ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Symbols of the Rurikids

Alright kiddo, do you know what a symbol is? It's like a picture that represents something or somebody. An example is the heart shape, which represents love. In this case, we're going to talk about the symbols of the Rurikids.

The Rurikids were a very important family in Russia a long, long time ago. They had a lot of power and did many important things for the country. And like many people and families, they had symbols that represented them.

One of these symbols was the griffin. Do you know what a griffin is? It's kind of like a big bird with a lion's body and eagle's head. It's a mythical creature, which means it's not real, but people used to believe in it a lot. The Rurikids used the griffin as a symbol because it was very powerful and important, just like they were.

Another symbol they used was the two-headed eagle. This is a real animal, but the Rurikids used it because it was a very strong and majestic bird. The two heads represented two kingdoms or empires coming together under one rule. So it meant that the Rurikids ruled over two different places, but they were still united.

Finally, the Rurikids also used a special cross as a symbol. This cross was called the Russian Orthodox cross and it had three horizontal bars instead of just one. This cross was important to the Rurikids because they were very religious and this cross was a symbol of their faith.

So, to recap little buddy, the Rurikids were a powerful family in Russia a long time ago and they had special symbols that represented them. These symbols included the griffin, the two-headed eagle, and the Russian Orthodox cross.