Virtual Vertep Vision is a series of articles and videos dedicated to each character of the traditional Ukrainian Vertep. Created as part of the project “BoykoTravel: Vertep PreServes Ukraine”, implemented with the support of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation.
I am the monarch, mistress of creation,
Queen of every land and nation.
Princes, kings – all bow to me,
With my scythe I conquer thee.
(Sokyrynskyi Vertep, 18th c.)
Among all mystical figures of the Ukrainian Vertep, Death holds a unique place. The scene between Herod and Death is the climax of the drama – the moment when earthly tyranny meets divine justice. Death is the embodied consequence of human sin – the one fate no one can escape.
“White and bony,” as Death is often called, stands between the sacred and the satirical parts of the Vertep. Herod – who believed she was his servant and instrument of power – suddenly finds himself in the place of his victims.
Christmas marks the beginning of Death’s downfall. For into the world comes the One who will conquer Death by means of His own death – God and Man, Messiah and Lamb, the King of Kings lying in the manger…
“Our God was born in a humble stable,
To save mankind from death so fatal.”
(Carol “Wonder in David’s Home”)
Death’s costume is simple yet striking: a long white, sometimes black, hooded robe covering the entire figure. A human skull may be depicted upon it.
The face is concealed behind a white skull-like mask – with large teeth or heavy makeup creating the apparition of a skeleton. In her hands – a wooden scythe, sometimes covered with silver paper – the sign of an irreversible judgment.