Re-reading Thietmar of Merseburg: lumbarum venereum and other sins of prince Vladimir

Abstract

The article is devoted to the interpretation of the messages of Thietmar of Merseburg about Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich. A source analysis of the information of the Saxon bishop about the shortcomings and sinful passions of the “king of Rus’” was carried out. Among the characters of the chronicle the image of Vladimir is not the only one, illuminated negatively, the anti-hero close to him is the Polish prince Boleslaw the Brave. The controversy about the circumstances of the marriage with Anna Porphyrogenita in the context of the accusations of the Saxon chronicler about the “insidious abduction” of the prince of the bride. The reasons for the anachronism allowed by the author of the chronicle are specified. The attention is focused on discussions about the lumbarum venereum as details of the princely toilet. The version about lumbarum as a phallic amulet or an element of erotic magic has been disproved. It is rather a bandage, which was intended to suppress the carnal passions in the context of Byzantine asceticism. The parallels to the testimony of Thietmar can be found in Byzantine and South Slavic hagiography, as well as in Western European and Islamic mystical literature. The wearing of items on the genitals was used both by the holy fools in the Byzantine and Slavic traditions, and by the dervishes qalandars in the Islamic world. The image of St. Francis of Assisi, who preached in one loincloth, is remarkable. However, in the case of the prince, the ligation (lumbare) was not designed for a provocative demonstration, illustrating the inner humility before God. Attention is drawn to the topos about the prince's generosity in the context of the traditions of the barbarian societies of the early Middle Ages. Generosity and gifts during the feast were among the most sought-after values of the ruler, both in the Scandinavian countries and in Eastern Europe.