Hála József, Landgraf Ildikó: Magyarországi bányászmondák (Érc- és Ásványbányászati Múzeumi füzetek 24-25., Rudabánya, 2001)

Miners' legends from Hungary (Summary)

mine spirit). It was a bad omen when the mine "sighed" or the coal crackled at midnight, when a light or a shadow appeared unexpectedly in the mines, etc. 2. Ghosts, apparitions. It was a common belief that the ghosts of the miners who died in the mine were haunting the site where they had worked. 3. Sojourn in the Otherworld. 4. Devil. The devil turns up often in the miners' legends. In most cases he is outwitted. These legends are related to the type of Stupid-ogre tales. 5. Supernatural power and persons. In the Hungarian folk belief such are: the clever coachman, the wise shepherd and the magic miller. Also the magic miner fits into this category. Devils assist and/or replace him in his work. The magic miner's tools are working by themselves, upon his orders. With the help of a magic rod he is capable of finding lost objects, and his glance has magic power. 6. Supernatural beings. The incubus or demon lover has been taken over very likely from the peasant folklore. He acquired money for his master, helped him while mining, stopped the wagonets (trucks) that broke lose, etc. The authors also review the mine spirits of different types, forms and names that are known by the miners in Hungary, whether benevolent or malevolent. The most common ones were the mine dwarfs known under different names. 7. Taboo. They concern mainly prohibition to work on some days (e.g. Easter, Whitsuntide, St. Barbara's Day, Sundays), even at midnight. It was forbidden to whisde, sing, speak aloud, tell obscene jokes, curse, etc. Trespassers might be punished by collapse of the mine or by sudden disappearance of the ore.