The Song of Prince Igor

An updated English translation of the 12th-century Russian epic known as the Igor Tale. The translation is accompanied by a commentary that focuses on the folkloric underpinnings of the tale, including wedding songs, epic ballads and incantations to the saints. The text of the Igor Tale is followed by English translations of the Hypatian Chronicle account of Igor's campaign and by two translated versions of a later epic composition about the Kulikovo Battle (1380). Mann's major thesis is that the Igor Tale arose as an oral epic song, not as a poem composed in writing. He points to evidence suggesting that the Igor Tale was not written down until the 13th century.