Editing Askold and Dir (section)

=== Askold ===
Also — ''Oskold'', ''Oskol'd'', ''Oskolod''. (''Осколд'', ''Оскольд'', ''Осколод'')

There are several versions of the origin of the name Askold. The most likely version interprets it as the [[Old Norse|Norse]] name Haskuldr or Höskuldr. However, the spelling Askold may only be a change in the Scandinavian manner (similar to Vytautas – Vitold)."<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Шумило |first=Сергей |date=2 March 2010 |title=Киево-Русская миссия свв. Кирилла и Мефодия и первое (Аскольдово) крещение Руси (ч.1) |url=https://religions.unian.net/religinossociety/331172-kievo-russkaya-missiya-svv-kirilla-i-mefodiya-i-pervoe-askoldovo-kreschenie-rusi-ch1.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818071126/http://religions.unian.net/religinossociety/331172-kievo-russkaya-missiya-svv-kirilla-i-mefodiya-i-pervoe-askoldovo-kreschenie-rusi-ch1.html |archive-date=18 August 2016 |website=religions.unian.net}}</ref> According to professor [[Igor Danilevsky]], who is a specialist on the history of [[Kievan Rus'|Kievan Rus]], the [[Norsemen|Scandinavian]] origin of the name is certain and it has long been proved.<ref name=":02">{{Cite book |last=Danilevsky |first=Igor |url=https://shron1.chtyvo.org.ua/Danilievskii_Igor/Istoriia_Ukrainy_ros.pdf?PHPSESSID=710q3nl9qrubmem56f09go9jt4 |title=History of Ukraine |work=Алетейя |year=2015 |isbn=978-5-9906154-0-3 |location=Saint Petersburg |pages=25–26 |language=ru |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230904143454/https://shron1.chtyvo.org.ua/Danilievskii_Igor/Istoriia_Ukrainy_ros.pdf?PHPSESSID=710q3nl9qrubmem56f09go9jt4 |archive-format=Wayback Machine |archive-date=4 September 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>

G. Magner defended the theory of the Slavic origin of the name, deriving it from the word "skoldyryt" – to accumulate. Other supporters of the theory of Slavic origin saw in the word the [[Root (linguistics)|roots]] oskal (grin), sokol (falcon), kol (spike) and kolo (circle). It is also possible that the part -old is a contraction of -volod/-vlad (lord, ruler). This hypothesis does not contradict the data of modern historical grammar.<ref name=":3" />

[[Boris Rybakov]] expressed a conjecture that the appearance of the names of Askold and Dir in the annals is a consequence of an error of one of the early chroniclers. Allegedly, in fact, in the original text it was about one Kievan prince Askoldyr or more precisely Oskoldyr.<ref name=":02" /> In this case, Dir did not exist at all. But such a reading of the annalistic text is the result of an assumption that has no textual basis according to [[Igor Danilevsky]]'s assertion. It did, however, allow Rybakov to "establish" the Slavic etymology of the name Askold from the names of the rivers [[Oskil (river)|Oskil]] and [[Vorskla]] (in chronicle Voroskol). The name of the Oskil (Oskol) river, in turn, was associated by B. A. Rybakov with the Black Sea tribe of the "royal" Scythians, the [[Scythians|Scolots]], mentioned by [[Herodotus]]. Those were allegedly Slavs (contrary to Herodotus himself, who wrote that the Skolots called themselves Scythians), who later began to call themselves Rus'.<ref name=":02" />

"Askolt" may be a borrowed word from Iranian-speaking nomads and mean "Border ruler."<ref name=":3" />