The Novel of Alexander and the Model of the Ideal Hero in Medieval Russia

Abstract

In medieval Russia, the image of the ideal hero, embodied in the person of the Prince, is implied, according to the Novel of Alexander, by the glorification of the Macedonian king. A number of battle-scenes included in the Novel of Alexander are echoed in Russian medieval heroic stories of a later date. The parallel between Alexander’s name and that of the hero of Neva, as well as the presence of plastic images of the Macedonian conqueror in the Orthodox cathedrals of Vladimir are some aspects that show as clear as possible the correspondence between the image of the medieval Russian hero and the personality of Alexander the Great. The use of the heroic image of a fearless king, in order to strengthen the political power of Russian military and cultural centers, reveals the ideological importance of Alexander in the centralization of the medieval Russian state.