Vladimir, Red Sun

Prince Vladimir is one of the key figures in the Kievan epic cycle, uniting many Russian bogatyrs. He is their leader, but cannot be called a bogatyr himself. Vladimir's wife is Eupraxia (Apraxia, Apraksa). She is considered a popular reflection of several historical figures or a mythical figure, the personification of a certain kind of natural phenomenon (the Sun - Dazhbog). He loves to use the bogatyrs' services in any danger, treating them in return, but at the same time is unwilling to risk his own life, and sometimes even treats the bogatyrs unfairly. According to Orest Miller, the good and bad qualities of the Vladimir in the epics could have been formed under various influences. It is known, for example, that the people consider only physical labor, which is not performed by sovereigns, to be hard labor. And the sun moves slowly across the sky, it rests in inactivity and, without any effort on its part, sends its rays to the earth; It can sometimes be fiery and spiteful. This, perhaps, is where certain traits in the Vladimir of the epics come from, complemented by reflections of the ancient historical despotism of patriarchal times, or the influence of Byzantine views on unlimited supreme power, or memories of the era of Ivan the Terrible.