Hungarian Heritage Review, 1991 (20. évfolyam, 1-11. szám)
1991-11-01 / 11. szám
escape, so now he parted the mountain to save King Ladislas. The Mountain Crevice of Torda is still there today as a witness to this miracle. It is said that the hoofprints of the king's horse were visible for centuries. One day the Cumans invaded Hungary again and attacked the beautiful city of Kolozsvár, the capital of the province of Transylvania. When King Ladislas heard about the fate of his beloved city, he immediately gathered his army and went against the Cumans. As usual, he was victorious; the Cumans were cut down left and right, and even their leader was forced to flee. At this critical moment, the Cuman leader decided to play a trick on the Magyars. He opened his gold-filled saddlebag and began to throw coins all around him as if sowing wheat. He instructed his men to do the same. He calculated right. As soon as the Hungarian warriors saw all that gold on the ground, they gave up the chase. They got off their horses, threw down their weapons, and began to gather the coins. This was exactly what the Cumans were waiting for. They turned back, hoping to decimate the disarmed Hungarian army. Sensing the danger and unable to force his men to remount, King Ladislas again turned to God: "Please God, help me again that I may end this fight in victory!" And sure enough, God performed a miracle once more. The gold coins that lay scattered on the ground suddenly changed to stone. At this, the Magyars remounted and quickly annihilated the Cumans. These stones can still be seen in the countryside around the city of Kolozsvár. They are flat, round pebbles known as Saint Ladislas' Coins. King Saint Ladislas was a brave and powerful man who stood a head taller than any of his men. In times of war he was brave as a lion, and in times of peace he was pious as a shepherd. His people often sang hymns about his virtues. During his reign, a great plague descended upon Hungary. In times of need, the Magyars always turned to their saintly king for help. They would surround his war tent as sheep would their shepherd. In the face of the pestilence, King Ladislas felt just as helpless as did his people. He prayed day and night. Finally, one night he had a dream. God's angel appeared before him with the following message: "Ladislas, my son, pick up your bow and arrow, go before your tent, and without aiming, shoot your arrow into the air. It will tell you what to do." As soon as King ladislas awoke, he had his bow and quiver brought to him. He stepped out in front of his tent, placed an arrow into his bow, drew his bowstring, and let his arrow go. It went farther than ever before, and as it fell to the ground, it penetrated a gentian herb (Gentiana cruciata). It was this herb and the potion made from it that saved the people from the plague. Ever since that time, the grateful Magyars have called this miraculous weed Saint Ladislas' herb. The life of Saint Ladislas has been the subject of many other legends as well. The stories illustrate his love for his people and his people's great respect for him. He was not only a great ruler, but was also an affectionate father to the Magyars. They have bemoaned his passing ever since he died. ***************** Additional Reading Elek Benedek, Magyar mese-es mondavilág (The world of Hungarian fairy tales and legends), 5 vols., Budapest, 1894-96. Érszegi Géza, ed., Arpad-kori legandak es intelmek (Legends and admonitions of the Arpad age), Szépirodalmi Könyvkiadó, Budapest, 1983. Denes Lengyel, Regi magyar mondák (Ancient hungarian Legends), Mora Ferenc Könyvkiadó, Budapest, 1972. C.A. Macartney, The Medieval Hungarian Historians, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1953. Steven Bela Vardy, Modem Hungarian Historiography, East European Monographs, Columbia University Press, New York, 1976. Albert Wass, ed., Selected Hungarian Legends, collected by Freda B. Kovács, illustrated by József Mor, Danubian Press, Astor Park, FL, 1971. Also, the modem editions of the following chronicles mentioned in the test: Anonymus Magister P, Gesta Hungarorum (Deeds of the Magyars), Chronicon Pictum Vindobonense (The Dubnic chronicle), Legenda maior S. Stephani Regis (The long legend of King Saint Stephen), Legenda Minor S. Stephani Regis (The short legend of King Saint Stephen). ***** ** ********** Steven Bela Vardy is department chairman and professor of history of Duquesne University and adjunct professor of East European history at the University of Pittsburgh. Agnes Huszar Vardy, his wife, is associate professor of comparative literature at Robert Morris College and also teaches Hungarian language and culture at the University of Pittsburgh. Part One of this article appeared in the July 1988 issue of THE WORLD & I. NOVEMBER 1991 HUNGARIAN HERITAGE REVIEW 29
