Kyi

Kyi [Kyj]. Semi-legendary prince of the Polianians who, according to the Rus’ Primary Chronicle, together with his brothers Shchek and Khoryv and his sister Lybed, founded the city of Kyiv, which was named after him. The chronicle rejects another account that referred to him as a ferryman on the Dnipro River and relates that he had been received by the Byzantine emperor and later tried to establish the town of Kyievets on the Danube River before returning to Kyiv, where he died. On the basis of the legend told in the Primary Chronicle, archeological digs conducted in Kyiv in 1908 uncovered traces of settlements and fortifications. Some historians believe that Kyi lived in the early 6th century and did in fact maintain contact with the Byzantine emperor and attempted to extend his rule to the Danube.