Darkness of the sense of the motives and images in Klyuyev’s poetry is due to the rare book sources, little-known to the reader the mythology of Pomorje and the axiology of the old believers, the density of metaphors, the synthesis of mysticism and reality. The article presents the experience of commenting on the plot of the charismatic Pomor woman in the poem “The Saga about the Great Mother”, offers a version of the origin of images. The interpretation of fragments is based on real Klyuyev’s mother story – the Olonets visionary of the protopope Avvakum’s family, on the appeal to the specificity of old believers-“bespopovtsy” life norms, the ideology of sectarian ‒ “serafimovtsy”, eunuchs. Avvakum’s letters, the works of N. de Lira, V. Dahl, N. Nadezhdin, V. Yasevi­ch-Borodaevsky etc. are used. The sacralization of the mother in the Klyuyev’s works, the mother’s role in his intelligence, her place in the poet’s images are described. A parallel is made of the poem and kondaks by Roman Sweetsinger. The story of the heroine’s love Saint Theodore Stratilat has a literary context. The article provides the information about the relationship between Klyuyev and Grigory Rasputin – the character of the poem. The problem of authenticity and fiction in Klyuyev’s memoirs is regarded.