Abstract
The paper focuses on the so-called Normanist controversy over the beginnings of the first realm in the East-Slavic region, that has been flaring up again lately in connection with world-wide increasing nationalism. The author sketches an overview of history and development of an almost 300 years long discussion up to the beginning of the 21st century.
She systemizes the most significant works of Normanists and Anti-Normanists into thematic groups in order to show similarities and variations not only between, but also within the main movements, which are far from coherent. The controversy has always been very emotive (especially because it involves origin of the name Russia itself) and dependent on many unscientific arguments, that have been formed by various official or national ideologies and schools of thoughts and last but not least patriotism of the scientists involved.