Ilya As A Saint
It is generally believed that Muromets's prototype was St Ilya Pechorsky, a minor saint of the Orthodox Church, beatified in 1643. According to hagiography, before taking his monastic vows Ilya was a warrior famous for his strength. His nickname was Chobitok, Old Russian for "Boot", given to him after an incident when Ilya, caught by surprise, fought enemies with his boot only.
In 1988, Soviet archeologists exhumed Ilya's Chobitko remains, stored in Kiev Pechersk lavra, and studied them. Their report suggested that at least some parts of the legend may be true: the man was tall, and his bones carried signs of spinal disease at early age and marks from numerous wounds, one of which was fatal.
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