“Davydova Skolota”: a historical-philological note to the text of the Primary Chronicle of Rus

Abstract

The article examines a fragment of the Rus Primary Chronicle’s entry for 1097, in which the hapax legomenon “skolota” is used in relation with the accusations of Prince Davyd Ihorovych of Volodymyr in blinding Prince Vasylko Rostyslavych of Terebovl. The article analyses the tradition of interpretation of this word in the late medieval and early modern texts, namely chronicle compilations of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries as well as in Vasilii Tatischev’s historical work. It has been demonstrated that the authors or scribes of these texts did not understand the word “skolota” precisely. They tried to replace it with another expression, rephrase the phrase, or simply shorten this fragment of the Primary Chronicle. The versions of the translation of the relevant place of the text in modern scholarly translations into different languages are reviewed. In most cases, scholars have interpreted the word “skolota” and the relevant passage of the chronicle based on a general understanding of the context and artistic taste. The possible origin of the word is examined. Its place in the chronicle narrative, specifically in the context of the characters’ direct speech. The authors conclude that the word “skolota” has a Slavic etymology and is one of the relics of the Kyivan Rus elite’s vernacular.