An inexperienced viewer, looking at the coat of arms of Irkutsk, will not notice anything unusual the first time. It is a completely familiar, traditional form of a shield with the image of two animals. But if one of the animals can still be identified, to determine that it is a sable, then the second animal does not look like any of the representatives of the fauna that live in the vicinity of this Siberian city.
Mythological context
The heraldic symbol of Irkutsk depicts a mythological animal known as babr. Its description can be found in various historical documents or reference books. For example, in the dictionary of the Russian language, which contains obsolete words from the vocabulary of residents of the 11th-17th centuries, you can read a description of the appearance of this beast. Of particular interest are the following definitions of the appearance and character of an animal:
- larger than a lion;
- wool with black transverse stripes;
- looks like a cat;
- long body and short legs;
- brave and courageous like a lion.
In many Irkutsk myths and legends you can find this representative of the fauna. The main attention is focused not on appearance, but on his character. Babr appears in the form of a strong, cruel beast, which all the inhabitants of the forest kingdom are afraid of, they try not to meet with him.
History facts
It is interesting that over the centuries the central character on the official documents and seals has changed. The main place at different times was occupied, in addition to the babr, the leopard and the tiger, which are very similar to a semi-mythical creature, but less formidable and powerful. A leopard that caught a sable was depicted on the seals of the Yakutsk customs already in 1642. And it was this drawing that was used for the coat of arms of Irkutsk, later, when the city itself appeared, and took a dominant position in the region, leaving Yakutsk far behind.
The official approval of the first heraldic symbol of Irkutsk took place in 1690. And in this image, exactly babr was present as the main character, the most unusual animal of this part of Siberia. The second animal that was present on the city's coat of arms is the sable, which, on the contrary, is one of the most widespread representatives of the local fauna, known for its valuable fur.
A hundred years later, in the description of the coat of arms of Irkutsk, there is not a babr, but a tiger. In 1859, a large-scale reform began in the field of Russian heraldry. Here the funniest mistake happened, when the babr was renamed to beaver. The image depicts a mythical animal with a long, wide tail and webbed feet. In 1997, the Irkutsk authorities returned Babr to the main heraldic symbol of the city.
