Wednesday, March 25, 2026 · 天火 · tianmu.org
Hungarian
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Texts
Erdélyi — The Beautiful Lady of the WorldA Hungarian folk tale from Erdélyi's Népdalok és mondák (1848) — the Hungarian Snow White. A mother's vanity, a magic mirror, a poisoned ring, an enchanted hairpin, twelve robbers, a golden coffin on a stag's antlers, and a Persian prince. Translated from Hungarian.Gaal — Foolish Thomas and The StepmotherTwo Hungarian folk tales from György Gaal's Magyar népmesegyűjtemény, Volume I (1857) — an orphan boy who becomes a coachman to a king and wins the throne through magical tools and three golden hairs, and a prince's battle against his scheming stepmother aided by talking horses and a loyal old servant. First English translations from Hungarian.Gaal — Hungarian Folk Tales from the People's MouthThree Hungarian fairy tales from György Gaal's Magyar Népmesegyűjtemény (Hungarian Folk Tale Collection), Volume I, posthumously published in Pest, 1857. Gaal (1783–1855) collected these tales from Hungarian soldiers and servants in Vienna — the earliest systematic collection of Magyar folk tales. Includes World-Conquering Great Matthias (ATU 516, the faithful companion), The Deserting Soldier (ATU 330, the soldier who outwits the Devil), and The Prince Turned to Stone (ATU 303, blood-brothers with magical animals). First English translations from the Hungarian original.Ipolyi — GodChapter I of Arnold Ipolyi's Magyar Mythologia (1854) — the foundational analysis of the Hungarian concept of God (Isten): etymology, comparative theology, folk attributes, the anthropomorphic God in folktales, and the national deity of the Magyars.Ipolyi — The Pagan Priests of HungaryChapter XV of Arnold Ipolyi's Magyar Mythologia (1854) — the foundational account of Hungary's pre-Christian priesthood. The táltos (shaman-priest born with teeth who fights as a fire-breathing bull), the bölcsek (sages who tasted the earth of the new homeland), the javas (herb-wise diviner-healers), and the garaboncos diák (wandering scholar-magicians who ride dragons to Moorland and carry the Book of Wisdom whose words raise and lower the road to the sky). First English translation from the Hungarian original.Ipolyi — The WorldChapter X of Arnold Ipolyi's Magyar Mythologia (1854) — the cosmogonic heart of Hungarian mythology. The primal chaos (heo, keo), the World Egg from which the lidérc and táltos are born, the formation of the world from elemental forces, the creation of humanity from earth and divine breath, the World Tree whose roots reach to hell and whose crown touches heaven, the Golden Age when honey dripped from the firs and milk flowed in the streams, and the national myth of the Scythian paradise-homeland. First English translation from the Hungarian original.Ipolyi — WitchesChapter XIV of Ipolyi's Magyar Mythologia (1854) — the definitive scholarly treatment of Hungarian witchcraft tradition, from the degradation of pagan priestesses through shape-shifting, flying, weather magic, cattle-harming, human-harming, healing, divination, the water ordeal, and the surviving fairy-names (szép asszonyok) hidden beneath the witch-trial records. First English translation from Hungarian.Regős-Énekek — Winter Solstice ChantsRegős-Énekek — Hungarian winter solstice ceremonial chants from Sebestyén Gyula's 1902 collection and traditional sources. Three complete variants plus ritual formulas. First English translations. The csodafiú-szarvas (wonder-stag) vision — the stag bearing the sun on its forehead, the moon on its flank, and the stars on its kidney, declaring itself God's messenger to King Saint Stephen — is among the most discussed pre-Christian shamanic survivals in Hungarian folklore.Sacred Songs of the Magyar FolkTen Hungarian folk sacred songs from Erdélyi's Népdalok és Mondák (1846), the foundational Magyar folk poetry collection — penitential psalm, Marian patroness hymns, Mater Dolorosa, Saint Stephen's hymn, passion hymn, war prayer, Christmas carols, and schoolchildren's processional. First English translations.