Hungarian Heritage Review, 1991 (20. évfolyam, 1-11. szám)
1991-11-01 / 11. szám
the night of a full moon, he visited their unmarked grave near the place where Magyar tradition had placed the burial ground of the mighty King Attila. There, Orkond prayed for their souls. And although a true Christian, he often found himself praying to the old god. It was said that he could sense the presence of his long-departed forefathers and feel their breath upon him. Thus, the Christianization of Hungary came at a heavy price, with heroes and villains on both sides. Some of these heroes fell victim to Christianity; others became victims of the unavoidable pagan reaction, like the saintly bishop Gerard, or Gellert. He was a Venetian nobleman who had played a major role in the Christianization of Hungary. After King Stephen's death, however, the followers of the old faith caught Gerard and cast him into the Danube from a hill overlooking present-day Budapest. It still bears his name: Szent Gellérthegy (Saint Gerard's hill). His life and his achievements are the subjects of a number of legends. Legends of Saint Ladislas As time went on, Christianity gradually won out. And as the new religion spread among the Magyars, so grew the number of Christian heroes. Understandably, at first most of these heroes came from the clergy and the royal family, which explains why most eleventh-century Hungarian legends deal with the members of these estates. According to legend, early Christian heroes were almost superhuman. Yet,, none were greater or received more recognition than Hungary's second canonized king, Saint Ladislas, László (reigned 1077-1095). While a devoted and pious Christian, Ladislas displayed all the military skills of a medieval knight, as well as the virtues of medieval chivalry at its best. He was a tall and noble warrior who always led his armies personally and always fought in the front lines. As a warrior, he was feared. Yethe was always generous to his defeated enemies, and when in grave difficulty, he always turned to God for help. And apparently God did hear his pleas, for Saint Ladislas is credited by his people with having performed many miracles. What follows is a brief selection from some of the legends associated with Saint ladislas: "The Battle of Cserhalom," "The Mountain Crevice of Torda," "Saint Ladislas' Coins," and "Saint Ladislas' Herb." They have been taken from the already mentioned Chronicon Pictum (Illuminated chronicle), the Chronicon Dubnicense (Dubnic chronicle), and from various Transylvanian and Trans-Danubian folktales. Even in his early youth King Ladislas was known for his piety and Ids bravery. He would often pray to God, but he would also fight the enemies of his people with the fury of one obsessed. It so happened that one day the pagan Cumans broke into Hungary. They were led by a certain Kapolcs, who brought destruction upon Hungary7 s eastern provinces, especially Transylvania. They destroyed many of her towns and villages and took captive many of her citizens, including women and children. Having completed their victorious foray into the country, Kapolcs and his army were already on the way home when Prince Ladislas - for at that time he was only a prince - caught up with them in the vicinity of Cserhalom in northeastern Hungary. At first, Kapolcs did not take Ladislas' threat seriously, for he thought that the Hungarians had only sent an army of children against him. But he soon learned his lesson. Although the Cumans had camped on top of a hill, Prince Ladislas attacked Kapolcs with his customary fury. He also urged his men on by saying, "It is more noble to die in battle than to see your wives and children in Cuman captivity." Fighting in the front lines, Ladislas stood head and shoulders above his men. He fought like a lion, and soon most of the Cumans were dead, including their leader, Kapolcs. The rest were taken prisoner. But there was one who escaped and took a young Hungarian peasant girl with him as a hostage. Although he had been wounded by an arrow and was riding a tired horse, Prince Ladislas did not hesitate to go after the Cuman. Knowing that his horse would be unable to catch up with the enemy, he shouted to the girl to hang onto her captor and drag him to the ground. The girl did just that, and Prince Ladislas promptly killed the dismounted Cuman with a swift stroke of his sword. Thus did the future king of Hungary save a simple peasant girl from slavery, and thus did he liberate all the captured Hungarians. King Ladislas waged many bloody battles against the pagan Cumans. He won most of these battles, but at times he too had to flee. It so happened that at one time he and his army were overpowered by the Cumans in the vicinity of Torda in Transylvania. His army was in flight, and the king himself had to flee for his life. He was pursued by hundreds of Cumans, all of whom wanted his head. His horse was exhausted, and as King Ladislas glanced back, he saw that his pursuers were closing in on him. They could almost touch him with their outstretched war axes. At this critical moment the great king turned his eyes to the heavens and began to pray: "Please, dear God, help me to escape! I have always fought for your faith with your name on my lips!" Lo and behold, God id hear the king. For as the Cumans were about to cut him down, the ground parted. They were suddenly separated from Ladislas by an unbridgeable chasm. Just as God had parted the Red Sea to let Moses and his people 28 HUNGARIAN HERITAGE REVIEW NOVEMBER 1991
