[Other] Titanic hero-warrior (bogatyr') in Russian mythology and folklore. A giant living in the Holy Mountains after which he is named (sviato- coming from the Slavic root for "holy" or "sacred," gor meaning "mountain"), he and his mighty steed are so large that, when they ride forth, the crest of his helmet sweeps away the clouds. Svyatogor is the eldest of Russia's bogatyri, and in many ways he is the saddest. His days of glory are long behind him, and he is depicted in most epic poems (byliny) as an old, tired warrior, doomed to fade away. The identification of Svyatogor with the mountains means that he can also be seen as an embodiment of natural, elemental forces from Russia's pagan past -- forces that have no place in the newly -- Christianized land depicted in the epics. The story of Svyatogor's passing appears as an episode in the larger tale of Ilya Muromets, Russia's greatest hero-warrior. Having heard of the giant's strength, Muromets comes to challenge him. Muromets strikes...
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