Ilya Muromets: Legend or Reality?

Ilya Muromets – sometimes spelled Ilya Murometz – and also known as Ilya of Murom, is one of the most beloved and enduring figures of Russia’s cultural heritage, yet virtually unknown in the West. His tales of bravery, courage, strength, and loyalty have been passed down through generations through the bylinas, the Russian epic poems dating back a thousand years or more.

But who was this astonishing character from medieval East Slavic folklore, defender of Kievan Rus, loyal servant of Vladimir I of Kyiv, and killer of Nightingale the Robber? Was he a creation of legend, or a real historical figure? Do the relics preserved in the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, the Kyiv Monastery of the Caves, prove his existence, or do they further blur the lines between myth and reality?

It’s important to note that the bylinas featuring Ilya Murometz and other famous figures such Dobrynya Nikitich, Alyosha Popovich, and Svyatogor, were oral tales, told and retold across generations, each adding embellishments to make the stories more dramatic. It’s believed the first written examples weren’t created until the seventeenth century, perhaps seven or eight hundred years after they were first heard.

This time-trip back to Old Russia attempts to unravel the complex, interwoven strands of fact and fiction surrounding the story of Ilya Muromets.

The story of Ilya Murometz starts in a small village called Karachrov in Murom, a city first mentioned in the middle of the ninth century as the easternmost outpost of the East Slavs. It’s one of Russia’s oldest cities and lies around 300 kilometres east of Moscow.

However unlike almost all stories of ancient warrior heroes, Ilya of Murom wasn’t born into a powerful noble family where he excelled at sports and languages and in battle. In fact the early life of Ilya Muromets is anything but heroic. It’s written he was born to poor parents – his father may have been called Ivan Timofeyevich – and spent the first thirty years of his life (or thirty-three, depending on the source) lying prone on the seating ledge of the traditional Russian stove in their hut, unable to walk. One story suggests this disability was as a result of a curse put on his grandfather.

But then, possibly, a miracle occurred.

With much of this story, there are differing versions of what happened, but most of the stories tell of two or three visiting pilgrims who arrive at his hut while his parents are out toiling in the fields. It was said the visitors were weary from travelling and asked for water, to which Ilya Muromets said that he would be delighted to help but couldn’t get up. The pilgrims are said to have miraculously healed him and endowed him with superhuman strength, telling him that his destiny was to protect and defend his homeland as a bogatyr – a heroic warrior in the bylinas – similar in stature to the Knights of the Round Table in Arthurian legend.

This transformation set him on a path to becoming a formidable warrior, capable of extraordinary feats that would etch his name into the annals of Russian folklore. His legendary status is further cemented by his association with the mighty city of Kyiv, where he served under the rule of Vladimir I.

Ilya Muromets’ fame in the byliny is attributed to his heroic exploits and his role as a defender of the Russian land. He’s depicted as a paragon of virtue and strength, confronting fearsome enemies, both human and supernatural, on his flying horse.

It was written that he single handedly defended the city of Chernigov against invaders – Saracen, Tatar, or Polovtsi – and his battles against real enemies and monstrous adversaries symbolise the perennial struggle between good and evil. He was also believed to have what would be described today as anger issues. One section of the story of Ilya Murometz goes that Vladimir I had a party but didn’t invite his famed bogatyr. In a fit of rage, Muromets is said to have destroyed every church steeple in Kyiv. On hearing the news, the Grand Prince sent for him and appeased his subject’s anger.

But the most famous story of Ilya Muromets involved a grotesque forest-dwelling monster.

Of all the ancient Russian epics, the tale of Solovey-Razboynik, or Nightingale the Robber, is one of the most famous.

The monster was depicted as a half-bird, half-human flying creature who lived in a giant nest with a human family. It was said the creature let no-one pass through his forest, killing all who entered not with weapons, but with a powerful robber’s whistle.

As Ilya of Murom rode into the forest, the whistle blew, killing plants, flowers and trees, but Ilya survived and wounded Nightingale the Robber with his bow and arrow. The monster was dragged before Vladimir who wanted to hear the fearsome whistle for himself. As the creature recovered from his injuries, he whistled, killing all the Grand Prince’s men and destroying his palaces. The end of the story saw Ilya Muromets drag the beast into a field and cut off his head.

The question of whether Ilya Muromets was a real historical figure or purely a creation of legend has intrigued scholars and enthusiasts for centuries. Some suggest that his character may be based on a real person – or a conflation of two or more people – possibly knights or warriors from the Kievan Rus’ era, whose deeds were magnified and mythologised over time.

So did Ilya Murometz exist? Over the years, historians, archaeologists and scholars have speculated about a number of real-life candidates who may fit the identity of Ilya Muromets. Perhaps the most plausible is a twelfth-century monk named Ilya Pechersky, whose relics reside in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, the Kyiv Monastery of the Caves, one of the most sacred Eastern Orthodox Christian monasteries in Ukraine.

It’s thought Pechersky was a famed warrior who took religious vows, and earned the nickname Chobitko, meaning ‘small boot’, because he was attacked at home by enemies while he was getting dressed. He had only managed to pull on one boot, and fought off the marauders with the other.

The earliest written evidence of Ilya Pechersky is from the mid-1600s and he was canonised in 1643, but it’s his remains that may give a clue as to his real identity. They were examined during the Soviet era – reportedly in 1988 – and according to the results, they belonged to a powerful man standing around 1.8 metres tall (approximately 5ft 10in) who died somewhere between the ages of 40 and 45.

Most interestingly, the examiners discovered battle wounds on his hands and what were described as incurable spinal defects, perhaps suggesting he had trouble walking early in his life. How he was cured, though, remains a mystery.

When it comes to the legend, each version of the story of Ilya Muromets gives differing accounts of his demise. Some say he died a natural death in Kyiv (one said he turned to stone after he took his last breath). Others say he died a brave warrior on the battlefield. Yet more suggest he was the victim of betrayal and treachery, eventually martyred for his faith and unwavering commitment to the defence of his beloved homeland.

And of course like all mysteries, there’s a supernatural element where he may have faced mythical creatures or unknown forces. These stories highlight the fantastical aspects of the byliny and the larger-than-life nature of Ilya Muromets’ character.

Whether as a peaceful elder, a battlefield hero, a betrayed warrior, a martyr, or a victim of unknown forces, Ilya Murometz’s death underscores the enduring impact of his standing in Russian folklore and cultural memory.

Today, the tales of Ilya Muromets are as popular as ever. He’s the subject of films, cartoons, paintings and monuments, and is the hero in dozens, if not hundreds, of books for children and adults.

Legendary aircraft pioneer Igor Sikorsky even designed the Sikorsky Ilya Muromets in his honour, the world’s first multi-engined aircraft to enter production. It was used in World War I and the four-engined bomber, the first to equip a dedicated strategic bombing unit, was unrivalled in the conflict’s early years.

While definitive proof of his existence remains elusive, Ilya Muromets continues to be celebrated as a quintessential hero, embodying the virtues and values that resonate deeply within Russian culture.