Saint Olga of Kiev: The Viking who Avenged Her Husband

In the 10th century, Princess Olga of Kiev ruled a pagan realm. Her husband, Prince Igor, was murdered by the Drevlians—tied between two bent birch trees and torn apart. When the Drevlians sent envoys demanding she marry their prince, she did not grieve. Instead, she began a vengeance campaign that would shake the ancient world.

The first Drevlian envoys arrived, demanding Olga marry their prince. She welcomed them politely and told them to rest in their boat overnight. Meanwhile, she ordered a deep pit dug in her courtyard. At dawn, the envoys—still seated in their boat—were carried into the trench. Olga watched as the pit was filled with earth, burying them alive in the very boat they arrived in.

The Drevlians sent their most honored nobles next, believing Olga was ready to negotiate. Olga invited them to wash in her personal bathhouse before the feast. The nobles entered the large wooden structure, relaxing as if peace were at hand. But when the last man stepped inside, Olga gave the order. The doors were barred from the outside—and her men set the bathhouse ablaze. The nobles screamed as flames swallowed the building. Not a single Drevlian emerged alive.

After the nobles were burned, Olga sent word to the Drevlians: “Prepare a funeral feast for me where you killed my husband.” Believing peace was coming, they gathered in large numbers and poured out mead. Olga mourned at the place of Igor’s death, then joined their banquet. Once the Drevlians were drunk, she gave the signal. Her soldiers attacked and killed 5,000 men that night—the third act of her vengeance.

The remaining Drevlians retreated to their capital, Iskorosten. Olga besieged the city for a full year, but it refused to surrender. At last she offered mercy: “Give me three pigeons and three sparrows from every household.” Desperate, they agreed—unaware that the tribute would destroy them.

That night, Olga’s warriors fastened smoldering sulfur to the birds’ legs. Set free into the darkening sky, the pigeons and sparrows returned to their roosts amid the city’s wooden eaves. Blazes ignited simultaneously across the rooftops. Iskorosten ignited from the inside out, its fortifications crumbling within mere hours. Fugitives who escaped were seized, while those who stayed perished in the inferno. The Drevlian realm was utterly destroyed.