‘Evil-cunning wife', ‘damned Marfa': myths and historical sources about the role of Marfa Boretskaya in the political struggle of Moscow and Novgorod and in the outdation of the northern monasteries

Еxamination of the sources (annalistic codes, verbal folklore) not only allows us to determine the reliability of the historical texts, but also helps us to actualize the events of the past. Marfa Boretskaya's name is well-known by the historians, but as sources indicate, the role in the foundation of the northern monasteries is grossly exaggerated.