Fraternity of Horse and Rider: “Centaur” Subculture in the Old Rus’ Literature of the 11th — 13th Centuries

The paper describes how the Old Russian literature of the 11th — 13th centuries represented the horseman subculture of the Rus’ people of the 10th — 13th centuries, based on the martial brotherhood of the horse and its rider. Transition to heavy cavalry became military revolution of the first millennium of New Era in the Western Eurasia as a result of which the unique “knight-cataphract” military machine of professional warriors-horsemen has developed. The policy of Rurikid was not an exception that was quite natural as it was on border and in direct contact with civilization of nomads of Great steppes of Eurasia and directly included communities of nomads. The paper shows that the horse in the representations of Old Rus’ society was a significant social actant, the possession of a horse moved an individual into a more privileged category. Climbing on a horse and rushing were significant gestures in social communication in a number of ritualized situations, such as the beginning of a battle, negotiations and the like. A king, boyar and other representative of the elite got on a horse at a young age and did not get off it as long as he had the physical ability to ride.