Russian Version H
The Russian translation of the Seven Sages, usually titled Повесть о Семи Мудрецах (Povestʹ o Semi Mudrecach, A Story about Seven Sages), survives in more than 80 manuscripts, dating from the 17th century onwards.
The Russian versions of the text seem to originate from one Polish translation of the Historia, as shown by similar misunderstandings of the original Polish text present in all existing versions (Gudzij (1966), p. 450). Early scholarship on the Russian texts suggested that the source was Jan z Koszyczek's translation of the Latin text into Polish (dated c. 1540) (see Murko, 1890). However, newer research suggests the Russian text was either a translation of a later editions of the 1540s text (as suggested by e.g. Nikolaev (2008), p. 125) or a translation of the second Polish text that was a separate translation from Latin made no later than 16th century (Gudzij (1966)). According to Orlov (1934), this second Polish text appears to be missing.
According to Gudzij (1966), research suggests that the earliest transmission of the narrative into Russian may have dated to the end of the sixteenth century; however, this remains hypothesis (p. 450). The earliest surviving Russian versions date from the 1610s and 1620s, according to the latest manuscript lists (Azvolinskaja (1981), pp. 255-58). Originally the Russian version seems to come from Belarus, as shown by the dialect-specific adaptations, and may have arrived at Moscow though Novgorod (and then moved further up north-east), though it is also a hypothesis (based largely on Murko's (1890) analysis of some of the later manuscript transmission, not the earliest texts). Though all of the versions seem to originate from one translation, they differ significantly from each other, with varying story details, stylistic choices, dialects and story titles almost never identical (see Murko (1890), pp. 87-138). The structure and the main overarching story however remain similar (Małek (2016), p. 47).
The Seven Sages was also circulated in the Ukraine. The Ukrainian version appears to be a separate, shorter version of the text, appearing in the 1660s (Azvolinskaja (1981), p. 255-58). This makes its emergence later than the first Russian texts, contrary to some early research ideas that suggested it was an intermediate version between the Polish and Russian versions (see e.g. Peretc (1926), pp. 104, 128-33). It is, however, unclear whether the Ukrainian version was a late direct translation from Polish, or originated from one of the earlier Russian texts, as proposed by, for example, Lur’e (1970), p. 543.
From the end of 17th century onwards, some of the individual embedded stories began to circulate as self-contained narratives (such as Vaticinium and Amici, which is also known for its’ separate shorter and full version – Повесть об Александре и Лодвике - Povestʹ ob Aleksandre i Lodvike) (Lur'e (1970)). This process continued through the 18th century, with stories from the Seven Sages tradition either (1) becoming attached to other similar story series all together, but without the frame narrative, or (2) were separated and included as self-sufficient stories in other thematic story collections – both with heavy modifications (Małek (2016), pp. 47-48). The more traditionally structured versions of Seven Sages remained in circulation as well, however.
The existing Russian manuscripts have traditionally been separated into three distinct redactions, categorizations established by Murko (1890), and followed largely more recent scholarship, such as e.g. Azvolinskaja (1981), Orlov (1934), and others. These redactions are:
- Redaction A: The shortest version, appearing c. 1640, which evidences the most obvious Polish influences (in both narrative and language).
- Redaction B: A more complete version, appearing c. 1610-1620, with fewer polonisms than Redaction A. B and A are still assumed to be closerly related, but according to Murko, developed in parallel rather than one evolving into the other.
- Redaction C: The most clearly reworked adaptation of the text, also appearing c. 1610-1620, written in Church-Slavonic Russian. Redaction C demonstrates variations in the opening frame story relative to the presumed source texts, and to the A and B redactions. According to Murko, there were several different independent evolutions that resulted in the various manuscripts of Redaction C, rather than a single adaptation that all further manuscripts then copied.
[By Timofei Redko, ed. by Jane Bonsall]
General Information
Language & Composition
Literature & Editions
Recorded Branch of This Secondary Version
- H (Historia Septem Sapientum)
- Armenian Version H
- Czech Version H: Kronika sedmi mudrců
- Danish Version H
- Dutch Version H
- English Version H
- French Version H
- German Version H
- Hungarian Version H: Pontianus tsaszar historiaia
- Icelandic Version H
- Latin Version H
- Lithuanian Version H
- Polish Version H
- Russian Version H
- Scots Version H: Rolland, Seuin Seages
- Spanish Version H: Los Siete Sabios de Roma
- Swedish Version H: Sju vise mästare
- Yiddish Version H
Adaptations