[gothic-l] Re: Hungarian tale of haliorunnae?

[Francisc Czobor]

Hails allaim!
 
After thoroughly searching the website with the complete poems of 
Arany János:
http://www.mek.iif.hu/porta/szint/human/szepirod/magyar/arany/osszes/
I can say that there is definitely no poem written by this author and 
called "The Stag" (a szarvas). However, I found the Hungarian 
Stag-legend mentioned in another work of this poet, namely the first 
part of the "Csaba Trilógia". Although there is no mention of 
"aliorunna", the variant of the Stag-legend resumed there ressembles 
strikingly the legend of the origin of the Huns, as it appears in 
Jordanes' Getica XXIV:

"(123) This cruel tribe, as Priscus the historian relates, settled on 
the farther bank of the Maeotic swamp. They were fond of hunting and 
had no skill in any other art. After they had grown to a nation, they 
disturbed the peace of neighboring races by theft and rapine. Atone 
time, while hunters of their tribe were as usual seeking for game on 
the farthest edge of Maeotis, they saw a doe unexpectedly appear to 
their sight and enter the swamp, acting as guide of the way; now 
advancing and again standing still.

(124) The hunters followed and crossed on foot the Maeotic swamp, 
which they had supposed was impassable as the sea. Presently the 
unknown land of Scythia disclosed itself and the doe disappeared. Now 
in my opinion the evil spirits, from whom the Huns are descended, did 
this from envy of the Scythians.

(125) And the Huns, who had been wholly ignorant that there was 
another world beyond Maeotis, were now filled with admiration for the 
Scythian land. As they were quick of mind, they believed that this 
path, utterly unknown to any age of the past, had been divinely 
revealed to them. They returned to their tribe, told them what had 
happened, praised Scythia and persuaded the people to hasten thither 
along the way they had found by the guidance of the doe. As many as 
they captured, when they thus entered Scythia for the first time, they 
sacrificed to Victory. The remainder they conquered and made subject 
to themselves."

The legend presented by Jordanes tells about a doe (Lat. cerva). The 
Hungarian legend tells about a stag (Lat. cervus). I wonder if Arany 
did not draw upon the Getica. Or maybe the Hungarian Stag-legend, 
generally speaking, is of cultured origin, being taken over from 
Getica (or from Priscus) by the first Hungarian chroniclers.

Francisc




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