Varangians

Bought this gorgeous Ukrainian vase from an actual Ukranian last week at Quaker City Flea Market.  It is so heavily lacquered, you'd swear it was pottery, but it's actually wood. 

I put it on Facebook, and my brother -- who's interested in all things Russian and Russian-related -- emailed me five minutes later asking if the guys in the boat were Varangians.

My email to him: What's a Varangian?

What followed was a brief lesson in medieval and early Renaissance Ukrainian history, to wit:

"The (Varangians were) Vikings who gained a foothold in the Ukraine. They eventually become the rulers, the Rurik Dynasty af the Kievan Rus, and then Galicia-Volhynia until the 14th and Muscovy until the 16th century. The last Tsar from the Rurikid dynasty was Fedor I, who died in 1598."

This from a guy who spent his formative years on the couch munching on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich while watching Hawaii 5-0 reruns and screaming at the TV, "Book 'em!"