Oponskoye Kingdom

History

The myth of the Utopian kingdom of old Russia is similar to other myths of "earthly paradises", - out of sight but possibly reachable - like Shambhala, El Dorado, etc. - by the right courageous explorer.

Initially some Russians treated the tale of Belovodye as hearsay about a real place. Groups of peasants from various regions of Russia wandered in the far north of Russia trying to find the mythical utopia. There was strain of Old Believers called "Runners" (Russian: Бегуны) or "Wanderers" (Russian: странники), since they spent their lives wandering, and some researchers asserted that they were instrumental in the propagation of the legend. However other researchers have arguments against this hypothesis. About 1900 the tale gradually transformed from a "real thing" into an element of Russian folklore.