Hungarian Heritage Review, 1987 (16. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1987-02-01 / 2. szám
= ^Hungarian ^oíkioxz = THE VALLEY OF THE VAG Úristen flung out the earth and prepared it, while the fairies of the mountains, valleys, rivers and lakes stood behind Him, curious to know where their homes would be. With the palm of His hand, Úristen flattened the earth to make a plain. With the tip of His finger, He drew the beds of rivers and with His fist, He raised up the mountains. He then summoned four of the largest whales and ordered them to the four corners of the Earth. It was their task to hold the earth steady on their backs and to prevent it from toppling and sinking to the depths of the ocean. The whales obediently held the earth, but once in a while, one of them got tired, or another got a back-ache, and left its post for a moment to refresh itself with a swim. On such occasions, the earth teetered and tottered, and earthquakes came, thus disturbing the work of creation. To remedy this problem, God unbuckled His belt, tied it around the earth, and hung it to the pole of His sun tent. The belt of Isten is the Ural mountains. During one of the earthquakes, He forgot to point out the way for one small river. God's finger did not draw the valley for the River Vag. When the fairy of Vag arrived on the earth and looked around her spring of water, she did not find a bed for the stream to flow. Instead of returning she decided to make her own pathway. Now and again she ran into a large mountain, and she had to crumble it with patience. Then a huge rock stood in her way. She jumped right over this, splashing foam around her. The fairy did not despair. She did not tire, but unceasingly cut her pathway, and that is why she is called Vag (cut). After a long while the landscape began to have gentle slopes, then it dwindled to a broad flatland. Where should Vag go now? She searched for a way, wallowing, twisting and turning, until she grew weary. She had but one wish, to rest on the bosom of the Blue Danube. At last, far away, she heard the roar of the Danube’s waters faintly. The murmur of the great river seemed to encourage the fairy. “Just a little longer, my beloved child,” the river seemed to say, “only a short way more and you shall be with me.” The Vag hurriedly made the final run and nestled happily into the waves of the Danube. As a reward for so much suffering and endurance, the valley of the Vag was blessed with supreme beauty. It surges between sky-high pinnacles. It winds its way through magnificent pine forests, where scores of thousands of flowers bloom on both shores. Thousands of fish of many kinds swim in its surging waters, and the song of a thousand lovely birds mingle with the roar of its rapids. Fairies, giants, and dwarves chose to lie on its banks, and to build wonderful castles on top of its cliffs. That is, until human beings arrived. Until then, the Valley of the Vag knew only the greatest beauty and the greatest happiness! From: Selected Hungarian Legends Compiled from: The Collection of Freda B. Kovács by Albert Wass. Translated by: Elizabeth M. Wass de Czege. Edited by: Mrs. Leonoir Boner Copyright 1971 and 1979 by Danubian Press (See Bookshop page for listing and price.) FEBRUARY 1987 HUNGARIAN HERITAGE REVIEW 21
