Matskási István (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 96. (Budapest 2004)

Papp, G.: A critical review of 16–17th century reports on meteorite falls in and around the Carpathian Basin

the Morava river in Moravia. The fall reported by the Turkish chronicles without giving the exact locality now can easily be identified with the Odranec fall. Odranec is a small village in Moravia (49°37'N, 16°7'E), northeast of Nové Mësto na Moravë. A detailed account of this fall (Fig. 1) was published by SEBASTIAN ANTONÍN ZELECHOVSKY, clerk of the Nové Mësto estate in the Calendarium perpetuum oeconomicum, a contemporary calendar (cited by KODYM 1897): First of all a rather small cloud appeared, just like a table or a mill-wheel, and those with sharp eye saw in it a strange tumult, which, on the whole looked like a battle. It seemed to others as if they saw at first some sort of gate and a large coat-of-arms in it with writing thereon. If somebody had been able to read and had seen it, he could have read it. It disappeared, then a sanguine wheel appeared. Three sanguine crosses came out from this wheel, and they seemed to struggle with each other, then disappeared. Others, however, who were in the mountains, looking at this cloud saw smoke coming out from it, similar to the firing of a great army at another one. Others heard drums sounding alarm as well. Some people even didn't dare to run away, for fear that the hand of the wrathful Lord would reach them. The cattle pastured in the fields and mountains, though being insensate, got frightened of this rumble, and almost tumbled down. But feeling these fearful deeds of God and recognising the anger of the Creator, they watched over, lifting their head to heavens. Likewise the horses ploughing in the fields and those being ridden, fell to the ground almost collapsing, because there was a horrible roaring and noise as if the greatest cannon had fired, from where three extremely strange pieces of metal were shot out; a metal that was launched from the bow of God Almighty. It flew down with a great noise, getting hot like a flaming torch, and emitted such a sound as great bells did when ceased to ring, so that people stopped at work in the fields; they heard this sound and roaring as ifit had sounded by their ears. Then three pieces of some sort of metal fell, one of them in Vodranec [Odranec] village, another behind the village at the back of the gardens. Fig. 1. The Odranec meteorite fall as depicted on a contemporary woodcut (from ZELECHOVSKY 1619?)