ACR. Victoria Odnosum

ARGUMENT	COUNTERARGUMENT	REBUTTAL
Simargl is traditionally depicted with the bird’s tail, not with the snake’s.	Because of the influence of folklore the image of the simargl could have changed.	In Kyiv Rus art dragons’ are always depicted with the snake’s tail. This tail changes into vegetative ornament which is an indispensable attribute for the dragon

Thesis: the creature portrayed on the Chernihiv’s head of the column is a dragon.

While making a research over the creature on the head of the column in St Boris’ and Glib’s Cathedral in Chernihiv many scientists come across with the problem of determining who is depicted there. This creature looks like a snow leopard with the snake’s tail that changes into vegetative ornament. There appeared two confrontational groups of scientists one of which assumed that it is a dragon, another – that it is a simargl, mythical creature in East Slavic mythology which is similar to simurh in Persian mythology. The determination of this creature influences on its interpretation. That is why it is so important to gain an understanding of who is right.  The first group reasonably noted that simargl is traditionally depicted with the bird’s tail, not with the snake’s. Though they did not take into consideration the fact that because of the folklore’s influence this image could have changed. Still in Kyiv Rus art dragons’ are always depicted with the snake’s tail. Moreover this tail changes into vegetative ornament which is an indispensable attribute of the dragon.  Therefore the creature portrayed on the Chernihiv’s head of the column is a dragon.

Вагнер Г. К. Скульптура Древней Руси. ХІІ в. Владимир. Боголюбово / Г. К. Вагнер. – М.: Искусство, 1969. – С. 276.