, innocent, and chaste state, free from filth, debauchery, and sin. Experience shows that this is not the case. Sex was not only practiced at any appropriate opportunity, but also discussed without shame. Many songs, poems, ditties, stories, jokes, proverbs, and fairy tales of an erotic nature have survived to this day. Moreover, in Rus’, the one who expressed himself most eloquently, rudely, and obscenely, and who reproduced the most shameless movements while telling a story, was especially revered in the company and was considered an excellent conversationalist.
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