Magyar Zoltán

Legends of Early Hungarian Saints: type- and motif-index

CONVERSION, SPREADING OF CHRISTIANITY

Conversion to Christianity

Stephen: The legend of the Holy Crown. Stephen becomes the Christian king of Hungary. Stephen sends abbot Asrik to Rome to solicit a crown from the pope. Pope Sylvester II intends to send a crown to the prince of Poland, but an angelic vision in his dream reveals to him that the following day envoys of an unknown people would arrive to him, and their ruler is the one worthy of the diadem since he converted many in his realm. Due to the dream, the pope sends the crown to the Hungarian prince: ST III:18-21; Temesvari: 52.29-30; EC:497-498; VD: plate 3. Saint converts the Hungarians to the Christian faith: ST II:4; MA I:I.73; Hymn I:3.2-3; VD: plate 4. Saint orders the burial alive of a pagan nobleman and his wife because they refuse to convert: Anonymus: 57. Saint crushes the insurrection of pagan Hungarians and ordrs the execution by quartering of their leader: ST I:9; ST II:5; ST III:12; CP:64; CH:63; Ransanus: IX.11; Thuroczy: 55; Bonfini: 2.1.100-125; Temesvári: 52.28; EC:496; CP:p. 39.

Gerald: At the request of St. Stephen saint remains in Hungary to convert the people: GE I:2; GE II:15-118; AnjouLeg-GE: plate 1. Saint converts the population of a whole province: GE II:28, 32.

Stephen, Ladislas: St. Sava converts the kings to orthodoxy: Hodinka: 462-463, 474-476, 474-476, 484-486; Moldva II:48.

Support, donations to the Church

Stephen: Support, donations to the Church: ST I:12-13, 17, 22, 25; ST II:5, 6; ST III:13, 23, 26-27, 39; GE I:3; GE II:35, 43; CH:63; Ransanus: IX.14; Bonfini: 2.1.175-275; Temesvari: 52.28.

Saint’s wife, the saintly Gisela, also offers generous donations to the Church: ST I:15; ST III:22; CP:67.

Emeric: Saint lays his purple cloak and garments on the altar: CP:67; CH:63; Thuroczy: 58.

Ladislas: Saint supports the Church with donations: LA:6; Madas:3.1.1.; 10.1.1.; 12.1.2.; Temesvari:14.2.3.; Laskai:48.2.1.; 50.2.2.; Ruthenus.

Irene: Saint supports the Church with donations: PE I:2; PE II:3.

Kinga: Supports the Church: KI I:9, 25.

Margaret: Donations to the Church: MA I:I.92.

Decreeing of canonizations, naming of bishops

Stephen: Saint names the saintly monk Maurus bishop: EM:6. Saint persuades St. Gerald to prolong his stay in Hungary and names him bishop: GE II:15; AnjouLeg-GE: plate 1.

Ladislas: On heavenly inspiration saint decrees the elevation and canonization of king Stephen I, prince Emeric, bishop Gerald and hermits Andrew-Zoerard and Benedict: LA:8.

Kinga: Saint decrees the sanctification of the beatified Stanislas: KI I:35.

Church foundations

Stephen: Church foundations (Székesfehérvár, Óbuda, Gyulafehérvár, Marosvár, Constantinople etc.): ST I:17, 19; ST II:6, ST III:26, 30; GE I:3; GE II:35; CP:66, 67, 70; Thuroczy: 58; Bonfini: 2.1.230, 2.1.250; Temesvari: 17.26, 52.28.,31; CP: p. 42.

Ladislas: Church foundation: Hymn II: 6th stanza; Madas:3.1.1.; 10.1.1.; 12.1.2.; Temesvari:14.2.3.; Laskai:48.2.1.; 50.2.2.; Ruthenus; EC:401; CP: p. 99.; LaszloGy: plate 233 (mural). Saint founds church to commemorate victorious battle (Mogyoród, Kisvárda): CP:121, 134; CH:111, 134; Thuroczy: 79, 83; EC:399, 400. Saint founds church after a miraculous apparition during hunt (a stag with lighted candles on the tips of its antlers - Vác): CP:124; CH:124; Thuroczy: 80; Bonfini: 2.4.5-10; CP: p. 87.

Irene: Saint founds church: PE I:2; PE II:3; Hymn III.

Monastic foundations

Stephen: Monastic foundations (Pannonhalma, Bakonybél, Pécsvárad, Oroszlámos): ST I:11, 13, 22; ST II:5; ST III:13, 16, 34; GE II:25; CP:64; Temesvari: 52.31.

Emeric: Monastic foundations: Dlugosz I:I.171.,II.148-149; Dlugosz II:III.229. Saint donates his cross which contains a relic of the True Cross to the church founded by him: Dlugosz I:I.171, II.148-149; Dlugosz II:III.229.

Ladislas: Saint founds monastery consecrated to the Holy Virgin (Nagyvárad/Oradea, Romania) after an angelic apparition bids him to during hunt: CP:139; Thuroczy: 86; Bonfini: 2.4.250.

Iirene: Monastic foundations (Pantokrator Monastery, Constantinople): PE I:2; PE II:2, 3; Moravcsik: 12-13, 59 (after Kinnamos, Byzantine historiographer); Hymn III.

Kinga: Saint founds monastery (Ószandec/Stary Sacz): KI I:15.

Foundation of diaconia

Stephen: Foundation of diaconias for pilgrims (Rome, Jerusalem): ST I:19; ST II:7; ST III:30; Bonfini: 2.1.230, 2.1.250; Temesvari: 52.31.

Foundation of bishophric

Stephen: Saint founds bishoprics: ST I:6; ST II:12; ST III:23.

Ladislas: Saint founds two bishoprics: LA:6; Madas:12.1.2.; Temesvari:15.2.3.; Laskai:50.2.2.

Provision

Stephen: Saint visits the churches founded by him yearly, examines their state, orders their restoration: ST I:16; SRT III:23; CP:67; CH:63; Thuroczy: 58; EC:496.

Saint aids pilgrims: ST III:32. Saint composes a manual of Christian morals for his son (Exhortations): ST I:25; ST III:39; EM:1.

Gerald: Becomes tutor of prince Emeric: GE II:18.; Temesvari:92.26; EC:544.

Piroska-Eiréné: Saint with her tears and pleading induces the emperor to grant that the monastery founded by her be the first in rank and benefices among all monasteries of the Empire: PE I:2; PE II:3.

Conversion

Andrew: The resurrected thief is converted and remains by saint until his death: AN:9.

Stephen: It hails in summer; as a result, the king is converted: Hodinka:484-486.

Elizabeth: Saint induces others to live in humility and moderation: EL IV:II.11; EL V:9.

Saint orders a girl to cut her beautiful long hair off (the girl later becomes a nun): EL IV:IV.3; EL V:25; EL VIII:7.III; El VIII:36; Bonfini: 2.7.330-335. Due to saint’s prayers the rich garments of a worldly, debauched youth get heated and flare up in flames (the youth is converted): EL IV:IV.2; EL V:24; EL VII:7.VII; EL VIII:33; Temesvari: 98.18.

Kinga: Due to saint’s prayers and persuasion lewd women decide to lead a virtuous life and enter nunnery: KI I:18, 27. Saint’s commanding presence forces those around her to lead a virtuous life: KI I:17.

Margaret: A heathen Cuman mocks at the miracles performed by Margaret. As proof, his blind horse regains eyesight. The Cuman converts to the Christian faith: MA II:II.31

Other traditions

Ladislas: Saint names the river by the battlefield ’Pagan’ (Pogándi, Pogáncs) in memory of a victory over the Cumans: CP:137; Bonfini: 2.4.215. Saint gives the name Szeret (Romanian Siret, from: ’szeretem’, ’I love it’) to a river in Moldavia: Moldva I:50. St. Ladislas settles the Romanians into Transylvania: Moldva II:49. Shrovetide. The breach between the Lent period of Catholic and Eastern Orthodox calendars caused that St. Ladislas arrived from a campaign belatedly; to his request, Hungarians start Lent two days later, on Shrove Tuesday: Moldva I:51.

Legends of Early Hungarian Saints: type- and motif-index

Tartalomjegyzék

Kiadó: Akadémiai Kiadó

Online megjelenés éve: 2026

ISBN: 978 963 664 185 6

Művelődéstörténet Idegen nyelvű

The work of folklorist Zoltán Magyar throws light on a relatively little-known segment of the dynastyc cult of saints in Central European cultural history. The hagiographies and legends written on different members of the Árpadian dynasty, ruling in Hungary between the 11th and 13th centuries, and their contemporaries endowed with the aura of sanctity, occur not only in their medieval Hungarian legendry but have also become part of the liturgical tradition and the cult of saints on German, Polish and Byzantine soil. The thematic and generic variety of this legendry and its many folkloric implications show close parallels with another major work of medieval European hagiography: the legends of early Irish saints. The type- and motif-index and generatic catalogue compiled by Zoltán Magyar orders the epic tradition, based on 11rh-16th century written sources, of twelve Hungarian royal saints who have become the subject of legends shortly after their death. Beside classification according to the type of legendd heroes and themes, the book also contains an analysis of the biographical data, of the historical sources and of the primary types and motifs of hagiographies.

Hivatkozás: https://mersz.hu/magyar-early-hungarian-saints-type-and-motif-index//

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