Balatonlelle         

                                

Poems and Tales about Migration

Migration of the ancestry
Tale of the Horn
Lehel’s Horn
I dream of a new homeland
Legend of Mythical Stag
Legend of Mythical Deer
Legend of Mythical Stag
Legend of Mythical Stag 
Legend of Mythical Stag
Travel in the time
 
Questionnaire

Chapter 1 Migration of the ancestry             Overall view
 

It started with rain and wind

It started with two waves.

And a lot of homeless people

With shelters wailed and departed.

 

Earth-shaking winter dawn

Came with howling wind

Carts were rolling on their creaky wheels

And came from Ethelköz to the Carpathians.

 

The cold spring pictures

Burnt pain into the people

And there is no calming down

There is nothing but fight.

 

This is a painful fight

How painful this ransom is,

There is no help from the heavens,

When necessary we fight and live,

 

We prayed to the heavens in vain,

And went back to the cart,

We were walking forward

To the Carpathian Basin.

 

A glorious summer dawn came

And brought warm sunshine

And we finally found our home

In the Carpathian Basin.

  

by Dániel BALLA

Class 8.a

Overall view

Chapter 2 Tale of the Horn            Overall view

 Hello! I am Lehel’s horn. I know you are surprised now because generally the objects cannot speak but I am a very special horn. I can see, hear and feel everything. I should like to present now the story of my life. Please hear it.

I cannot remember well how and when I got into the property of the great Hungarian leader but I am sure that was the best place for a horn like me. I went to battles with my owner. We were in front always and gained glory after glory. When we won in the battle Lehel took me, blew me and I blared proudly the victory all over the world. After retreat I spent the night in the tent of my owner on a big bearskin. I was happy and satisfied.

We had a lot of adventures together and were inseparable friends. I believed that would be forever. But unfortunately it happened differently.

That gloomy day I was not able to blare because we lost the battle. My owner was captured but without me – that was what I felt the worst.

After a few days two crosspatch  people came to me and said regretting but sarcastically: “If his last willing is to blow this horn we do not mind and take it to him.” The two soldiers picked up me and took in a long corridor.

When we entered a big room I saw my owner and was happy. But I was suddenly frightened when he took me roughly instead of great tenderness that was typical for him. Suddenly he lifted me up and stroke the enemy emperor down that immediately died. He was crying with triumphant fearful voice: Your king will be my servant beyond the grave.

Everybody became numb with fear but after one moment busy bustle started. I was thrown away. After that I never saw the leader. I never took part in triumphant battles. I stayed in a room, became dusty and I believed nobody could find me.

But after many years I was found, dust was removed from me and I felt as if they were happy because they found me.

Now I am in the middle of a nice room, there are a lot of objectives surrounding here that seem to be familiar to me. A lot of people come and see me and tell various stories. I am proud of it that I am the part of the history. But I always look for a face among the visitors. I hope once my owner comes and picks up me, as I have been Lehel’s horn.

 

by Vivien JOÓ

Class 4 c

Overall view

Chapter 3 Lehel’s Horn            Overall view
 

I have written my remembrance about my leader in order to understand how great hero was my leader.

I went with him to the battles. We were together in bad and good conditions. He was a strong and respectful man. His favourite pastime was treating and playing his horn. This horn was made of white bone and he took it with him into the battles. He blew it when he was either happy or sad. The hearts were shaking, the eyes filled with tears when it was sounded. This music provided consolation for the soldiers in the severe time of the wars. That time Hungarian army was considered invincible. It was almost hopeless to accept the battle against the Hungarian arrows. Our army won battle after battle but one day we were defeated by the emperor’s army. Nearly everybody died or was captured. My dear owner got into captivity of the emperor. He felt ashamed of it, he preferred death in the battle to captivity. The emperor’s soldiers treated the captives barbarously for days. My leader suffered a lot of affronts till the day of the execution. In his last plea he asked for his horn to blow instead of clemency.

When the horn was brought he touched and blew it. Its voice was so heart-gripping that all soldiers lowered their heads and listened to the sad song. At the end of the song Lehel turned the horn and stroke the emperor’s head so that he died immediately.

-         Now you can execute me – said Lehel.

-         Good-bye my dear servant – turned to me.

-         I have somebody serving me in beyond the grave. Because the emperor will be my servant forever beyond the grave.

 He was my heroic leader.

  

by Dávid ANDERMANN

Class 5 b

Overall view

Chapter 4 I dream of a new homeland               Overall view

The beams of rising sun warmed the cows and sheep resting in the pasture. The early-awaking cowboys watched the prairie.

Everybody in Nyék’s tribe felt this day that something new started. I knew our life changed. We were migrating with the neighbouring nations for many hundred years but we were not able to hide from the pursuing Petchenegs. There was not enough food for the animals. Our plundering soldiers returned from their tours and brought information from the big country over the high mountains, having rivers, forests and pastures. The leaders of the seven tribes decided to combine their forces, to elect their leader and to move to this land that was less populated area and to defend it to the last ditch. Árpád became their leader. We started to pack our things. I disassembled the tents with my mother. First we broke up the open-air fireside in the middle of the tent and removed the skin flaps of the tent from the wood shell. The clothes and dishes were put on the carts. Before the long trip my father and brothers went for a hunting. None of games meeting them could escape their arrows. Well-experienced cowboys guarded hundreds of cows our most important properties. I envied my brothers because they could drink fermented milk that made them cheerful. The Petcheneg groups  attacked our cowboys perfidiously. Reigning leader Árpád organised the defence. Hundreds of the men were patrolling and guarding the properties and lives. I can see as the leaders in their well-decorated clothes with full armament depart for their new homeland on the back of decorated horses. They were followed by a lot of carts. I should like to see the new land rich in games and fish.

 

by Bernadett KISS

Class 5 a

Overall view

 

Chapter 5 Legend of Mythical Stag              Overall view
  

“Branchy antlers like a crown were dropped on its back. It glittered in the sunshine” – is written in the book about the mythical stag of Hungarian legendary prehistory. It was a magnificent animal. Hunor and Magyar caught sight of him. They started to chase. Although the most interesting part comes here in the book sleep overcame me.

Suddenly I found myself in a troop of men on horseback. One voice said:

-         Hunor, stop here please – asked an embittered gallant. But another one interrupted.

-         You do not say so!  Magyar, we must not miss this beautiful game. Hunor, you can agree, cannot you?

-         When I looked forward I saw the magnificent stag. I immediately understood this is the mythical stag. (I did not have time to be amazed to see it, I had to ride, because did not want to stay away. And I answered:

-         Of course, we go further, let us go before him.  

We were chasing the stag for three days. Then we arrived at a dreary prairie.

Suddenly we became very sleepy. We were suffering from the hot sunshine. We had nothing to eat and drink. In the evening wolves attacked us. My conscience made me fight. Whole night I was fighting with the wolves. The God of the troops rewarded me for it and gave rain. As a result of this rain the prairie became a nice garden and the hot decreased.

We found food we could eat and have rest. But I was always thinking of the mythical stag. I was not able to forget him; therefore I started to look for it. I could not find him but found a lot of nice things in the forest. There were beautiful girls dancing on a glade. I danced with a girl; her name was Vadrózsa (Wild Rose). Magyar danced with her sister, her name was Harmatgyöngy (Dew-Pearl). Both were nice, kind and charm.

 Beep-beep-beep – said my alarm clock and I woke up. I was drowsy as I looked around. After some minutes I understood that I had dreamed further the historical story that I had read.

  

Réka Gregorics

Class 6 b

Overall view

Chapter 6 Legend of Mythical Deer             Overall view
 

When we hear the word “Conquest” it reminds us of the seven leaders, Prince Árpád and the Carpathian Basin. But there is another tale about conquest in the Hungarian prehistory. It belongs to the legends of Hunnish – Hungarian prehistory.

It is legend of the mythical deer. It is generally well known in Hungary from the Kézai Simon’s chronicle despite of it that Hunnish-Hungarian relations are not well established by the historical data. But a great number of novelists and poets went to this source during the centuries and this legend made them to write. One of the greatest Hungarian poets was János Arany; he also used this legend in his work.

There were two stalwart princes Hunor and Magyar, sons of King Minrót. They went for hunting. They expected much game-bag. They were proud and keen warriors on the backs of their horses and with bright weapons. They were champions, brave soldiers as it is proper to be for princes. They still were living in their father’s court. 

One sunny morning they were hunting far from their home. They were chasing the game in marsh of Meotis when a wonderful hind came from the dense forest.

The famous poet János Arany writes about it as follows:

 

                  “Breeze comes in the cold dawn,

                  The skyline is purple.

                  The hind is jumping bravely

                  There over the stream.

                  Come, young men quickly,

                  Try to catch the hind up

                  And intentionally and willy-nilly

                  They are cashing continuously.

 

The brave young men were chasing the hind but nobody was able to catch her. Suddenly she disappeared in the forest, not leaving any traces.

The young men were looking for her for long time; they were going round the marsh. And they liked marsh more and more.

There was good land here, rich in fish and games, there were valleys good to settle, good pastures for the animals. It could be the good place for a new homeland.

They went home, showed the game-bag to their father and told him the story of the mythical animal that led them to this nice place. They asked their father to settle there and to create a new home. A new home on the place that was assigned by the mythical deer for them.

Their father was sad because he knew he lost his beloved sons. But he allowed them to leave. They could take all cattle with them. They found they could protect the new land easily because it had good position. There were not rivers there but it was rich in games, fish, birds and pastures.

After the settlement the new conquerors lived here for five years, but they missed the family, wives, children, cheerful noise of the children and the hearth. In the sixth year they left for hunting and they found daughters of Belár a Bulgarian Prince in the puszta. The girls were dancing and preparing for a celebration.

János Arany says:

                            Fairy girls live at home,

                            Are dancing and rejoicing.

                            Their tent is woven from mist

                            They enjoy themselves in the tent.

                            None of men are near here,

                            But beautiful daughters of

Princes Belár and Dúl

They are here and learn the magic.

The most beautiful girls are here

Two of King Dúl

But twelve of the old Belár

Altogether hundred and two.

They start to become fairy.

 

The soldiers abducted the girls and got married with them. Hunor and Magyar got married with the most beautiful girls, daughters of Prince Belár. The Hungarian and Hunnish nations come from these women.

This is the story how the two stalwart princes found homeland and family and became fathers of two famous and great nations – Huns and Hungarians. To get a homeland is possible not only by war and long migration, as the Hungarian conquerors did in the ninth-tenth centuries but in peaceful way, too.

 

References:

Lengyel Dénes: Régi Magyar mondák

Komjáthy István: Mondák könyve

Arany János: Rege a csodaszarvasról

  

by Edina Papp

Class 7 c

Overall view

 

Chapter 7 Legend of Mythical Stag               Overall view
 

I like the historical stories. My favourite tale is Legend of Mythical stag written by Ferenc Móra. I like this tale because it refers to the origin of the Hungarians.

Once upon there was a Prince Nimród. He was very rich. He had hundred cowboys, thousand horse herds and lot of cattle. But he was proud most of his two sons. They were Hunor and Magyar. Once the young men went for hunting. Fifty soldiers went with both of them. They killed a lot of birds and games. They started to go home when suddenly a beautiful stag appeared. It had white hair, bright eyes like the diamond and very big antlers. The young men started to chase. They were chasing from morning till night on the backs of horses. They were very close to catch it but it jumped up and disappeared. As they were looking around they found themselves on a nice place with good pasture and beautiful landscape. There were a lot of deer in the forest, the river was rich in fish. They heard cheerful music from far. Two daughters of Prince Dul a neighbour king were playing and dancing both with fifty girl friends. Hunor, Magyar and their soldiers exchanged their glance, dug their spurs into their horses and run to the girls. Each soldier caught a girl and lifted up into the saddle and said. “I will be your husband and you will be my wife. Only death can part us.” Hunor and Magyar chose the two princesses. After their marriage they halved the land. Western part belonged to Hunor, Magyar received the Eastern part. Posterity of the latter one was called Hungarians and the land was called Scythian land.

This nice legend circulated from mouth to mouth in the centuries till Ferenc Móra a famous novelist noted it down. Fortunately our nation was always very proud of its Hungarian identity and took care of the old traditions, the old stories from prehistory including this legend. I should like if my generation, too looked back upon the past proudly.

  

by Károly Szabó

Class 4 c

Overall view

 

Chapter 8 Legend of Mythical Stag             Overall view

  Grandmother and grandchildren are sitting round the fire. It is nice warm, the dinner is under preparation, and everybody is in good spirits.

The naughty boys and girls plague the grandmother with questions how she met the grandfather. The tall, still beautiful woman with brown hair is unwilling to say but finally she starts:

         It happened long time ago. My sister your aunt, and I were very young. We liked to walk at the bank of the river.  Once when we were talking, picking flowers, watching the animals suddenly everything calmed down. Birds stopped singing. We were surprised because of this sudden change. A beautiful stag with nice body and huge antlers was running by us, followed by riders. The animal disappeared but the soldiers stopped facing us. We got frightened, suddenly there was silence. The soldiers were angry and cursing because they missed the game what they chased for many hours. They were very tired and their horses too. Two of the soldiers who seemed to be the leaders gave the order to stop here and to have a rest. They came to us. One of them was your grandfather the other was your uncle. We were talking and my sister invited them to our father’s place. After the dinner we understood that I would get married with Hunor and your aunt would get married with Magyar. Since that time we have called this beautiful animal as mythical stag. He led Hunor and Magyar to us. We owe to him that you are now to me.

Grandmother is thinking dreamily and looking toward the bank of the river with the trees. She is looking toward the place where it happened.

  

by Judit Fehér

Class 5 b

Overall view

 

Chapter 9 Legend of Mythical Stag               Overall view
 

A long time ago there was a prince. He was Nimród our father.   He was very rich. He had lot of cowboys, horse herds and cattle. But he was not proud of them. He was proud of his two sons, Magyar and my brother Hunor.

One sunny day we were hunting near to the border of our father’s country, we shot lot of birds with bows. We were just about to leave for home when a stag were running in front of us. His hair was as white as the snow; eyes were as bright as the diamond; antlers were like a crown.

Hunor and me got on the horseback and went after the stag. We were chasing him with our soldiers over hedge and ditch, uphill and downhill, from dense forest to glade, from sunrise to sunset. Stag jumped up and disappeared in one moment. We came to a sudden stop, looked around and did not know where we were. There was a wonderful view in front of us. There was silk-like green grass, matured fruits were on the trees, lot of fish cavorted in the rivers. Merry music was heard from far. Beautiful daughters of the neighbour Prince Dual were dancing and playing hide-and-seek with their girl friends. Hunor, the soldiers and me exchanged our glance. We immediately understood what to do. Each of us caught a girl and lifted up into the saddle. Hunor and me chose the two princesses. We asked them to get married with us. After the marriage we halved the land. Western part belonged to Hunor and his descendants were the Huns. I received the Eastern part. My posterity was the Hungarians.

I believe lot of people will know this nice legend.

  

by Flóra Kolovics

Class 5 b


Overall view

 

Chapter 10 Travel in the time          Overall view
  

Dear young reader, who live at the beginning of the twenty-first century and heat your home with gas and have electricity in your house and lot of technical inventions are at your disposal. You who make your lesson with computer and get the last information through the internet. You who can take very long distances within few hours by flight. You can hardly imagine how our children were living before the conquest.

Please come with me. Let us go into the past at the end of eight and beginning of ninth century. Let us flight.

First of all let me introduce myself. I am Edina wife of chief Álmos. I am living here with a big family. There are old and young, brothers and sisters and other relatives in my family.

What I tell you I have heard from my grandmother and she had heard from her grand-grandmother. Our fathers collected the foods, hunted and fished. They used very primitive equipment for land cultivation like digging stick and sickle. We cultivate the land now consciously. The family lived in a big tent. There was a fireplace in the middle of the tent and the fire was burning whole day. The head of the family had his place face to the door, behind the fireplace. The men were sitting in a circle, on the right-hand side of the head of the family. The left-hand side was for the women. Next to the head of the family, on the right-hand side was the place of honour. In the tent equipment like arrows, bows, brakes, belts, saddles, lash, etc. were hung on the men’s side. Equipment used by the women was placed on the women’s side in the tent like saddles for women, kitchen equipment, dishes, cans, wooden cups, grinding stones, leather bottles for storing the kumis and cradles for the babies. To set up the tent was always task of the women. It is well known the women could ride well. They had the same type of the saddles as the men had. Well, we live and work here. As my husband and brothers are always on the way, either to war or to find new pasture and homeland, I was always afraid of it something wrong happened to my loved ones. As Hungarian nation is an equestrian people, the men spend half of the life on horseback; they can ride without saddle, too. They are brave soldiers and where they occur they cause panic. They are called little devils. They use the arrows well, they attack very quickly and with noisy cry they keep their enemy in fear. They are able to eat and sleep on horseback. Hungarians were in the land of the present Hungary many times before the conquest. Their coming was accompanied with black cloud because the horses made much dust-cloud and nothing could have been seen. When they were fighting they never run away. If they had some troubles they encouraged each other:

-         To subjugate your neck is as same as to die.

-         To die in a brave battle is not death but life.

They left this reputation and heritage to their inheritors as they inherited from their ancestors. Their enemy prayed “God, Save us from the Hungarian arrows”. At the end of the winter when the water in the rivers is chilly, the men start to shoe the horses and to repair the saddles and tools. When the nature wakes - grows the grass, rise the rivers, the trees are in bud, sing the skylarks – we know this is the time to say good-bye. The older men call for the dogs, pen opens and everybody works. The animals are driven to the pasture. We start to cultivate the land surrounding the tent. Everybody works,  children and old together. For women the most important task is bringing up the children and keeping the family together. We are so busy that do not notice the summer is over. In autumn we harvest the crops. The leaves fall down; the migrating birds are ready to leave. The grass is not green anymore. The mornings are frosty, both men and animals feel cold. We drive the animals into the pen. The men come home and the winter evenings come. These evenings are very long because it gets dark very early. We sit around the fire in the tent and the old men and women tell us tales and stories. And we know what it means when we live in a big family. Everybody pays attention to everybody. Even our dog Bodri lies on its stomach, by the fire. Everybody is satisfied. We prepare small toys to our children. We prepare balls from clothes; the boys can play football on the puszta. We make toys baby from cornhusk to the girls. Our children did not have other toys. They climbed the trees, rode already in their childhood, used the arrows very well and played hide-and-seek. This was a big family; we were twenty-five – thirty living together. How did we spend the winter? The old men and women told tales and stories to the children. The women weaved, spun yarn, sewed, weaved baskets and prepared earthen pots. The men hunted in the forests or cut a hole in the ice and fished. After a successful hunting we had a big feast, we were talking and dancing, we enjoyed ourselves. That was how we spent the time in winter. Winter gets to be over. We wait for the spring. The food of both the people and animals is nearly finished. The skylark starts to sing followed by nightingale. The head of the family is the chief, he parcels the work and he decides in debates. Then the pen opens and the animals in decreased number go the pasture again. Bodri also knows his task.  He never leaves his owner. The men say good-bye and go for work. We start to cultivate the land again, sow that we can harvest at the end of the summer. The good pasture promotes reproduction of the animals. When the leaves fall again there are more animals and more people. But the pasture is few and the tent is small. Therefore we have to find new place to live and new pasture.

We harvested the crops, the men returned. We take down the tents, put the children and old people to the cart, and drive the animals and leave to look for new homeland and pasture.  In migration we live together with Bulgarians and other Turkish people. The relatives set up their rents close to each other. The houses were built on piles driven in the soil. They started to cultivate the lands consciously; they produced fruits, grapes, wheat and barley. The winter quarters were built near to the rivers to insure the possibilities for fishing in winter. Now there were already craftsmen living among them. The relatives and the people living close to each other formed a big family – a clan – and later a tribe. The chief was elected from the clans’ leaders. There were seven tribes. They were migrating. They called the place west to river Don Levédia. When Hungarian tribes were separated from Cossacks, they went to Etelköz because the Petchenegs invaded them. In Etelköz Petchenegs and Bulgarians blockaded them. Both nations were very warlike. To defend themselves the seven Hungarian tribes made a compact sealed with blood. They elected Árpád son of Álmos to be the leader of the Hungarian tribes.  The Petchenegs invaded the Hungarians therefore Hungarians left for west to the Carpathian Basin. They crossed the Verecke pass and through Transylvania they entered Upper-Tisza region. The people in Carpathian Basin went first to east to Danube, then to Upper Hungary and Transdanubia. Finally the whole Carpathian Basin was in Hungarian hands. It was the conquest. A new age started for our nation. Our fathers settled here, this land became their homeland and our homeland, Hungary. Here the time travel is over. I hope you enjoyed it. Now I take you back into the twenty-first century. I am proud of it that I am Hungarian. Bon voyage! Have great success in your studies.

 

by Vanda Peti

Class 6 c

 Overall view