#Pecheneg

[illustratus]

The Varangian Guard defeats the Pechenegs at the Battle of Beroia 1122 AD

by Giuseppe Rava

[baebeylik]

[ask-but-beware-the-consequences]

Forgot to post it here too, but I finished the 42nd page of my hetalia manga fanfic, 43rd is almost done too

[phenomenal1500]

~Save From The Pechenegs~

Masterlist

A/N: This was requested by DEVILHORNS on wattpad, thank you! ♥️ I merged two requests of yours together since I thought it would make a fun longer one shot.

Summary: Reader is determined to save Harald from the Pechenegs and lets her get taken to them.

Timeline: Season 2

Pairing: Harald Sigurdsson x Fem!Reader

Warning: Angst, blood, violence, torture.

Looking at the shore and the forest behind it as she climbed out of the freezing water, Y/N noticed Harald wasn't with the surviving group. "Where's Harald?!" She yelled after them, watching everyone stare at their feet after they watched her drag her soaked dress over the sand.

"Y/N, Harald has been taken by the Pechenegs. He convinced them we were dead." Mariam gently took her hand into hers to calm her, knowing the news was going to scare and upset her. "He made sure we were safe to travel along without troubles." She continued and pointed in a certain direction before stroking her hair back, knowing it was tough to realise what happened to her lover.

"I'm not leaving without Harald." She hissed, staring at everyone who still tried to avoid her eye contact. "Are you all seriously considering leaving the prince behind without even trying? He's the one who got us this far. Without him we won't survive a day out there and it won't help us get the men we need from Constantinople."

"Y/N, it might already be too late for Harald." One of the other men whispered.

"No." She shook her head, denying the thought completely. The prince was a survivor, he was alive for sure. "He's not in Valhalla yet, the gods will give him more time."

"If we want to rescue him, we should have a plan first." Leif suggested, but once again she shook her head.

She didn't want to waste time on a stupid plan that was doomed to fail.

It always ended up with improvising eventually so why not do it right away?

"I'm not going to wait until we come up with a pathetic plan." She gathered her weapons they had pulled out of the water earlier and started walking the way Mariam had pointed in as she talked about Harald.

In no way was she going to let him die.

She knew she reacted unreasonable to her friends, but she just wanted her lover back, even if it meant her own journey to Valhalla.

She needed him safe as he would have kept her safe in a situation like this as well.

~~~

Sprinting through the dark trees, avoiding roots and sticks, she eventually found a meadow with the temporary Pecheneg camp. The colors the banners carried didn't mean much to her as she walked right up to the camp.

Was it stupid? Yes. Did she care? No.

Holding up her hands as she dropped her weapons, the men grabbed her by her hair, dragging her across the dusty floor until a man with black hair yelled after them to stop and bring her inside. 'The leader', she assumed since everyone stopped right away and carried her in, legs still dragging over the gravel.

It caused tears on her knees, but she didn't care anymore when her eyes finally landed on those of her lover's.

"Harald." She whispered, so relieved to see him mostly okay.

"Love? What are you doing here?" He looked confused as he eyed her up and down to see if she was mostly doing okay.

"Came to rescue you on my own." She flinched a bit when they forced her on her bleeding knees next to the prince. "Gods...."

"Yes, they're not very respectful and gentle." He watched her, hating the fact that he couldn't hold her hand or help her soothe the pain in her knees.

"Since the prince here survived his torture for the evening." The Khan began, standing up from his bone-made throne to walk up to the woman. "I want to find out what a female viking can endure." He lifted her chin to force her to look at him as a terrible grin crossed his face.

"You leave her alone." Harald growled, trying to get out of the Pechenegs' grip to break the Khan's hand for laying a finger on her.

Even though he knew she could defend herself, touching her even if it was only her chin was a no go for him.

"Torture...?" Y/N watched Harald and suddenly noticed the deep cuts in his chest. "What did they do to you...?"

"It's okay, sæta." He gave her a warm smile. "It'll heal strong again. They can't tear me down that fast."

"Why don't we start with strikes?" The Khan smirked and his men all laughed, immediately agreeing with their leider.

"Strikes...?" She repeated softly, narrowing her eyes as the men suddenly dragged her by her hair to the middle of the room. "Watch it!" She hissed, but of course they couldn't care less and ripped the top of her dress, exposing her to the whole room when it pooled around her waist and her breasts and stomach were bare.

"I will kill you if you hurt her!" Harald growled louder and groaned when they pressed into his cuts with a small hunters knife to silence him.

It didn't stop him however.

Harald instantly managed to grab the tall slender man behind him by his hair despite the pain and pulled him to the floor, taking over control of the knife and planting it into his neck as Y/N was hit by the first whiplash.

It got him absolutely furious.

She was in this mess because he got taken by the Pechenegs in the first place and now they were hurting and scarring her.

Y/N's entire back was bleeding from that one whiplash, but never did she make a sound and she wouldn't continue to do so for the ones to come either. She was going to be strong like Harald. She had to stay strong or he would lose focus and make mistakes.

Quietly watching the prince fight off whatever man came onto him, she could feel another strike hit her back and noticed the thick red blood drip down her sides and legs. Whoever was hitting her was too strong for Harald to take on by himself, but as long as she could keep him busy he would be okay. They could outrun the lasting men if they were being smart about it.

Harald got his hands on a nearby axe after slicing the rope he was tied with and then chopped another warrior's hand off before hurrying to Y/N and picking her up before the man could respond.

It cost him all of his energy to get her away from him and out of the tent, his chest muscles starting to give up and that's where she had to jump in. Carefully getting out of his arms, she supported him to the horses and cut them loose.

"Get up, Harald!" She yelled and he somehow managed to get onto the horse before she climbed on top too, kicking its side to make the horse run off thankfully in time. She couldn't care less what way the animal was running as well, as long as she and Harald were going to be safe and out of the Pechenegs' sight.

"I love you, sæta. Thank you." Harald panted as he rested his body against the Horse's back and neck, tired and in pain.

"I love you more, my prince. Now let's go find our group. Mariam can help us treat our wounds."

[jens-holland]

Some of my faves…

[avetruth]

Mykola Melnyk. Byzantium and the Pechenegs: the historiography of the problem (2022)

Mykola Melnyk. Byzantium and the Pechenegs: the historiography of the problem (2022) https://www.avetruthbooks.com/2023/09/mykola-melnyk-byzantium-and-the-pechenegs-the-historiography-of-the-problem-2022.html?feed_id=17686

[d1nosaurpower]

I will start thread about coolest Ukrainian women for international women day.

First, we will start with classics

Queen Olha was a brilliant strategist and diplomat. She was also ruthless in revenge.

One day, tribe of drevlyany killed her husband, and sent a two delegations to attempt to marry the queen. Why two? First one was buried alive by Olha, and second one was locked out in sauna and burned.

Finally, she asked each household from city that killed her husband to give her three pigeons and two sparrows. Upon achieving birds, Olha tied burning twings to their feet and let them out. Birds returned home and set the houses they were nesting on on fire.

Olha was one of the first people to pick up christianity (for diplomatic purposes). According to legend, she tricked emperor Konstantyn to baptize her in order to avoid marrying him and preserving good relation with Byzantium.

Olha’s politics included regulation of taxation, construction of first stone buildings in all Kyiv Rus, and introduced first administrative units.

In addition to this, she successfully defended Kyiv in siege of 968 protecting it from Pechenegs.

She proceeded to advise her son once he became the king himself, and after passing Olha was canonized as a saint.

Absolute badass. Absolute girlboss.

[saladgl0ve]

i can't find anything on it, but I'd be willing to bet it's a) completely made up or b) barely supported by history

i remember when I watched that scene I physically recoiled, so props to them for making a disturbing torture scene lmao

anybody want to tell me why the Pechenegs pierced Harald’s pecs and hoisted him on the piercings? is that a thing?

[paganimagevault]

The 'Valkyrie' from Hårby 800 CE. Note the swastika on the shield.

"Contemporary foreign sources testify abundantly that the Byzantine Greeks, even prior to 852, knew the Russes to be Scandinavians. Luidprand of Cremona, who was in Constantinople in 949, writes of the Byzantine capital that it is situated among dangerous neighbors, for at its north it is menaced by Magyars, Pechenegs, Khazars and Rusii, "Whom we call Nordmanni [Normans]." The identification of Rusii with Normans is repeated in his subsequent account of Igor's foray of 942."

-The Russian Primary Chronicle, Laurentian Text, translated and edited by Samuel Hazzard Cross & Olgerd P. Sherbowitz-Wetzor

...

Al-Masudi identified the Rus with the same northern people raiding al-Andalus in the Iberian Peninsula: "Sometime before the year 300/912–913, ships carrying thousands of men reached al-Andalus by sea and raided the Atlantic coasts. The people of al-Andalus claimed that these enemies were one of the nations of the majūs [word for Vikings in al-Andalus], who came to attack them by sea every two hundred years and that they reach their country by means of a channel which communicates with the Ocean. This is not to be confused with the channel upon which is the bronze lighthouse. Personally, I think – but God best knows the truth – that this channel communicates with the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea and that the attackers were those Rūs we have already mentioned, since they are the only people who sail those seas that communicate with the Ocean."

- quote from Ibn Fadlan and the Land of Darkness

[tototavros]

truly the worst part of early Russian history as someone new to the area is understanding all the different kinds of vaguely turkic groups, I have not yet deciphered the precise difference between pechenegs, torks, mongols, and tatars.

[ask-but-beware-the-consequences]

I finished the 43rd page of my hetalia manga fanfic, 44th is not yet started but soon will be

[phenomenal1500]

~In The Gods' Favor~

Masterlist

A/N: This is a combined request asked by three anons on Tumblr. I felt like these requests could fit together perfectly and I hope you all like it!

Summary: Reader is stuck in an arranged marriage with Harald and sees his scars by the Pechenegs for the first time.

Timeline: Season 2, after the Pechenegs.

Pairing: Harald Sigurdsson x Fem!Reader Warning: Smut, breeding kink, arranged marriage.

Sitting in the gorgeously decorated great hall in Kattegat, Y/N was watching the Norsemen feasting and celebrating because of her marriage with the new king of Norway. However, everything didn't sit right with her.

How could other people be happy at such a time but her?

She knew who she married. King Harald had made sure to meet and spend time with her before their marriage so she wouldn't feel overwhelmed marrying a stranger, but happiness? That she couldn't express at this hour.

Perhaps it was because she was closed off to new opportunities or perhaps because she had built a wall so she didn't have to let him in, but she simply couldn't be excited even though she had to admit the norseman was besides attractive also very lovely and caring.

"You're doing alright, sæta?" King Harald slowly dropped himself beside her on the small bench that she had been sitting on all evening now.

"I think I'm doing fairly well." She nodded and looked back at the exciting and hopeful crowd again.

"We're giving them hope." He whispered, laying his large hand on her lower back. "We must think about that."

"I've never been much of a leader." She admitted, for the first time not backing away or pushing his hand away either. Sooner or later things had to get more heated between the two so a simple loving touch didn't bother her so much anymore. "These people.. they aren't my people."

"After today they are, love." He slowly rubbed her back and tried to make her look at him. "They're as much my people as they are yours."

"Out of everyone, why me?" She finally pulled her eyes off the crowd and back to her husband.

"You seemed sweet and very quick-witted." He smiled. "And from the moment they introduced you, I knew you would stand by me proudly."

"I'm not standing anywhere yet." She may have already been royal before they married, but since she was the youngest of her sisters, she had never been taught how to be a proper queen. She didn't trust herself to lead a country yet.

"You will soon." He gently lifted her hand to his lips and gave the back of it a soft kiss. "Trust me when I say you were born for this."

"I trust you." She slowly nodded and had a slight blush on her cheeks.

"That's all that matters." He gently lifted her chin with his index finger before he closed the gap between them, catching her lips with his as he pulled her in for a slow passionate kiss.

"King Harald." She panted softly after she pulled away, cheeks even redder.

"Not the right moment?" He stroked her hair, letting her decide for herself if she wanted to continue the kiss. He wasn't going to force her into anything. That wasn't like him. If the kiss wasn't what she wanted, Harald would apologize right away.

"No, it's not that." She cleared her throat nervously, but instantly relaxed in his touch. "However, perhaps we should go somewhere more private?"

"Is that really what you wish for, Y/N?" He whispered, cupping her face with his hands.

"I think so." She was a bit uncertain, but she preferred some alone time with the man anyway. The crowd only made her feel more pressured to show forced love to him, and if the traditions were true, after the wedding celebrations six people would accompany them to their bridal bed and she would rather experience things alone with him before that.

"Come on then, sæta." He got up and held out his hand which she took without any hesitation.

She wanted to be out of there badly and especially if it meant exploring her feelings with him before anyone would witness it.

She couldn't imagine how forced and hurried that would be like.

The king brought her to their now shared bedroom, helping her inside before he closed and locked the door so no one could get in and harm them. "You're certain about this my queen?" He questioned again, just to reassure himself that she wanted this too and he wasn't forcing her into anything. He had been raised to respect and care for his women, no matter if it was an arranged marriage and they had to by tradition.

For him and a lot of other Norsemen, unlike the men from England, it was important both sides wanted this.

"Yes, I'm sure of my decision, Harald." She smiled a little, feeling soothed by the way he made sure she was okay with such a thing at all times.

"Come over here, gorgeous~." He returned the sweet smile and watched the woman obey him, carefully closing the gap between them herself now.

Right when she took the last step towards him, she could feel his warm lips on hers again. Tongue playfully exploring her mouth, he sneaked his arms around her thighs and picked her up that way, holding her close to him.

She had to admit it made her feel feelings she never thought she was capable of feeling and here she was, experiencing them with a man she actually started to desire.

"My king~?" She blushed and cupped his face, staring deeply into his darkened eyes filled with lust.

"You're allowed to only say my name, Ketta. You are my wife, not an unknown person to me." He spoke against her lips softly and she nodded.

"Harald~?" She licked her lips slowly to taste more of him when he carefully laid her down on her back.

"What is it?" He made sure to caress every inch of her body, starting with kissing her shoulders as he unlaced the laces of her dress located between her breasts. It instantly made her feel flustered, but didn't stop him and he didn't stop either.

Lust was slowly taking over~ they needed each other badly.

"I desire you." She felt her heart speed up a bit when he took off her dress more with every kiss. It even doubled its speed when his hands and lips finally found her breasts, fingers trailing up and down her breasts before rolling her hardened nipples between his fingers and kissing the valley between them. It instantly caused a strange sensation in her body and she suddenly felt the wet heat worsen between her legs.

"I desire you too, ketta." He muttered against her soft skin, hands moving down to her sides and down to her hips as he pushed the fabric further down.

There she was, bare and open to him.

He had to admit it made his cock grow solid in his trousers right away when he saw her gorgeous body, but he was holding himself back and keeping himself calm.

He wasn't a quick-fuck type of guy, he wanted to treat her like the queen she was.

Despite how he felt about how beautiful she was, she herself was slightly anxious. Nobody had ever seen her without clothes, let alone this vulnerable too, and especially after he slowly spread her legs.

"All I'm asking of you is to loosen up and let me take care of her, sæta, that way it'll feel the best."  He ran his fingers over her wet pussy lips to worship it gently and pulled his hand back again. He knew he had to be careful with her and that's why he needed her to relax for him.

"I'll try my best, Harald." She mumbled, nibbling on her lower lip as he suddenly got on his knees in front of her. "What~ what are you doing?"

"It's okay, my love~." He reassured her as his lips touched her inner thigh, giving it sloppy wet kisses as he trailed his way up to the place that needed to be touched the most.... The place that was aching and begging for nobody but his touch.

"Please." She panted softly, letting the small beg roll of her tongue before she could stop herself. She honestly didn't really know what she was begging for, but it made him chuckle and before she knew it he was giving her clit a loving kiss too. Her chest immediately went up and down faster because of it and the pleasure that shocked through her body increased especially when he wrapped his lips around it and gently started to suck.

That brought her to Valhalla right away.

"Mmhmm~." Y/N arched her back, loving the new delightful feelings as he licked her up, giving her wet pussy long and slow licks before going back to sucking. "Harald~."

"I know, ketta." Harald growled, his hands stroking her inner thighs as he dove right back into her ocean. "I know it feels good." He spoke straight into her core, her whole body shivering because of it.

He needed her ready for him.

He needed this to feel good for her.

Lifting her legs and resting them over his shoulders, he licked her insides a little faster. He wanted her pretty pink pussy more than soaked and ready to take all of him and in no time her legs were already shaking.

He knew she was close, but unfortunately for his beautiful wife he wasn't going to make her cum so soon.

Harald pulled back, his beard covered in her juices, but he didn't care. His eyes landed on his wife again, her pretty eyes filled with lust and her cheeks having this cute red tone, she was so precious to him. "You prefer to have all of me?"

"Yes. I would love to have all of you." She smiled after she managed to get out of her stunned embarrassed state. This was all new to her and seeing him this shameless was unusual so of course it was normal she had to get used to the barefaced activities.

She slowly sat up though and actually managed to help her husband take off his armor before her eyes suddenly landed on the horrifying scars on his chest.

"What happened...?" She raised her hand and carefully outlined them with her fingers.

"It happened before I was crowned king of Norway. A man named Vitomir promised to pay me and my friend Leif a lot of treasure if we could deliver something to the emperor in Constantinople." He proudly explained while he unlaced his trousers. "But there were many Pecheneg camps settled along the shores we sailed."

"Pechenegs...?" Her eyes shot up to his deep hazel ones, staring at him with a slightly dropped jaw.

If there was anything she heard about Pechenegs, it was that they were extremely violent, well, they loved giving their enemies a tough time.

It was a wonder Harald was still alive.

"Yes, Pechenegs." He nodded and crawled on top of her in a hot way, his hands resting on either side of her head to keep his body weight off of her. "The cowards pierced my skin and string me up by my chest to see how much it would take for me to beg for mercy, but I never did."

Y/N listened closely to the king, but actually focused more on the ugly scars.

"Do they still hurt..?" She pushed herself up on her elbows to kiss each scar.

"No, neither do my muscles." He kissed her forehead. "So do not worry about me. We're not here together and bare to worry about my injuries."

"I know." She suddenly blushed again when she felt his hard cock pressing against her thigh. She then wrapped her arms around his neck while her legs spread some more on their own to make room for him between them. "I can feel that we aren't here for that."

"You want it~?" He teased playfully, rubbing his tip between her wet folds which got her body squirming with need.

"Yes, please Harald." She begged, her eyes never leaving his as he grabbed her hand and brought it down to touch his perfectly curved cock.

God, he would be able to hit every spot so well.

"Guide him, love." He let her feel around his already rock hard cock, jerking him a little, and he loved the way she was too embarrassed to look down at what she was doing. It was adorable.

"Guide him...? I don't know how." She whispered, glaring down for a second as he gave her a hint, pressing his tip softly against her tight entrance.

It made her bite her lip, nervous at the sight of him so close to her dripping pussy.

"Right there, guide him in ketta." He whispered in her ear, kissing her neck afterwards while she slowly guided him inside of her tight entrance.

Harald could feel her body protest by the unfamiliar stretch, but he could also tell she wanted this so badly by the way her walls were clenching and throbbing around his big cock.

Slowly, he moved his hips forward into hers, feeling her pussy trying to adjust to just his thick tip as she closed her eyes.

"How are you feeling, love?"

"Wonderful, strange, a slight sting as well perhaps?" She named everything she was experiencing so he could understand what she was feeling and his large hands rubbed her hips to help her body relax again.

"It'll feel like Valhalla soon." He groaned deeply, his cock sinking deeper inside of her while she nuzzled his neck. "And the more we do this, sæta, the better it'll feel for her."

"Really~?" She smiled and gasped when Harald repositioned her hips to a different angle that made his cock go deeper.

"Yes~ and if the gods are in our favor, we might be granted lots of children as well." He wrapped one of his arms around her arched back to keep her that way while he thrusted a bit faster, the curve of his cock brushing against her spot perfectly over and over again.

"I'd love to have your children one day." She moaned softly, tightening her walls around him.

"I know you do." He smirked and reached down between their sweating bodies, fingertips stroking that small bundle of nerves to help send her over the edge. "It's alright, ketta~ let it go and give me what I want so I can give you my seed and have you bear my children."

Her body began to shake by his words and she couldn't suppress her loud moans anymore. This feeling, the feeling that was so right and wrong at the same time was just too enjoyable.

She and her body couldn't take much more of it honestly.

Inhaling deeply, the woman gave into the strange yet delightful feeling and finally the knot of pleasure exploded, the wonderful feelings coursing through her entire body as she clung to her husband.

"Harald~ oh gods." She smiled and panted, feeling his cock twitch against her spot before he came deep inside of her and coated her tight walls with his seed.

"You felt so perfect, my queen." He buried his face on the crook of her neck, leaving short loving kisses there while he slowly thrusted his cum deeper into her.

"So what now, my king?" She spoke softly not to interrupt the peace they both felt and he carefully pulled out.

"We go back to the feast and make sure we do this again at the end of our wedding~ hoping my seed will take soon." He smiled and gently helped her stand up so he could redress her.

[behindfairytales]

LEO SUTER as Harald Sigurdsson Vikings: Valhalla, Pecheneg (2.07)

[viking-chaos]

Harald Sigurdsson | Leo Suter Vikings: Valhalla | 2.07: Pecheneg

[mapsontheweb]

Map of Bulgarian and Hungarian migration into Europe.

by hunmapper

Note: the aim of this map is to show the main stages of the migration of Bulgarians (red) and Hungarians (green). This map covers a very long time, and there are a lot of uncertainties regarding the topic. 

Differences: Origins: Bulgarians: The Bulgarians originated from various Slavic and Turkic tribes in the Eurasian steppes. Hungarians: The Hungarians, or Magyars, originated from the Ural Mountains region in present-day Russia and mixed with Turkic tribes on the Steppe. Motivation for Migration: Bulgarians: The Bulgarians migrated southward into the Balkans in search of better agricultural land and to escape conflicts in their original territories. Hungarians: The Hungarians migrated westward and settled in the Carpathian Basin due to a combination of factors, including pressure from nomadic tribes like the Pechenegs and Khazars. Language and Culture: Bulgarians: The Bulgarians adopted a Slavic language and culture upon settling in the Balkans, which eventually evolved into the Bulgarian culture. Hungarians: The Hungarians retained their Uralic language and cultural heritage, which makes them distinct from the surrounding European cultures. Similarities: Migration Patterns: Both migrations involved groups of people moving from their original homelands to new territories in search of better living conditions, whether due to agricultural opportunities or avoiding external pressures. Impact on the Region: The migrations of both Bulgarians and Hungarians had a significant impact on the regions they settled in. They contributed to the cultural and historical development of the areas where they established themselves.

[avetruth]

Karl H. Menges. Etymological notes on some Päčänäg names (1944-1945)

Karl H. Menges. Etymological notes on some Päčänäg names (1944-1945) https://www.avetruthbooks.com/2023/09/karl-h-menges-etymological-notes-on-some-pacanag-names-1944-1945.html?feed_id=17678