Legend of the death of Oleg the Prophet

Oleg of Novgorod (Old Norse: Helgi) was a Varangian (Viking) prince (or konung) who ruled all or part of the Rus' people during the late 9th and early 10th centuries. In the Primary Chronicle, Oleg is known as the Prophet, an epithet alluding to the sacred meaning of his Norse name ("priest"). According to the legend it was prophesied by the pagan priests that Oleg would take death from his stallion. To defy the prophecies, Oleg sent the horse away. Many years later he asked where his horse was, and was told it had died. He asked to see the remains and was taken to the place where the bones lay. When he touched the horse's skull with his boot a snake slithered from the skull and bit him. Oleg died, thus fulfilling the prophecy.