Drina (died 867) was a Byzantine servant who worked in Emperor Basil's palace in Constantinople in the 9th century.
Biography[]
One night in 867, two vipers were set loose onto the palace grounds. The culprit had intended for them to kill Leo, Emperor Basil's son, but one viper caught sight of Drina and attacked her instead. She succumbed to its venom and her corpse was later found by the Hidden One Hytham while undercover as a Varangian guard.[1] He slew the vipers,[1] and the following morning, the other servants removed Drina's body.[2]
Legacy[]
Drina's death had a profound impact on the young Leo. Through Basil's influence, he was convinced that by inadvertently leaving his bedroom door open to the outside, he had allowed the snakes to enter[2] and so consequently blamed himself, much to Hytham's discomfort.[3]
Appearances[]
References[]
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||