v.

Godfather's Trap

Act II — The Empress Released
Intro
140 bpm in 3/4 time. A sinister, plucking harpsichord plays a waltz melody. Joined by a heavy, sliding bass guitar and a swinging drum beat.
Verse 1
Vocals are playful, mocking, and deeply theatrical, almost like a stage play.

The Emperor smiles with his golden teeth
He pours me the wine in his palace of light
He says, "Oh, Queen Olga, your beauty is rare,
Why don't we unite our two empires tonight?"
He wants to consume me, absorb my domain
He thinks I'm a widow desperate for a man
But I see the dagger behind the bouquet
So I'll play the game with a much better plan.

Pre-Chorus
Strings swell, the waltz gets heavier and more distorted

"I am a pagan," I bow and I say.
"I cannot marry a man of the cross!
If you want my hand in your holy estate,
You must be the one who baptizes the loss."

Chorus
The metal waltz fully kicks in. Guitars are thick and swaying. Vocals are soaring but cunning.

Dance the waltz on the marble floor!
Always one step ahead of the Byzantine door!
You wanted a bride, you wanted a prize,
But you're blinded by gold and your own foolish pride!
Dip me in water, wash away my sins,
Let the holy ceremony finally begin!
Checkmate the Emperor, smile in his face!
I'm walking away with the Kyivan grace!

Verse 2

The water is cold but the strategy's hot
He blesses my forehead and calls me his own
He stands as my Godfather under the cross
Thinking he's just bought the Kyivan throne!
But as soon as the water dries on my skin
He asks for my hand to make the knot tie
I look at the bishops, I look at the priest,
And I let out a very theatrical sigh.

Pre-Chorus

"Oh, dearest Emperor," I say with a grin.
"Church law forbids what you're asking of me!
A Godfather cannot marry his child!
It's a spiritual incest, don't you agree?"

Chorus

Dance the waltz on the marble floor!
Always one step ahead of the Byzantine door!
You wanted a bride, you wanted a prize,
But you're blinded by gold and your own foolish pride!
Dip me in water, wash away my sins,
Let the holy ceremony finally begin!
Checkmate the Emperor, smile in his face!
I'm walking away with the Kyivan grace!

Bridge
The music strips back to just the harpsichord and a ticking clock sound.

Did you think a woman who burned down a town
Would just hand over her crown?
Did you think the fire could be put out by you?
Emperor, Emperor... you played the fool.

Final Chorus
Maximum gothic symphonic grandeur. Heavy choirs join the waltz.

Dance the waltz on the marble floor!
Always one step ahead of the Byzantine door!
You wanted a bride, you wanted a prize,
But you're blinded by gold and your own foolish pride!
Dip me in water, wash away my sins,
Let the holy ceremony finally begin!
Checkmate the Emperor, smile in his face!
I'm walking away with the Kyivan grace!

Outro
A wicked, echoing laugh from the vocalist as the waltz abruptly stops.

---

The history

957 AD · Constantinople · in the days following Olga’s baptism

Source: Russian Primary Chronicle, entry for 955 (the date is compressed; the actual visit was 957); not corroborated by Byzantine sources.

Named figures

  • Olga of Kiev Newly-baptised Christian queen of the Rus’
  • Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos Byzantine emperor; in the Chronicle’s account, would-be suitor; in actual fact, married to Helena Lekapena

What this song renders

The marriage-proposal story is unique to the Primary Chronicle. Constantine VII’s own De Ceremoniis, which describes Olga’s receptions in detail, makes no mention of any such proposal. The emperor’s wife Helena was alive and at the receptions. The Chronicle’s account is almost certainly literary — a tale told later in Rus’ tradition to magnify Olga’s wit at the expense of the famous emperor.

Two readings are possible. One: a real diplomatic exchange — perhaps a politically charged offer of dynastic alliance, or a flirtation — was preserved and embellished into the Chronicle’s clean trap. Two: the entire scene is invented as a folkloric punchline, structurally similar to the four-fold revenge stories about the Drevlians.

Either way, the scene is the Chronicle’s argument about Olga’s temperament. She is not just dangerous in the field; she is dangerous at the table. The album takes the story at face value as a Chronicle-attested anecdote and marks it clearly as Rus’-tradition rather than independently confirmed.

Verdict

The marriage-trap story is from the Primary Chronicle alone. Constantine VII was demonstrably married at the time and the Byzantine sources do not record the proposal. Treat it as legendary embellishment that nonetheless preserves something real about how Olga was remembered.

See the full Truth, Saga & Legend entry