The Wrath of Saint Olga: Cold Blooded

What happens when a woman who becomes a widow decides that revenge is best served with a little creativity?

In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan tell the story of Olga of Kyiv, one of the most fascinating and ruthless rulers of medieval Europe. But before we get to Olga, we have to go back to the Varangians, the rise of the Kievan Rus’, and the man whose death would set Olga on a path of revenge.

After her husband Igor is brutally killed by the Derevlians, Olga is left ruling the Kievan Rus’ on behalf of her young son. The Derevlians think they have found the perfect opportunity to take control. Unfortunately for them, they severely underestimated Igor’s widow.

What follows is a series of increasingly horrifying acts of revenge involving buried diplomats, a burning bathhouse, a funeral feast that goes very, very wrong, and one particularly creative use of pigeons and sparrows.

We’ll also look at Olga’s conversion to Christianity, her relationship with Byzantine Emperor Constantine VII, and how this ruthless pagan ruler eventually became a Christian saint.

And because this is Torture: A Dark History, Kevin and Dan bring their usual dark and twisted humor to the story of a woman who proves that sometimes the person you really should not piss off is the widow.

If you’re interested in Olga of Kyiv, Kievan Rus’, Viking history, medieval Russia, Byzantine history, revenge, torture, executions, Christianity, and some of the most brutal stories from medieval history, this episode is one hell of a history lesson.

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