Gostomysl — Russian folklore character

Gostomysl is a legendary 9th-century prince or posadnik of Novgorod who was introduced into the historiography by Vasily Tatishchev, an 18th-century historian. Gostomysl's rule is associated with the confederation of Northern tribes, which was formed to counter the Varangian threat in the mid-9th century and embraced the Ilmen Slavs, Krivichs, Merya, and Chud. Sergey Platonov and Aleksey Shakhmatov believed that the capital of the confederation was in modern Russa and Gostomysl could have been one of its leaders.
The legend of Gostomysl was much aired by the writers and composers working in the nationalist milieu of Catherine II's reign.