Scandia debate: The Rus of Ahmad Ibn Fadlan as Slavic Severians

Problems Concerning Interpretation in Historiography

Abstract

The article delves into the historical interpretations of the Rus tribe mentioned by Ahmad Ibn Fadlan, an Arab traveler who visited Volga Bulgaria in the early 10th century. The Rus have for a long time been the subject of debate, with various theories proposing their origins as either being Scandinavian Vikings, Slavs, or even a specific Slavic tribe called the Severians. While modern scholarship leans toward identifying the Rus as Scandinavians, this article focuses on the less-explored hypothesis that the Rus were Severians. This view was prominent in Eastern Slavic historiography for nearly a century but has since become less popular.

The article aims to compile interpretations aligning Ibn Fadlan’s descriptions of the Rus with the Severians, thus highlighting how the backgrounds and intentions of historians have influenced their translations and interpretations. In particular, Ukrainian historians with ties to northeastern Ukraine, where the Severians lived, often presented the Rus in a more favorable light while linking them to Slavic ancestry. On the other hand, Russian historians were more likely to depict the Severians negatively or identify the Rus as Slavs in general.

The article emphasizes the impact of these varied interpretations on the understanding of both Rus and Severian history, noting that while the Scandinavian origin of the Rus is now widely accepted, the Severian hypothesis continues to offer valuable insights for researchers of Slavic and Scandinavian historiography. The text also underscores the broader issue of how interpretations of historical sources can be molded to fit contemporary political or cultural narratives.