The coffee-table book “Unholy” by F. G. Borghi (illustrations) and Björn Koll (text) is the first “almost complete hagiography of gay saints” — and as devotional art tends to do, the iconic male figures aren’t just available as a book but also as a postcard booklet or a calendar. And for us, too. Once a month we bow to the gay saints of the month. In May, we honor Saint Oleg.
Oleg (Cyrillic Олег; Old East Slavic Ольгъ/Ѡлегъ; Church Slavic Ольгъ Вѣщии and Old Norse Helgi) was a ruler of the Rus. He was born in 860 in Old Uppsala (Gamla Uppsala) and died in 922 in Kiev. He was also called “Oleg the Swift.” This epithet wasn’t earned because he reached orgasm particularly quickly during sex (notable scholars could prove otherwise), but because he was incredibly fast at initiating contact. With his open and friendly — that is, Slavic — demeanor, he dazzled every man in an instant.
Other scholars, on the other hand, argue the correct translation should be “Oleg the Great,” which probably explains itself without needing to consult our depiction. Otherwise, he moved the seat of power for his realm in 882 from Novgorod to Kyiv and is regarded as the founder of the Kievian Rus. There, diversity was celebrated.
Oleg himself was a Varangian, but his sexual partners included Varangians, Ilmen Slavs, the Chudes, Slavs, Krivichs, Merer, Drewlanen, Ramimitschen, Poljanen, Sewerjanen, Vyatitschen, Chorwwaten, Duleben and, of course, Tiwerzen. In other words, pretty much every people group that inhabited the region between the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea.
With a correspondingly diverse entourage, he set out in 907 on a warlike mission toward Constantinople, where he met Saint Nicholas (or encountered him, depending on the telling) who drove away his warlike intentions (the editors’ note: the book “Unholy” explores this point in greater depth). Oleg realized that sex and trade are better than violence. Rather than razing the city (that would only happen much later, in 1453), he concluded a trade agreement with the Byzantine emperor, which allowed him to earn a substantial sum. The result was an extravagant lifestyle. One should note his highly fashionable leg jewelry made of solid gold (appearances in the image, though, are not fully visible).
That a golden gate was later built in Kiev isn’t surprising either. Oleg’s close ties to the Byzantine Empire helped ensure that Orthodoxy left its mark on the Kievan Rus, explaining the Orthodox influences that persist in today’s Ukraine and Russia. Oleg himself is said to have cared little for religion, claiming that it was always “only about the really important things.”
The holy Oleg is traditionally invoked for matters of grandeur and speed, or for anything involving gold. His feast day is May 13, and every year the price of gold rises on that date.
This text is an excerpt from the book “Unholy” by F.G. Borghi (illustrations) and Björn Koll (text), published by Salzgeber. In the preface, it states: “What you are about to read belongs to the category Historical Fiction; some might even call it historical nonsense. In short: none of the saints described here ever lived, and none of the claims about them are true.” All “Unholy” products as well as many other non-heteronormative books and films are available, among others, at Salzgeber.Shop.
F. G. Borghi, Björn Koll: Unholy. An Almost Complete Hagiography of Gay Saints. Texte auf Deutsch und Englisch. 192 Seiten. Salzgeber. Berlin 2025. Hardcover: 59 € (ISBN 978-3-95985-713-0)
