Viking Rurik

Founder of Kyivan Rus and the Rurik Dynasty

In the 9th century, the Varangian prince Rurik established the birth of the Rurik Dynasty which ruled Kyivan Rus, the precursor to Russia. The name “Rus” comes from Ruotsi, the Finnish word for the Swedes, and means “the men who row.” There is a 9th-century funerary barrow in Novgorod Oblast that locals call Rurik’s grave.