Baptismal Names in the Povest' vremennyx let

Francis Butler, Northern Illinois University

The classic discussion of baptismal names in Kievan Rus' is Ivan Tupikov's introduction to his Slovar' drevnerusskix lichnyx imen (1903), which discusses the gradual incursion of Greek baptismal names into Kievan Rus' at the expense of traditional Slavic names. Tupikov suggests that from the eleventh through the thirteenth century princes of Rus' were generally known by Slavic names but baptized with Greek names. The present paper will examine both princely and non-princely baptismal names in the PVL. It will note gaps and apparent errors in Tupikov's survey, examine evidence for and against the possibility that Slavic "Vjacheslav" was a baptismal name, touch on the question how and when Slavic "Boris," "Gleb," and "Vladimir" became acceptable baptismal names, and discuss the usage of bibilical names, Byzantine imperial names (most notably "Konstantin"), Patristic names (e.g., "Kirill"), and ambiguous names (e.g., "Vasilii"--to be regarded as imperial or patristic?).