Travelling to Staraya Ladoga is like travelling back to a time when Vikings ruled in Russia. According to Russia’s foundation myth, a group of Vikings known as the Rus and led by the semi-mythological Ryurik sailed up the River Volkhov and arrived in Staraya Ladoga (then just known as Lagoda - ‘staraya’ means ‘old’ and was added later to distinguish it from Novaya Ladoda - ‘New Ladoga’). According to the Russian chronicle, Ryurik was invited by the local Slavic and Finno-Ugric tribes to rule over them and he founded a dynasty that only ended in the time of Ivan the Terrible. Today this chronicle entry has become the main theme of Staraya Ladoga and with its impressive fortress, winding river and ancient burial mounds, there is certainly a real sense of history here.