Coarse language is one of the striking features of Russian. It appears to have always been part of the culture in its own right and, with its help, moods and thoughts acquire clearer expression. No other language has such a variety and such a number of swear words, although in Russian they are derivatives of only a few "roots".
Obscene language was used as far back as the time of the Slavic pagan tribes. It was resorted to when performing rituals such as exorcizing evil spirits from a house.
To demonstrate that pagans were real barbarians, the Russian Primary Chronicle - the 'Tale of Bygone Years' - says that, prior to the Baptism of Russia, Slavic tribes had "lived in the forest like any wild beast, and ate every unclean thing. They spoke obscenely before their fathers and their daughters-in-law". ['The Russian Primary Chronicle: Laurentian Text', tr. and ed. Samuel Hazzard Cross and Olgerd P. Sherbowitz-Wetzor]
