Miracle deer

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The miracle deer is a mythical animal in the Hunnic and Hungarian legends.

Illustration in the Hungarian Illustrated Chronicle

Research has shown parallels between the widespread group of motifs in the East and West. The miracle deer has also been a heavenly sign for many Eurasian peoples and some North American tribes since ancient times.

It also occurs in Hungarian neo-paganism or in folklore (possibly misused by the people) as csodaszarvas and is considered a national symbol. The story of the miracle deer is actually a centuries-old "bedtime fairy tale" for children about the origins of their people. It can be assumed that the Hungarians brought with them the legend from Eastern cultures at the time of the conquest . Later it mingled with the Christian legends of Eustachius and Hubertus .

Hunnisch-Hungarian sagas

The legend has been preserved in the work Gesta Hunnorum et Hungarorum by the medieval chronicler Simon Kézai . According to legend, the sons of Ménrót and Eneth, Hunor and Magor , from whom the Huns and Magyars descend, were led to a new settlement area by the miracle deer.

Original quote:

" S minthogy Hunor és Magor első szülöttek valának, atyjoktól megválva kölön sátrakba szállnak vala. Történt pedig, hogy a mint egyszer vadászni kimentek, a pusztán egy szarvas ünőre bukkanának, mellyet, a mint előttök futott, a Meotis ingoványaiba kergetének. S midőn az ott szemök elől tökéletesen eltűnt, sokáig keresék, de semmi módon nem találhatták. Végre is az említett ingoványokat bejárván, azon földet baromtartásra alkalmasnak szemlélték. "

Free translation:

“And since Hunor and Magor were firstborn, they slept in tents separate from their father. Once when they were going away to hunt, it happened that they attacked a doe in a steppe, which they chased as it ran in front of them into the Meotis wetland. And after it disappeared completely before their eyes, they searched for a long time, but did not succeed in finding it. Finally they found land suitable for keeping cattle at the entrance to the aforementioned swamp. "

The legend of the miracle deer can also be found in the Hungarian illustrated chronicle .

middle Ages

The miracle deer also plays a role in the Gesta Hungarorum in the chapter on the tribal leader Bars and the foundation of his castle as an animal pointing the way.

Original quote:

“ Közös elhatározással evégre Böngér fia Borsot küldötték ki vitézeivel. Mikor a Garam folyó mellett lovagoltak, egy szarvas futásnak eredt előttük, és nekivágott a hegytetőknek. Bors nagy sebesen űzőbe fogta, és a hegyormon lenyilazta. Majd midőn azokat a hegyeket ott körös-körül szemügyre vette, az a gondolata támadt, hogy várat épít ott. Azonnal össze is gyűjtött sok-sok várnépet, és egy magasabb hegy ormán igen erős várat emelt; egyszersmind a maga tulajdon nevét Ruházta rá, úgyhogy Bors várának hívják. "

Free translation:

“After all, following a joint decision, Böngér's son Bors was sent out with his warriors. As they rode by the Garam River, a running deer appeared before them and crossed the mountain tops. Bors took up a quick chase and shot him on the mountain side with an arrow. As he inspected the surrounding mountains, the idea of ​​building a castle occurred to him. Immediately he gathered a lot of castle people together and on the flank of a higher mountain rose a strong castle; then he gave it his own name, so that it was called the castle of Bors. "

In Hungarian and Polish chronicles of the Middle Ages it is a recurring motif that the miracle deer shows where churches and monasteries are to be built. So he gave Saint Gellért the site of the Bakonybél monastery , and in the founding legend of the Church of Vác he showed Ladislaus the Saint where he should build the cathedral. According to Polish chronicles, the stag told St. Emmerich where the Poles should build monasteries.

Hungarian folk tradition

The deer appearing in the old ballads is always a male animal, it is also called csodafiúszarvas ( fiú means “boy”, “boy”, “son”). In a variant from Bucsu in Vas County from the turn of the millennium, it has a thousand horns with a thousand burning candles on their tips. There are two golden crosses by the kidneys. In another variant from Dozmat , the deer wears a bright, rising sun on the forehead, the moon on the side and stars on the right kidney. In yet another version from Transdanubia , its antlers have a thousand ramifications and carry a thousand measuring candles: "They burn unlit, sleep not extinguished" (" gyújtatlan gyulladék, oltatlan aludék ").

The miracle deer grazes in a small round willow or appears on a black cloud.

Modern culture

swell