The admissions files / Around 1240–1260
Onfim has added a horse
A medieval writing exercise took a promising turn. There was still some alphabet, but now there was cavalry.
Onfim was a boy in medieval Novgorod. The State Historical Museum estimates he was six or seven. He practiced writing by scratching into birch bark.
On one surviving piece, the alphabet gets a modest corner. A horseman gets most of the room. Beside him, in case anyone missed the casting, is Onfim’s name.
If you are going to improve a writing exercise, a hero with your name beside him is a strong start.
Scholars call this document 200. The rider is striking an enemy. Things have escalated somewhat beyond penmanship.
I can picture the modern paperwork. The art folder fills. Which horses deserve saving? Onfim’s work has outlasted every refrigerator door in history. It now has catalog numbers.
Document 199 has two sides. Inside, there is more alphabet, then rows of syllables. Outside is a framed greeting from Onfim to Danilo, plus a drawing of a beast. Below the frame, the catalog’s English translation gives its caption as “I am a beast.” That is an excellent thing for a drawing to say about itself.
I can picture a practice sheet at the kitchen table. The first line is careful. By the fourth, someone is adding a dragon.
The creature has four legs, a long neck, and a tail with real commitment to curling. I wouldn’t ask a zoologist to weigh in. Accuracy can wait until the tail gets another turn.
A child learning a serious skill found room for his own interests. I hope the alphabet got finished. I am glad the horse made it in.