In an effort to get some excitment I am going to start some discussion on the Rus. So with no good place to start, I am going to go with who the Rus were.

The Rus or Varangians were described in 922 by the Arab diplomat Ibn Fadlan thus:

“Never before have I seen people of more perfect physique. They are tall as date-palms, blonde and ruddy.” (Roesdahl, 1991)

However, he also said of them:

“They are the filthiest of Allah’s creatures; they do not wash after shitting and peeing, nor after sexual intercourse, and do not wash after eating. They are like wayward donkeys” (Ibid.)


According to Ibn Fadlan, the Rus he encountered did wash once a day, but all used the same water, and their ablutions included spitting and blowing their noses into the communal washbowl and handing it to the next person. He may have been exaggerating to shock his fastidious Arab audience.