Oseledets
Style of haircut
Oseledets (Ukrainian: оселедець, pronounced [oseˈlɛdetsʲ]) or chub (чуб [tʃub]) is a traditional Ukrainian hairstyle that features a long lock of hair sprouting from the top or the front of an otherwise closely shaven head (similar to a modern Mohawk). Most commonly it is associated with the Zaporozhian Cossacks.
01History
The earliest description of a possible oseledets comes from a description of Sviatoslav I (d. 972), prince of the Kievan Rus'. Sviatoslav's appearance has been described very clearly by Leo the Deacon, who himself attended the meeting of Sviatoslav with John I Tzimiskes. Following Deacon's memories, Sviatoslav had a bald head and a wispy beard and wore a bushy mustache and a sidelock as a sign of his nobility.
A distinctive appearance of Turkic Kizilbash was a shaved beard with long moustache and a shaved head with a long lock, akin to the oseledets.
During the 16th and 17th century, the Cossacks of Ukraine shaved their heads, leaving a long central strip which was often braided or tied in a topknot.
The oseledets underwent a revival among romantics and nationalists during the early 20th century. Romantic painters associated Leo the Deacon's description of Sviatoslav's appearance and equestrian lifestyle with the cossacks and depicted him as such.
After independence, the oseledets made a comeback among modern Ukrainians. It was seen during the Euromaidan protests of 2014.
The Ukrainian name for this type of haircut is oseledets (Ukrainian: оселедець, literally "herring") or chub (Ukrainian: чуб, meaning "crest"). There are several Ukrainian surnames derived from this word.
The oseledets/khokhol is a standard feature in the stereotypical image of a Ukrainian Cossack. This haircut is depicted in various motion pictures such as The Lost Letter that is based on works of Nikolai Gogol.
02Khokhol
Historically, Ukrainians used the term khokhol amongst themselves as a form of ethnic self-identification to visibly separate themselves from Russians.
A Russian name for the oseledets hairstyle, khokhol (хохол, Russian pronunciation: [xɐˈxol]) is commonly used as an ethnic slur for a Ukrainian male (feminine form: Russian: хохлу́шка, romanized: khokhlushka), as it was a common haircut of Ukrainian Cossacks. The term is usually derogatory or condescending. The word comes from Proto-Slavic xoxolъ < *koxolъ, lit. 'crest, tuft'. Accordingly, Khokhliandiya (Russian: Хохляндия, Хохландия) and Khokhlostan (Russian: Хохлостан) are derogatory references to Ukraine.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Oseledets”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Slav warrior from Solntsev book.jpg by Fedor Solntsev, Public domain
- Arms of the house of Schwarzenberg (1599).svg by MostEpic, CC BY-SA 4.0
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