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from Radmllo\skaya letopis. Although the ąuoted sources are late, they should not be disregarded. The information about the flre in Perun’s sanc-tuary was confirmed by excavations. It is also true that the Perynsky mon-astery was built in the place of the sanctuary. It was mentioned for the flrst time in 1386, together with the church under the invocation of the Birth of the Mother of God, and it survived until 1922 (Sedov, 1953, p. 92). Remains of a stone church discovered on Perynia are dated to the 12thc. (Sedov, 1954, p. 106-108).

There is also a native Russian source from the 17thc., which preserved the memories of Perynia in a legendary form. It is a text called Tsvetnik, preserved in a manuscript from 1665. In this version “the founding heroes,” Sloven and Rus, having left their fatherland, settled near Ilmer-Ilmen, a lakę named after Sloven’s sister. They built a stronghold called Slovensk Veliky on the Volkhov. No chronicles mention such a town, it appears only in Tatishchev’s study, which is based on questionable sources (SSS, vol. 5, p. 229). In Tsvetnik Slovensk is identified with Novgorod. The eponimic legend is supplemented with mythical motives: “The older son of prince Sloven, Yolkhov, a sorcerer and magician, was relentless to the people then, and with devilish tricks produced illusions. He tumed into the shape of a cruel beast, the crocodile, and blocked the water route in the river Volkhov. And he devoured or drowned those who did not bow to him. Because of that the people (...) called him Thunder or Perun, as in the Belorussian language perun means thunder. And for night illusions and devilish meetingsthe cursed sorcerer created a smali stronghold in a certain place called Perynia, where Perun’s idol was standing. And naive [people] (...) tell stories about Volkhov, the cursed sorcerer and magician,” claiming that “he was strangled by devils in the river Volkhov and his corpse floated up-stream by devilish tricks and was thrown ashore opposite this magie stronghold, which is now called Perynia.” The sorcerer’s body was laid in a barrow with due ceremonies. Three days later the ground gaped and the crocodile’s grave fell to the bottom of heli, leaving an etemal hole (Rybakov, 1987, p. 259-261). The crocodile was surely imported from some bestiary, but the demonie legend may contain traces of authentic folk tradition. Leaving aside Rybakov’s exaggerated interpretations (1987, p. 261-293), we should tum to ethnographic studies, which to some extent confirm the folk origin of the tale from Tsvetnik. According to a nineteenth--century legend from the Novgorod area, in the times of Vladimir the Great a hermitage was established on Perynia, exactly at the place where a dragon called Perun had lived. Fishermen sailing on the Volkhov customarily threw coins to the water near Perynia (Sedov, 1953, p. 92, after P. Yakushkin; Rożniecki, 1901, p. 477, after A.N. Popov).

In 1951 Perynia was explored by V.V. Sedov (1953; 1954). At the top of the hill excavations revealed outlines of a ditch, well noticeable in light--yellow sand, surrounding a circular yard measuring 21 m in diameter, with

UZI ¹ EH ² Hi ³ E3 4 # ⁵

Fig. 56. Perynia. A śmplified plan of the main cult drde. A sketch of the whole explored area of the sanctuary. A plan and profile of the post-hole in the middle of the main drde. A - foundations of a stone church; B - outlines of wooden buildings (St Nicholas church mentioned in folk-tales?); 1 - charcoal; 2 - lata- excavations; 3 - sand layer; 4 - dark-grey soli; 5 - fire-places. From B.A. Rybakov, 1987, p. 257 (after V.V. Sedov)

a post-hole left by a huge wooden post in the middle. The latter was probably the last tracę of the effigy of Perun, cut down in 988. A smali rock was found nearby. The shape of the ditch was very unusual; eight points of its outer edge, orientated exactly towards geographical directions, were situ-ated 7 m from the edge of the yard, while in the narrowest parts it reached only 5 m of width, which madę the pian of the cult drcle similar to a flower with eight petals. The central parts of the wider portions were deeper than the rest of the ditch; in all of them except of the northem one traces of fire-places (layers of ash and charcoal) were found. The northem fragment,

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