David of Sasun, the Armenian folk epic, existed solely in oral form until portions of it were published in the nineteenth century. The task of reconstructing this grand epic, which only partially concerns David, fell to scholars in the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic (S.S.R.) as they sought to weave a unified and coherent work from the various oral threads. In the evocative illustration of this Soviet-era publication, David is depicted brandishing his lightning sword, mounted on his steed, Dzhalali.