Hermeneutics of Old Russian Literature Hermeneutics of Old Russian Literature 1607-6192 2713-2226 IWL RAS https://doi.org/10.22455/HORL.1607-6192-2025-24-232-240 Research Article Articles “LOW-KEEPING” NOVGOROD PEOPLE IN ZADONSHCHINA: BETWEEN FACTS AND CONTEXTS Arkhangelskaia Anna V. old-rus@imli.ru 2025 24 232 240 Copyright © 2026, IWL RAS 2026 The article analyzes a fragment of Zalonshchina which talks about the potential lateness of Novgorodians to the Battle of Kulikovo. It is considered in the context of both the opinions of historians about the participation or non-partic- ipation of Novgorodians in the events of 1380, and other similar ancient Russian monuments (The Tale of Igor’s Campaign, various editions of The Tale of the Bat- tle of Mamai, The Life of Alexander Nevsky). Attention is drawn to the time when Novgorod could have learned of Mamai’s attack, a parallelism with the motive of being late in The Tale of Igor’s Campaign is recorded, which allows us to contrast the events of the late 12th and late 14th centuries in this way, and an episode from The Life of Alexander Nevsky is also considered when Novgorodians did not have time to join the army setting out for the Battle of Neva. As a result, the private mention in Zadonshchina is included in at least two comparative series: literary in connection with the parallel with Igor, who did not have time to join Svyatoslav in 1184, and historical in connection with the late arrival of the Lithuanian prince Jagiello to help Mamai. It seems that these parallels and comparisons can provide new food for thought about the Novgorod text and the images of Novgorodians and Novgorod in Old Russian literature. 1. Azbelev, N. “Ob uchastii novgorodtsev v Kulikovskoi bitve” [“On the Participation of Novgorodians in the Battle of Kulikovo”]. Istoricheskii format, no. 4, 2016, pp. 35–65. (In Russian) 2. Gorskii, A. “K voprosu o sostave russkogo voiska na Kulikovom pole” [“On the Issue of Composition of the Russian Army on Kulikovo Field”]. Drevniaia Rus’. Voprosy medievistiki, no. 4 (6), 2001, pp. 29–37. (In Russian) 3. Didkovskaia, G. “Zhitie Aleksandra Nevskogo v istorii russkoi agiografii” [“The Life of Alexander Nevsky in the History of Russian Hagiography”]. Uchenye zapiski Novgorodskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta, no. 3 (42), 2022, pp. 290–295. (In Russian) 4. Zimin, A.A. Slovo o polku Igoreve [The Tale of Igor’s Campaign]. Petersburg, Dmitrii Bulanin Publ., 2006. 516 p. (In Russian) 5. Kirillin, M. “O tainstvennom soderzhanii ‘Skazaniia o Mamaevom poboishche’ v russkoi srednevekovoi kul’ture” [“On the Mysterious Content of the ‘Tale of the Battle of Mamai’ in Russian Medieval Culture”]. Vestnik slavianskikh kul’tur. Nauchno-informatsionnyi zhurnal, no. 1–2 (IX), 2008, pp. 121–137. (In Russian) 6. Nesterenko, N. “Mifologemy Nevskoi bitvy” [“Mythologemes of the Battle of Neva”]. Gumanitarnyi vestnik, no. 4 (42), 2016, pp. 1–23. (In Russian)