The Hero

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TALES OF THE GOLDEN APPLES

Context

The basis of this work is the Tatar fairy tale «The Golden Bird». It likely appeared during the Volga Bulgaria period and tells of the dualistic beginning of the world, embodying the fate of two brothers: one overcomes many obstacles, defeats the dragon and marries the daughter of a padishah, but only the second can return him from the dead.

A fragment from the fairy tale:
«A little time had passed, and the seven-headed azhdaha (a dragon-like creature) flies up to the house. He sees our dzhigit (brave man) and hisses:
«Why did you come here?»
The dzhigit says:
«I came to fight with you!»
«Many warriors — some better than you — have been here,» says azhdaha, «but I killed them all! And you won't be left alive!»
The azhdaha said these words and rushed at the warrior. It burns with fire from all seven mouths and wants to tear him apart with its sharp claws. Trees fall to the ground, breaking and burning. The azhdaha wants to grab the dzhigit by the head, and the dzhigit dodges. He waits for the azhdaha to turn away, waves his sword, and demolishes three heads at once. The furious azhdaha becomes even more enraged, flies up and rushes to the dzhigit. And the dzhigit again dodges, deftly waves his sword and cut downs another three heads from azhdaha. The azhdaha is left with one head, but he doesn't become weaker; he throws himself at the dzigit, about to bite his head off. And the dzigit begins to run out of strength. He gathers his last strength, waves his sword and chops off the azhdaha's tail. The dzhigit feels that he has no more strength for the battle with the azhdaha. He then calls on the help of the animals. The animals come running, rushed up to the azhdaha to help. A bear tears at the azhdaha from one side, a wolf and a lion from the other, and a fox and a hare from behind help. The azhdaha is torn to bits.»

«Golden Bird», translated by M. Bulatov («Tatar Folk Tales», 1957)

An illustration for «The Golden Bird» fairy tale («Tatar folk tales», 1957).

A fragment from the fairy tale:
«A little time had passed, and the seven-headed azhdaha (a dragon-like creature) flies up to the house. He sees our dzhigit (brave man) and hisses:
«Why did you come here?»
The dzhigit says:
«I came to fight with you!»
«Many warriors — some better than you — have been here,» says azhdaha, «but I killed them all! And you won't be left alive!»
The azhdaha said these words and rushed at the warrior. It burns with fire from all seven mouths and wants to tear him apart with its sharp claws. Trees fall to the ground, breaking and burning. The azhdaha wants to grab the dzhigit by the head, and the dzhigit dodges. He waits for the azhdaha to turn away, waves his sword, and demolishes three heads at once. The furious azhdaha becomes even more enraged, flies up and rushes to the dzhigit. And the dzhigit again dodges, deftly waves his sword and cut downs another three heads from azhdaha. The azhdaha is left with one head, but he doesn't become weaker; he throws himself at the dzigit, about to bite his head off. And the dzigit begins to run out of strength. He gathers his last strength, waves his sword and chops off the azhdaha's tail. The dzhigit feels that he has no more strength for the battle with the azhdaha. He then calls on the help of the animals. The animals come running, rushed up to the azhdaha to help. A bear tears at the azhdaha from one side, a wolf and a lion from the other, and a fox and a hare from behind help. The azhdaha is torn to bits.»

«Golden Bird», translated by M. Bulatov («Tatar Folk Tales», 1957)

An illustration for «The Golden Bird» fairy tale («Tatar folk tales», 1957).

«Dragon fighting episode in this tale is international by its nature. The plot is common in 91 traditions of Euro-Afro-Asian region and can be found in Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Buryat, Mongolian, Pakistani, Syrian, Russian, Tatar, Turkish, Swedish, Finnish, English, Brazilian, Mexican tales and among others.»

Nikita Petrov

Head of the Laboratory of Theoretical Folklore Studies, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA); Associate Professor at the Center for Typology and Semiotics of Folklore, Russian State University for the Humanities (RSUH); Senior Researcher, Center for the Study of Folklore and Anthropology of the City, Moscow School of Social and Economic Sciences (Shaninka)

Process

Art form: mural
Method: Byzantine fresco painting
Material: acrylic paint, brushes, сharcoal

Ital. Mural — wall

Monumental wall painting created on a faсade or a blank wall of a building or any other urban architectural objects.

«The aesthetics of Fikos distinguishes him from all the muralists living in our time. He consciously brings the icon-painting technique of Byzantine frescoes into a completely secular field of urban landscapes. And all his images speak with the visual language of antiquity, a common language for our civilization. Looking at Fikos' murals, it's hard to imagine that they were created in the 21st century by an artist with a graffiti background. They breathe with eternity. In choosing this artist, we sought to emphasize how ancient this region is, in the awareness of which a trace of the Volga Bulgarian state is preserved.

The cosmopolitanism and globalization that distinguished the state of the Golden Horde are like colors and events that have appeared throughout time. And from all the events of the fairy tale «The Golden Bird» (a long narrative, apparently combined from several fairy tales), the artist chooses a moment of struggle full of beautiful humanity, which everyone lives on a daily basis. I would like to note how Fikos uses Greek letters to mark the walls before transferring the picture, and how he selected colors looking at the surrounding landscapes, the hills of Almetyevsk.»

Polina Yozh

Project lead, curator, founder of the Institute for Research on Street Art

Working on the mural, 2018.

Wall layout during work on «Defender» before transferring drawing, 2018.

Working on the mural, 2018.

Wall layout during work on «Defender» before transferring drawing, 2018.

Author

«Painting around the world is very interesting, not only for the chance to spread your style around, but also to be able to combine it with local tradition. This is not only a challenge, but also a science. Studying local mythology allows you to look under the surface of cultural differences between countries and see that, in essence, we are all the same. We are people. Creatures with imagination, fears, strong social instincts and creativity, but also with limits to possibilities. All this creates faith in something more than ourselves. Faith in the Hero who will save us from evil, faith in abstract values such as Justice and Rights, faith in Science, faith in God. Deep inside, we share the same needs. The fairy tale «The Golden Bird» is a Tatar version of the story of a hero who kills a dragon in order to save a princess, a story that unites different cultures, eras and religions around the world.»

Fikos (Athens)

Artist

fikos.gr

In the past, graffiti artist Fikos defined his style as «modern Byzantine painting» — thus he transfers an antique visual system to the streets of modern cities in France, England, Ireland, Switzerland, Mexico, Spain and other countries. In our case, his style combined Tatar, Russian, Byzantine and Volga-Bulgarian cultures.

«Battle of the Centaurs» at the ArtWalk Festival. Patras (Greece), 2018.

In the past, graffiti artist Fikos defined his style as «modern Byzantine painting» — thus he transfers an antique visual system to the streets of modern cities in France, England, Ireland, Switzerland, Mexico, Spain and other countries. In our case, his style combined Tatar, Russian, Byzantine and Volga-Bulgarian cultures.

«Battle of the Centaurs» at the ArtWalk Festival. Patras (Greece), 2018.

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