The ancient alphabet that survived as a secret code

Cultures · Published 30 September 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: In the 14th century, Saint Stephen of Perm created a unique script to spread Christianity. But as centuries passed, the beautiful Old Permic alphabet vanished from public use, surviving only as a hidden cryptographic tool for Russian speakers.

The Komi people, an indigenous Permian ethnic group in northeastern European Russia, possess a history defined by linguistic and cultural resilience. Their identity is split into two primary groups: the northern Zyryans and the southern Komy-Permyaks. While their names have shifted through centuries of Russian contact—alternating between Permyaks, Zyrians, and Komi—the endonym 'Komi' remains, rooted in a Finno-Ugric word meaning 'human'.

A pivotal moment in their history occurred in the 1300s. Following a mandate from the Moscow prince Dmitry Donskoy in 1365, Saint Stephen of Perm began a mission to Christianize the region. To facilitate this, he devised the Old Permic script, known as Anbur. This writing system was used until the 16th century, after which it transitioned from a liturgical tool into a clandestine cryptographic system used by Russian speakers.

The Komi landscape has been shaped by both spiritual and political shifts. While the 14th-century mission established the eparchy of Perm in 1383, the region remained largely unconverted for another century. Later, the 15th and 16th centuries brought intense Russian expansion. The duchy of Perm, once led by figures like Duke Mikhail, eventually fell to Russian governors by 1505, marking the end of Komi independence.

Today, the Komi people face modern challenges of assimilation and population decline. The 2010 census showed a significant drop in those identifying as Komi compared to 1989. Despite the heavy impact of Soviet-era industrialization and the purges of the 1930s and 1940s, the Komi continue to maintain a distinct identity through their unique river-based subgroups, traditional architecture, and a rich mythology of creator-gods like En and Omöl'.

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