ery phase of life, the sowing and the harvest, and so forth. The kazak
songs, robber songs, soldiers' songs, and historical songs are all
descendants or imitators of the ancient poetry of Russia. They are the
remains of the third--the Moscow or imperial--cycle of the epic songs,
which deals with really historical characters and events. The Moscow
cycle is preceded by the cycles of Vladimir, or Kieff, and of Novgorod.
Still more ancient must be the foundations of the marriage songs, rooted
in the customs of the ancient Slavonians.

The Slavonians do not remember the date of their arrival in Europe.
Tradition says that they first dwelt, after this arrival, along the
Danube, whence a hostile force compelled them to emigrate to the
northeast. At last Novgorod and Kieff were built; and the Russians, the
descendants of these eastern Slavonians, naturally inherited the
religion which must at one time, like the language, have been common to
all the Slavonic races. This religion, like that of all Aryan races,
was founded on reverence paid to the forces of nature and to the spirits
of the dead. Their gods and goddesses represented the forces of nature.
Thus Lado and Lada, who are frequently mentioned in these ancient songs,
are probably the sun-god, and the goddess of spring and of love,
respectively. Lado, also, is mentioned as the god of marriage, mirth,
pleasure, and general happiness, to whom those about to marry offered
sacrifices; and much the same is said of the goddess Lada. Moreover, in
the Russian folk-songs, _lado_ and _lada_ are used, respectively, for
lover, bridegroom, husband, and for mistress, bride, wife; and _lad_, in
Russian, signifies peace, union, harmony. Nestor, the famous old Russian
chronicler (he died in 1114), states that in ancient heathen times,
marriage customs varied somewhat among the various Slavonian tribes in
the vicinity of the Dniester; but brides were always seized or
purchased. This purchase of the bride is supposed to be represented in
the game and choral song (_khorovod_), called "The Sowing of the
Millet." The singers form two choirs, which face each other and exchange
remarks. The song belongs to the vernal rites, hence the reference to
Lado, which is repeated after every line--_Did-Lado_, meaning (in
Lithuanian) Great Lado:

First Chorus: We have sown, we have sown millet, Oi, Did-Lado, we
have sown!
Second Chorus: But we will trample it, Oi, Did-Lado, we will