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The death of Igor filled the hearts of the Drevlians with hope. Their great enemy was gone; the new prince was a child: might they not gain power as well as liberty? Their prince Male should marry Olga the widow, and all would be well with them. So twenty of their leading men were sent to Kief, where they presented themselves to the queenly regent.
They entered Kief over the grave of their murdered countrymen without knowing where they trod, and came to the palace expecting to be hospitably entertained. Olga had a bath made ready for them, and sent them word, "First take a bath, that you may refresh yourselves after the fatigue of your journey, then come into my presence." The bath was heated, and the Drevlians entered it.
When this was done she directed the trizna to be set out. The Drevlians drank freely, while the men of Kief served them with the intoxicating beverage. "Where are the friends whom we sent to you?" they asked. "They are coming with the friends of my husband," she replied. And so the feast went on until the unsuspecting Drevlians were stupid with drink.
Those were days when news crept slowly, and the Drevlians did not dream of Olga's treachery. The Drevlians, full of joy at this message, gathered honey in quantities and brewed it into hydromel. Then Olga sought the tomb, followed by a small guard who were only lightly armed. For a while she wept over the tomb. Then she ordered a great mound of honor to be heaped over it.
The Drevlians, driven to extremity, came with arms instead of gold, attacked the king and his few followers, and killed the whole of them upon the spot. And thus in blood ended the career of this white-haired tribute-seeker. The fallen prince left behind him a widow named Olga and a son named Sviatoslaf, who was still a child, as Igor had been at the death of his father.
Then Olga sent messengers to the land of the Drevlians, with this message to their prince: "If you really wish for me, send me men of the highest consideration in your country, that my people may be induced to let me go, and that I may come to you with honor and dignity." This message had its effect. The chief men of the country were now sent as ambassadors.
Then Olga bade her guards draw their weapons and slay her foes, and a great slaughter began. When it ended, five thousand Drevlians lay dead at her feet. Olga's revenge was far from being complete: her thirst for blood grew as it was fed.
More, he thought, might be squeezed out of the Drevlians, but he wanted this extra plunder for himself. So he sent his army on to Kief, and went back with a small force to the country of the Drevlians, where he held out his hand with the sword in it for more. He got more than he bargained for.
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