Bylina (; pl. Byliny ; sometimes named Stariny ) is a traditional epic, heroic narrative poem of the early East Slavs of Kievan Rus. This poetic tradition continued in Russia and Ukraine. Bylina comes from the Russian "byl'" (быль), a word which signifies a story of real events, as opposed to a fictional one and a cognate of the English verb to be. Bylinas are a kind of poetry without rhyme (blank verse), but with a characteristic rhythm, a kind of free verse. Most bylin… (More on Bylina)