Horváth Attila – H. Tóth Elvira szerk.: Cumania 4. Archeologia (Bács-Kiskun Megyei Múzeumok Közleményei, Kecskemét, 1976)

Matolcsi J.: Táltosló az Izsák-baláspusztai honfoglalás kori sírban

It seems also that in the course of the archaeological study grave goods prove to be specially those of я shaman. E. H. Tóth emphasises the undecorated plain sabretache plate in her article.

44 Only five similar ones have been found in the whole country

45 but in this strange archaeological assemblage the possibility of its connection with shamanism is not groundless. With the very impressive belt mounting, representing a magic human face this supposition becomes even more plausible as it could easily be some kind of shaman emblem. The arguments against the above statement rest on the fact that remains of drums and rattles, objects playing an essential role in the magic and trances of the shamans, did not occur in the grave. Disregarding the fact that the pagan ceremonies could be carried out in different ways according to peoples, regions and time periods, the Asiatic shamans made the frame and side-walls of their drums of rods and bark,

46 and braced animal skins on them. We do not have to think of metal objects in the case of the rattles either. Rattles could be made of wood, bark, skin, entrails, bladder, scrotal sac, etc. And since all of these materials comparatively quickly decay in the soil, their lack among the grave goods cannot be considered a negative proof just like that of the horns, feathers, hairs worn as garment decorations. On the other hand, a further proof of the shamanism comes from the age of the man and horse buried in the grave of Izsák-Balázspuszta. But before coming to this subject let us refer to Lás^/ó's book: "Our shamans are born with a tooth and have to fight shamans of other countries every seventh year. The winner of this fight will have a fertile country. They are active from the age of seven years to twentytwo and then they disappear."

47 Hoppá/ considers the role and practical use of the number seven for the research,

48 and we see the etappes of the shaman's life changing in every seventh year. If it is true that the shaman took possession of his magic craft and also his inauguration before the community during adolescence, then the shaman buried at Izsák-Balázspuszta received the magic horse described here in detail, in his 14 th year. The horse could have been one and a half to two years old at that time, and it seems that the shaman was its first and only ridei. Considering the possibilities of error in the age determinations of the man and the horse based on the dentition, we can say with a small correction that the shaman was 20 to 21, while the horse was 7 to 8 years of age. They thus spent about six years together. Our finds fully correspond to the historical fact that among the early Hungarians the shamanistic religion was still common in the 10th century. In the practice of the pagan religion the shamans were the centtal figures, and they were called the sacrificers of the Hungarians with good reason. In the 10th century the conversion to Christianity had already begun, but nevertheless, the shamans practised their magic art for a long time afterwards, and they lived in folk tradition up to the end of the Middle Ages. 44 H. TÓTH, E.: 1976. CUMANIA IV. 179. 45 DIENES I. : 1975, 104. 46 SOLYMOSSY S. : Magyarság Népr. (Hung. Ethnigr.), IV, 417. 47 LÁSZLÓ Gy.: 1944, 386. 48 HOPPAL M.: 1975,229. 209