The Sword of God

 Hun Legends by Erika M Szabo

According to the legend, the Sword of God was created by Hadúr the blacksmith god. It was forged from a meteorite and given to the Scythian people to conquer the world and won by the Magyars and Huns when together they defeated the Scythians.

The legend says that the Huns wanted to go one way, and the Magyars another, so they gave the sword to a blind man to spin. Where it landed, they would go. But a gust of wind took the sword out of sight towards the west, and it was lost.

The sword is also known as the Sword of Attila, so clearly the legend doesn’t end there. Much later, a shepherd found it buried in the ground, after the tip nicked the leg of one of his sheep, causing it to bleed. He could see it was powerful, and presented it to Atilla, insisting that he was the only one worthy.

Atilla used the sword in battle, despite that Huns preferred bows and axes. And while he died before the sword’s magic could help him conquer the entire world, he certainly conquered a decent portion of it.

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Attila was the ruler of the Huns from 434 until his death in March 453. He was also the leader of a tribal empire consisting of Huns, Ostrogoths, and Alans among others, on the territory of Central and Eastern Europe. He was the only king from 434 AD to 453 AD and became one of the most feared rulers, especially among eastern and western European empires.

Unlike what most people believe, Attila didn’t have an impoverished childhood and was born in a financially comfortable household. In fact, Attila and his older brother Bleda received training fit for a prince.

While there are very few accounts of what Attila looked like, King Priscus’s records show that Attila was a short man with a wide chest and a large head. He had small eyes, a thick black beard, and his skin was tanned.

Attila’s father, Mundzuc was a clan chieftain and was a brother to Hunnish kings Octar and Ruga. After Ruga's death, Attila killed his older brother, Bleda, to acquire the kingdom left to the both of them. According to King Priscus’s accounts, Bleda was assassinated by Attila, after a long conspiracy in 445 AD.

In 447 AD, Attila attacked the Eastern Romans at the Battle of the Utus, after which he carried his famous Balkan invasion, which allowed him to create a solid Eastern European stronghold.

Despite being a despotic ruler and famous for his large collection of gold, Attila preferred a simple lifestyle.

Erika M Szabo

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Erika became an avid reader at a very early age, thanks to her dad who introduced her to many great books. Erika writes epic fantasy, alternate history, sweet romance, romantic suspense, dystopian and cozy mystery novels, short stories, as well as fun, educational and bilingual books for children ages 2-14 about acceptance, friendship, family, and moral values such as accepting people with disabilities, dealing with bullies, and not judging others before getting to know them.