Tale of the Destruction of the Rus' Land
| Tale of the Destruction of the Russian Land | |
|---|---|
| «Слово ѡ погибели Рꙋскыꙗ земли» | |
Title page of a 16th-century manuscript preserved in Pskov | |
| Author(s) | author unknown |
| Language | Old East Slavic |
| Date | around 1238—1246 |
| Manuscript(s) | 2 |
| Genre | Word |
| Period covered | Battle of the Sit River (12th century) |
The Tale of the Destruction of the Russian Land (Old East Slavic: Слово ѡ погибели Рꙋскыꙗ земли, romanized: Slovo o pogibeli Russkoi zemli) is a text of Old East Slavic literature dating back to the 13th century and known from two manuscripts of the 15th and 16th centuries. It is a reflection on the Mongol invasion of Rus.
This is one of the most significant works in the Old East Slavic genre of the word, which is considered the forerunner of the essay genre. The text is not fully known, as only fragments of it have survived.