An okhlupen, better known as a konyok and knyazyok, was a roof ridge ornament of a traditional house in Old Rus’. It was carved at the end of a solid, roof ridge log, which supported the roof. Komi-Permyaks believed in the protective power of the horse (kon'); according to pagan beliefs, it existed before our world was created. The supreme god En, revered as God the Father after the Christianization of Perm the Great, rode a celestial horse. A horse’s head on the roof of the house brought prosperity to the family and protected it from Voypel, the god of the north wind.

The belief in magical protection of man, his dwelling, household items and domestic animals by means of using cult objects, amulets and images originated in the primordial era and has partially survived to this day. In ancient times, man did not consider himself the Lord of nature, but was only an insignificant part of it. Pagans endowed animals with supernatural powers and explained natural phenomena with the help of spirits and deities. Man needed their protection — hence the ritual worship, sacrifices and belief in talismans.

Komi-Permyak people braided amulets into their hair, suspended them on their necks and belts, so that the rattle would scare away evil forces. Clothes were decorated with printed ornaments, houses were filled with pagan symbols of a horse, a deer, a bird and the sun. In all these cases, the key idea was to protect all points of entry so that “evil-doers” could not penetrate a person. All openings, apertures, gates, windows and doors were ornamented. The roof ridge ornament was the soul of the house, and each house had a unique one. There were proud, impetuous, mighty, heroic, small, modest, and perky ones, unlike any other.

It was not only a horse that could crown the roof, but also a bird. According to a Komi-Permyak legend, the world was created from the earth, which the Duck had brought from the bottom of the sea. The bird appeared in the form of a duck or in the form of a fairy tsar-bird with a grand crown instead of a crest. The ochlupen looked like an animated creature, which changed its appearance at different times of the year. The unpainted wood gradually darkened by winds and rains, was covered with patterns of moss. Illuminated by the sun, under the bright northern sky it acquired a silvery hue, and the bird seemed to be floating in the air. In rainy weather against the background of the leaden sky the horse-okhlupen looked like a black stern silhouette. The ornament was especially beautiful during a quiet white night.