The Eighth Tribe, 1977 (4. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1977-09-01 / 9. szám
Page 4 THE EIGHTH TRIBE September, 1977 EMBLEM OF FREEDOM George F. Cahill Man, through all of the ages and civilizations, has devised various emblems and symbols of his beliefs, associations, and ideals. Such emblems have been countless and varied. The most widely known and heralded emblem of freedom in the history of the world is the flag of the United States of America. It is a man-made thing, a man-made banner of red, white, and blue. Another man-made emblem of freedom is the 225-ton woman named “The Statue of Liberty” in New York Harbor. The poetess, Emma Lazarus, called it “Mother of Exiles.” There are few natural emblems of freedom. One pre-eminent example is the Eagle. In the earliest days of civilization his visual projection appeared on coins, emblems, carvings, and castings. He served to remind man of his noblest aspirations. It has been said that the Eagle is the emblem of freedom, the incentive of valor, the pledge of victory. There is another natural emblem of freedom, unique, for it is a vegetable, called Árvalányhaj! It grows two to three feet tall, thin-stemmed, flexible but strong, and flaxen in color. It bows majestically in the wind, and glistens gloriously in the sun. In the olden days when Hungary was a proud, creative, industrious nation of free men, all of the princes, potentates, musicians, soldiers, scouts, and athletes wore plumes of Árvalányhaj affixed to their hat bands. Árvalányhaj stood tall above the crown of their hats, shining in the sun, and waving in the wind. The proud Hungarians wore Árvalányhaj as a symbol of their national freedom. This rare and beautiful grass grows only on the steppes of Hungary. Its meaning as a symbol relates to a legend famous and popular among Hungarian people since the founding of their nation. A Promise Given This legend has it that Arapid, the second of their princes and the mightiest of their hunters, rode alone one evening on the hunt. He went further into the deep woods and high hills than any of his tribesmen had ever ventured. As the sun was about to set and Arapid had decided to end his hunt, he heard a scream from over a nearby rise. He galloped in the Mr. Cahill is Scout Executive of Allegheny Trails Council, Boy Scouts of America, and Executive Director of the Flag Plaza Foundation, both headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15219. direction of the scream, reached the rise, and looked into the glade below. There he saw a beautiful girl. Her long blonde hair was entangled in a thornbush. She could not escape. She was about to be attacked by a ravenous wolf from across the glade. Arapid pulled an arrow from his quiver and fixed it in his bow. He drew long on the strong bow string. As the wolf mounted his last leap and lunged, the arrow sped straight and true. It pierced the skull of the wolf which fell dead at the feet of the girl. Arapid rode his white steed to the girl’s side and loosened her from the thornbush. He asked why she was in the woods. “I live in the woods alone,” the little girl replied. “My parents are dead, my name is Árvalány” (orphan girl). The girl explained that she lived at peace with all of God’s creatures except the wolf. She thanked Arapid for saving her life and said she would repay Arapid by using a special skill she possessed. She explained that before her parents died they had endowed her with the rare gift of being able to foretell the future. If Arapid would ask her a question, she would tell him the answer rightly no matter how far into the future the question related. Because of the difficulties his people had encountered in crossing two continents and because of the tribulations they had overcome, the driving question in the mind of Arapid which he posed to the orphan girl was: ”Árvalány, how long will my people live in the land we have come to love?” Legend claims that Árvalány spun on her heels and her blonde hair flashed in the sun. She asked the Prince to seize and with his sword to cut off the locks of her long golden hair. After first protesting, the Prince finally followed Árvalány’s command. She turned, took her own hair and tossed it into the air. A mighty gust of wind came off the highest mountain and seized the locks. Her hair was tossed and tumbled, and scattered wide over the plains of Hungary. Wherever it fell it took root and turned into a plumy grass. Árvalány turned to Arapid and said: “So long as Árvalányhaj (orphan girl’s hair) grows here in the valley of Godollo, your people shall live in the land they love.” For many long decades the people of Hungary proudly wore Árvalányhaj on their hats as an EMBLEM OF FREEDOM. Árvalányhaj still grows on the plains of Hungary and nowhere else on earth. The beautiful legend, once known to every Hungarian, is now unfamiliar to many of the children of Hungary. For those who know the legend and hope to see Árvalányhaj again worn by freedom-loving Hungarians, it remains a reminder that man’s most precious possession — Freedom — can be lost!
