I have always been interested in standing stones. I have visited Stonehenge and Avebury Stone Circle, countless times. But while writing The Du Lac Princess, I was drawn to Cornwall and a very special ancient monument that has inspired several myths. Let me introduce you to…
The Hurlers
Are you ready for a story? I thought so!
It was a beautiful sunny day, perfect for playing a game of hurling on Bodmin Moor. The men set out with their sticks and their ball ready to enjoy a friendly game. They were laughing and joking, placing bets on which side would win. They got themselves ready, and were about to start when something terrible happened…
You see these men had forgotten that it was Sunday, It was the Lord’s Day. This was the day of rest. But alas, it was too late. The hurlers were turned to stone. A just punishment? Or a story to frightened the locals into observing the Sabbath?
But the hurlers were not the only ones to be turned into stone.
Now, it is said that the best place to practice playing your pipes is out in the open. Two such pipers decided to take a stroll on Bodmin Moor and feeling so inspired by the beauty that surrounded them, they decided to play a tune on their pipes. But like the hurlers, they had forgotten what day it was, and before they knew it, they too had been turned to stone.
The stones are in fact a fine example of a late Neolithic / early Bronze age Stone Circle, but what makes the Hurlers really interesting is that this stone circle is not one circle, it is three, and that makes the Hurlers unique.
I was very excited to visit the Hurlers, and they didn’t disappoint, and they even made it into The Du Lac Princess ~ how could I leave something so special out?
In Hungarian myth, the world is divided into three spheres: the first is the Upper World (Felső világ), the home of the gods; the second is the Middle World (Középső világ) or the world we know, and finally the underworld (Alsó világ).
In the center of the world stands a tall tree: the World Tree /Tree of Life (Világfa/Életfa). Its foliage is the Upper World, and the Turul bird dwells on top of it. The Middle World is located at its trunk and the underworld is around its roots. In some stories, the tree bears fruit: the golden apples.
Upper World
The gods and the good souls live in the Upper World. Gods have the same rank, although the most important figure of them is Isten (Hungarian for "God"). They control the world, shape the fate of humans, and observe the Middle World from the sky.
Istenanya "Mother God", also known as Boldogasszony "Blessed Lady", literally meaning "happy woman".
Hadúr "warlord".
The Sun and the Moon are also located in the Upper World. The sky was thought to be a big tent held up by the Tree of Life. The several holes in it are the stars. The Sun, Moon, and symbols of the cosmic word are known from Hungarian grave findings from the period of the Hungarian conquest.
Middle World
The Middle World is shared among humans and many mythological creatures; the latter are often supernatural. There are ghosts of the forests and waters, who are ordered to scare humans. They have different names in different places. There are females, for example, the sellő (mermaid), which lives in water and has a human torso with the tail of a fish.
The wind is controlled by an old lady called Szélanya (Wind Mother).
The Sárkány (dragon) is a frightening beast: he is the enemy of many heroes in fairy tales, symbolizing the psychical inner struggle of the hero.The Sárkány usually has 1-7 heads.
Favorite creatures are the tündérek (fairies), who are beautiful young virgins or female creatures (often depicted either as personified purity and innocence or as playful and foxy). They aid humans, who sometimes can ask three wishes from them.
Their opposites are the bábák, who are equated with catty old witches. (Bába means "midwife" in modern Hungarian, and originally they were wise old women, later equated with witches as Christianity became widespread.)
The Underworld is the place of bad souls (this includes evil spirits and the souls of dead people who were cruel and evil in their lives) and the home of Ördög, creator of everything bad for humans: for example, annoying animals such as fleas, lice, and flies.
Courtesy of Wikipedia and several Hungarian websites
Next time, maybe I'll introduce you to a few famous Hungarian foods such as gulyas, stuffed cabbage, and donut, which is far better than the Dunkin kind. Or I'll tell you more about Hungarian mythology and folklore.
Erika M. Szabo shares the mythology and folklore of Hungary. This is fascinating stuff, totally different than the familiar mythology of the Romans and Greeks -- check it out!
