“There was a huge, bear-like, disheveled man in the taiga who looked both like a water spirit and a forest deity… He was as tall as a pine tree with its branches cut off… wearing moose skins around his mighty shoulders. He would pierce the darkness, staring with his ugly bloodshot eyes, and uproot mighty spruces… With his wide, large-toothed mouth, he could swallow a cow… The Komi called him the forest dweller — Yag-Mort…”
This is an extract from the legend that formed the literary basis of Vasily Ignatov’s graduation project. He was the first artist to portray Yag-Mort, the most famous evil character in Komi legends. As a graduate of the Animation Department at the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography, he dedicated his final project to the fairy tale titled “The Woodsman” which is the literal meaning of the name Yag-Mort. The production was rated “excellent” and participated in the third nationwide exhibition of projects designed by Soviet art institute graduates in 1954.
The image of Yag-Mort was further explored in Komi art. In 1961, the first Komi ballet “Yag-Mort” premiered, with scenic design by Vasily Ignatov. The production was awarded a diploma of the All-Russian Theater Festival and was performed at the Kremlin Palace of Congresses. In 2021, the 60th anniversary of the ballet and the 100th anniversary of the Komi Republic were celebrated with the fifth production of “Yag-Mort”.
In the area of easel graphic works, the image was explored by Vasily Ignatov who created three series of works dedicated to Yag-Mort: “Yag-Mort”, “Komi Tales and Legends”, and “The Legend of Yag-Mort”. The series “Komi Tales and Legends” was distinguished by particularly close attention to the image of Yag-Mort. The artist’s unique style, combining emphatic lines, emotional colors, and unique interaction between painting techniques and wood texture, helped him create an unusual and recognizable image. The National Gallery of the Komi Republic houses three works from this series: “Yag-Mort Sends Winds”, “Yag-Mort Darkens the Sun”, and “Yag-Mort Burns Downs Komi Villages”.
According to local mythology, the Zyryans only managed to defeat the mighty Yag-Mort after he kidnapped the daughter of an elder. The beautiful girl’s groom gathered an army that fought Yag-Mort tirelessly and finally cut off his hands so that he could not harm them but could show them to his lair. When the noble fighters found the girl dead, they killed the giant and buried him on the riverbank. Legend has it that the hill on his grave is still there and unexplained phenomena occur in its vicinity.
