Network analysis of the Kyiv bylyny cycle -- east Slavic epic narratives

TL;DR

This study applies network science to analyze the social structures in the Kyiv bylyny epic cycle, revealing universal and unique features and supporting humanities hypotheses about key characters.

Contribution

It introduces a quantitative network analysis of East Slavic bylyny, comparing them with other European epics to uncover social and narrative patterns.

Findings

Kyiv bylyny share structural features with other heroic epics.

Community detection highlights key characters like Prince Volodymyr.

Network analysis supports existing humanities hypotheses.

Abstract

In recent times, the advent of network science permitted new quantitative approaches to literary studies. Here we bring the Kyiv bylyny cycle into the field - East Slavic epic narratives originating in modern-day Ukraine. By comparing them to other prominent European epics, we identify universal and distinguishing properties of the social networks in bylyny. We analyse community structures and rank the most important characters. The method allows to bolster hypotheses from humanities literature - such as the position of Prince Volodymyr - and to generate new ones We show how the Kyiv cycle of bylyny fits very well with narrative networks from other nations - especially heroic ones. We anticipate that, besides delivering new narratological insights, this study will aid future scholars and interested public to navigate their way through Ukraine's epic story and identify its heroes.