Kyi, Schek and Khoryv

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A monument to the mythical founders of Kiev in Navodnytsky Park.

Kiy redirects here. For the Russian island, see Kiy Island.

KIJ redirects here. KIJ is also the IATA airport code of Niigata Airport.

Kyi (alt. sp. Kiy, Kij or Kyj), Schek and Khoryv (Ukrainian: Кий, Щек, Хорив) are the three legendary brothers, sometimes mentioned along with their sister Lybid (Ukrainian: Либідь), who, according to the Primary Chronicle, were the founders of Kyiv (Kiev) city - now the capital of Ukraine. The legend is widely recognized as a source of Kyiv's mythology and urban naming.

[edit] Historical background for the legend

Archaeological excavations have shown there indeed was an ancient settlement from the 6th century. Some speculate that Kyi was a real person, a knyaz from the tribe of eastern Polans. But the majority of scholars consider them as purely mythological.^{[citation needed]}

The legend of Kyi, Schek and Khoryv, and their sister Lybid, can be interpreted as an example of a common mythological process whereby geographical names are personified and incorporated into the foundation myths of a place or people, often as eponymous ancestors.

There are numerous different theories concerning the origin of the names, among the most popular is that legend of three brothers and their sister is an attempt to explain the local names. Kyi appears to be derived from a Turkic word meaning "high river-bank", and denotes the hilly right (western) bank of the Dnieper on which the earliest settlement was located. Schek and Khoryv, according to this theory, represent the actual Schekavytsia and Khorevytsia mountains in the center of Kiev, while Lybid is the actual river, a right tributary of the Dnieper and an important landscape factor in the city.

[edit] Modern tributes

In addition to the respective hills and the river, there are Schekavytska and Khoreva Streets in Kiev's ancient neighborhood of Podil.

During Soviet rule in the city, Kyi, Schek, Khoryv and Lybid were depicted (standing on ancient boat) in sculpture at the river-side Navodnytsky Park. The sculpture soon became symbolic for the city and has been massively re-used since. In 2000s another statue was installed at central Maidan Nezalezhnosti square.