Time to spread out the tarot cards.
I do it twice a year, in May and October [well, I evidently late a little]. I don't know why I do this, I don't believe in it really or what. I like the art of tarot graphically and sometimes it's fun; you can meditate a little on your own life with the help of the cards... etc. Well, sometimes it gives me the creeps when the cards show my exact present happenings or when something comes true and not always a positive thing... My most horrible experience: Before we knew it I pulled out the 'Death' card a couple of days before the doctor informed us that dad has malignant tumor in his throat… [you know 'Death' means drastic changes in one's life/end of an era but not death] His first operation was success although every doctor doubted it, so one year later when everything seemed somewhat fine I dared to play with the cards again. I pulled out 'Tower' [disaster] about one month before dad passed away…
From then on I usually pull three cards, any number but one… one can be too meaningful so you automatically see more in it, although it's just a card… technically, but I starting to doubt it…
Anyway, I have two kinds of classical tarot decks [Mantegna, Rider], one Greek fortune telling deck, one mermaid deck and one Cigány/Gypsy deck at the moment, but I'm planning to make my own fortune telling cards based on Hungarian symbols. This will not be a tarot but a simple symbol deck. The conception and chosen symbols are ready, only the translation what missing and the graphic design not clear in my head yet, but I'll try.
I do it twice a year, in May and October [well, I evidently late a little]. I don't know why I do this, I don't believe in it really or what. I like the art of tarot graphically and sometimes it's fun; you can meditate a little on your own life with the help of the cards... etc. Well, sometimes it gives me the creeps when the cards show my exact present happenings or when something comes true and not always a positive thing... My most horrible experience: Before we knew it I pulled out the 'Death' card a couple of days before the doctor informed us that dad has malignant tumor in his throat… [you know 'Death' means drastic changes in one's life/end of an era but not death] His first operation was success although every doctor doubted it, so one year later when everything seemed somewhat fine I dared to play with the cards again. I pulled out 'Tower' [disaster] about one month before dad passed away…
From then on I usually pull three cards, any number but one… one can be too meaningful so you automatically see more in it, although it's just a card… technically, but I starting to doubt it…
Anyway, I have two kinds of classical tarot decks [Mantegna, Rider], one Greek fortune telling deck, one mermaid deck and one Cigány/Gypsy deck at the moment, but I'm planning to make my own fortune telling cards based on Hungarian symbols. This will not be a tarot but a simple symbol deck. The conception and chosen symbols are ready, only the translation what missing and the graphic design not clear in my head yet, but I'll try.
But till that I made my own spread cloth from felt
What are these embroidered symbols?
Ancient Hungarian [Magyar] Moon, Sun, star, comet… etc. imageries.
Such as many ancient pagan nation, Magyars also had their own sky map. They gave their own imaginary names to the planets, stars, Milky Way and had their own constellations as well. My ancestors had a very vivid and complex imagination about the night sky.
Ancient Hungarian [Magyar] Moon, Sun, star, comet… etc. imageries.
Such as many ancient pagan nation, Magyars also had their own sky map. They gave their own imaginary names to the planets, stars, Milky Way and had their own constellations as well. My ancestors had a very vivid and complex imagination about the night sky.
Sun was the most worshipped among the Scythian, Hun and Ottoman tribes/clans [too]. Now, Magyars were more close to the Eurasian Scythian 'horse-riding' and nomadic people in many aspects, but we mixed with too many tribes in the ancient times so not clear at all where we came from exactly… We are an 'enigma nation' without a clear known beginning… But what is sure, ancient Magyars' life too – as pagan, nomadic nation - depended on the light and warm. They celebrated every sunrises and Spring equinoxes. Sun symbolized life and truth. They called their leaders [prince or the spiritual leader as well] by the title 'kende' or 'kündü' what means "son of Sun". They saw the sky as 'égi frigy' [lit. means 'sky matrimony'] where the Sun has the male/husband and the Moon has the female/wife principle [as in many other pagan culture] whom are inseparable till the world is world…
The golden stag
The most famous Hungarian mythical leading creature, the "Miraculous Deer" is the symbol of rebirth, renewal and the Sun.
"According to Hungarian legend, preserved in the 13th century chronicle Gesta Hunnorum et Hungarorum by Simon of Kéza [Kézai Simon], while out hunting, the brothers Hunor and Magor saw a miraculous white – later described as golden - stag. They pursued the animal, but it always stayed ahead of them, leading them westward into Levédia, where they married two princesses and founded the Huns and Hungarian people. One of the main reasons for claims of religious and cultural ties between Huns and Hungarians is the stag and the brothers Hunor and Magor." Wikipedia
The stag is symbolizing the starry sky for a long time ago for many Eurasian and some Native American tribes as well.
Although we were a Sun-worshipper nation, I'm personally rather a Moon maniac. That's why I embroidered the Moon in the center and the Sun among the other symbols. Sun is definitely not my favourite… especially on Summer *cough*
But that doesn't mean Moon was neglected. Not at all. As pagan nation they respected the 'ancient mother'/female principle as well what Moon symbolized to them. They called it by the name Ezüst Boldogasszony [Silver Happy/Merrywoman? or Blessed Lady], Babba Istenanya [Beautiful Goddess Mother or Mother God] or Babba Mária [Beautiful Mary]. Some ethnic groups in Transylvania still calls the Moon as 'babba' [beautiful/fair] or Babba Mária like the csángó people for example. The only difference that today Babba Mária is rather the Holy Mary then the ancient Moon goddess [who was also Mária/Mary]. So in the churches the Babba Mária statues are now simply Virgin Mary statues… shame.
The golden stag
The most famous Hungarian mythical leading creature, the "Miraculous Deer" is the symbol of rebirth, renewal and the Sun.
"According to Hungarian legend, preserved in the 13th century chronicle Gesta Hunnorum et Hungarorum by Simon of Kéza [Kézai Simon], while out hunting, the brothers Hunor and Magor saw a miraculous white – later described as golden - stag. They pursued the animal, but it always stayed ahead of them, leading them westward into Levédia, where they married two princesses and founded the Huns and Hungarian people. One of the main reasons for claims of religious and cultural ties between Huns and Hungarians is the stag and the brothers Hunor and Magor." Wikipedia
The stag is symbolizing the starry sky for a long time ago for many Eurasian and some Native American tribes as well.
Although we were a Sun-worshipper nation, I'm personally rather a Moon maniac. That's why I embroidered the Moon in the center and the Sun among the other symbols. Sun is definitely not my favourite… especially on Summer *cough*
But that doesn't mean Moon was neglected. Not at all. As pagan nation they respected the 'ancient mother'/female principle as well what Moon symbolized to them. They called it by the name Ezüst Boldogasszony [Silver Happy/Merrywoman? or Blessed Lady], Babba Istenanya [Beautiful Goddess Mother or Mother God] or Babba Mária [Beautiful Mary]. Some ethnic groups in Transylvania still calls the Moon as 'babba' [beautiful/fair] or Babba Mária like the csángó people for example. The only difference that today Babba Mária is rather the Holy Mary then the ancient Moon goddess [who was also Mária/Mary]. So in the churches the Babba Mária statues are now simply Virgin Mary statues… shame.
After the Magyar tribes settled down in the Carpathian Basin [well, actually they invaded it I know that... history is history, there is nothing pure in it.] and later our first king Stephen I [who officially founded the Hungarian state] brought the Christianity into the country [what was sadly or not but necessary in those times, otherwise we would vanished into the thin air with the other nomadic tribes and we would never had a real country/state...], our ancient symbols and knowledge started to fade away along with the ancient strength [in soul] what really united us. Later the bigoted "symbol inquisitors" started to erase the ancient solar symbols too for good. They forbade the use of every non-Christian 'pagan symbols'. Leastwise they tried to…
Thanks to one of our famous 20th century anthropologist István Kiszely's research work, who found these solar symbols, what survived the destruction
[Photo from kiszely.hu]
The first five is clear, I think. The others are probably various stars and comet imageries.
Where he found them? On folk artifacts like embroidered tablecloths and pillow cases, painted or carved wooden furnitures; they were secretly disguised as floral and animal folk patterns. So the brave ones whom saved at least one precious thing from our ancient past were the village people whom I always despise… ~Hmm my mistake
So, while Kiszely found symbols, some eager ethnographers like Arnold Ipolyi, Lajos Kálmány, István Lázár, Ferenc Gönczi, Ede Wigand Toroczkai and János Jankó found something else; Hungarian names of the stars and constellations hidden in folk tales and old villagers' memories. It's funny that three of them was relited with religion although they searched our pagan past… Ipolyi was bishop, Kálmány was priest while Lázár was a monk. Interesting…
Beside linguistic and ethnological researchings, it helped this 'star collection' the book "Égigérő fa" [Skyhigh tree] by János Nagy Berze too. He collected in his book as many ancient Hungarian legends and myths as he could, what contains earlier folk names for certain stars and constellations.
Beside linguistic and ethnological researchings, it helped this 'star collection' the book "Égigérő fa" [Skyhigh tree] by János Nagy Berze too. He collected in his book as many ancient Hungarian legends and myths as he could, what contains earlier folk names for certain stars and constellations.
Modern researcher who carries on the work is László Mándoki who is working at Janus Pannonius Museum in Pécs. His major works were the books "Az Orion csillagkép a magyarságnál" ["The Orion constellation for the Hungarian people" or something like this] and the "Herman Ottó Csillagnévgyűjtései" [Ottó Herman's names collection of the stars]. I don't know who is this Ottó Herman, but no problem because I never heard about the previous people as well except Kiszely and Arnold Ipolyi… but always good to know something new. I will search for those books.
For centuries even the simple Hungarian peasant on the field knew the ancient star names and followed every little sky phenomenas. They interweaved this knowledge into the folk tales and myths and was remained in their belief as well. The star names are all about human problems, joys, belief and hope. Every ancient wiseness of my ancestors is on the sky, I just had to search for it…
The meaning of the Magyars' tradition and spiritual culture was the connect with the ancestors and with the ethereal beings. Their ideological traditions are the proof. For example: They believed that the sky has 7 layers. ['7' is a very mystical number in Hungarian folklore and belief and was also common in other Eastern cultures as well.] They believed that the sky is the home of our mighty heroes, gods and legendary figures and the Milky Way is what connects this sky realm with the Earth.
László Nagyváradi [finally a name I know] - who is the astronomer of the University of Pécs - identified 128 constellations and stars according that folk 'star collection'. He said it's interesting that Magyars and later the Hungarian village people as well not only imagined their own constellations but they could see visually even a single star. For example, they called the Sirius as Sánta Kata [Limping Cate]. They associated to this very shiny star a picture of a girl who stepped into a scythe [it simply symbolizes the tragedy of a girl whom probably someone knew once]. Or there was the Kalász csillag [Wheatear Star] what looked even more shiny and yellow when the harvest season began.
Some other examples
Venus had many names: Alkony Csillag [Nightfall star], Esthajnalcsillag [Twilight star, we still call by this name today], Vacsoracsillag [Evening or Supper star], Álomhozócsillag [Dreambringer star], Hajnalcsillag [Dawn star]… etc.
Milky Way also was called by many names: Hajnali hasadék [Dawn Ravine], Éjszakai Szivárvány [Night Rainbow], Tündérek Útja [Fairies' road], Hadak Útja [Armys’ road], Lelkek Útja [Souls' road], Tejút [Milky Way, the same as in English], Cigányút [Gipsy road]… etc.
Orion and its surrounding = Kaszás telke [Scythe-man's Land], Óriás gázlója [Giant's Wading]
Corona Borealis = Ruzsáskert [Rosegarden], Mária kertje [Mary's Garden]
Ursa Minor = Szarvas nyomdoka [Deer Track], Kis Göncöl [Little Göncöl]
Ursa Major = Göncölszekér [Göncöl's Chariot, still use this name instead of 'Great Bear']
Messier 45 in the Taurus = Fiastyúk [Hen – who is just hatching eggs], Hetes [Seventh]
Pleiades = Kaptár [Hive]
Sagittarius = Koldusszekér [Pauper Chariot]
a star in the Andromeda = Hálócsillag [Net star]
Alcor = Ostoros [Whipper]
Hyades = Méhkas [Beehive]
Saturnus = Székelyek csillaga [Székelys' Star]
Jupiter = Magyarok csillaga [Magyars' Star]
the stars of the Swan = Vezér [Leader], Hadnagy [Lieut], Had vezető [High Commander], Három hadnagy [Three Commanders], Lövőcsillag [Shooter star], Bajnokcsillag [Champion star], Sereghajtó [Lagman]
Berenice's hair = Tatárdúlás [Tatar ravage]
etc.
Stars what represented emotions: Szerencse csillag [Lucky star], Kisasszonyok öröme [Young Lady's Joy], Bánatcsillag [Sorrow star], Elátkozott csillag [Cursed star], Magános csillag [Lonely star], Szegény ember szerencséje [Poor man's Luck]… etc.
We had…
Szerelemcsillag [Love star], Levegőcsillag [Air star], Tengercsillag [Sea star], Szőkecsillag [Fair star], Álmatlancsillag [Sleepless star], Sellőcsillag [Mermaid star], Aranyhajúcsillag [Golden Hair star], Sárkány koronája [Dragon's Crown], Boszorkány szeme [Witch's Eyes], Tündérhölgy palotája [Fairy Lady's Castle], Árvalány pillantása [Look Of An Orphan Girl]… etc.
The ancient Magyars lived and enjoyed their life by the changes of the sky and nature. More harmonical life I think than living on star gossips like most of the people nowadays in Hungary too. In my point of view that is a very poor life…
Well, let's see what cards I've got this time…
It's creepy again… ~Hmm, we'll see… But one for sure; enough from the negative happenings!! This Autumn was a s. Did I tell you that I have dreams about Aqua that she is still hopping happily in my room…? I can't tell how I miss her… I can't endure seeing that little white urn on the shelf. Spring is soo far yet…
„csillagtalan setét éjjel” = starless dark night
Sources
kiszely.hu, szabadonebredok.info, csillagaszat.hu, Hungarian Mythology by Arnold Ipolyi and some things from head
