![]() The Arvisuras, a pseudo-historical literary work describing elements of the “ táltos” tradition (the Hungarian shamanic tradition), provides a framework for the occultism of some of the far right groups and subcultures which often cite this narrative as a source. It goes back hundreds of thousands of years, to the era of occult religions. The prehistorical perspective positions itself in mythical times, before the settlement of the Hungarians in the ninth century CE. In the subculture of the far right, the Turul has became a popular symbol for use in tattoos, fashion, and household objects. Tattoo depicting the Turul bird with an arrow cross, the symbol of the Hungarian Arrow Cross party (1939–45), which was affiliated with the Nazis. The operational interpretation concerns what is done with the symbol in public rituals, political rhetoric, trendsetting fashion, and so on. The positional interpretation relates to the symbol’s iconological context (revisionist and nationalist elements, such as Greater Hungary, Árpád stripes, and the arrow cross). 8 The exegetical interpretation relates to ritualistic behavior (totemism, shamanism, paganism). Turner, the polysemous character and multivocality of the Turul symbol can be analyzed with a triarchic approach, involving an exegetical, a positional, and an operational interpretation. This later became the main metaphor of Viktor Orbán’s “rebellious” relationship to EU norms and standards: in defense of the new national self, the authoritarian handling of laws is acceptable.įollowing the methodology of the British anthropologist V. 6 As Gábor Demszky, a well-known liberal politician, noted, “The Turul … became the symbol of unauthorized construction and of official authority that disregards its own rules.” 7 Thus, the populist ethos of the “freedom fighter” was implicitly introduced. In spite of this, the local mayor, a member of the conservative Fidesz party, green-lighted the project. The board entitled to decide upon the issue ruled against the construction of the memorial. The story of a memorial depicting a Turul that was erected in the 12th district of Budapest in 2008 is symptomatic of the changing symbolism of the Turul. The symbol of the Hungarian National Socialist Workers Party, transformed following its prohibition in 1933. 5 Although the bill did not pass, if it were reintroduced today, it might pass easily, as Jobbik itself has presided over the new parliament’s cultural committee since April 2014. 4 In 2013, a bill introduced into the Hungarian parliament by seven MPs of the radical right Jobbik party would have imposed a one-year prison sentence on anyone caught defacing images of the Turul or the Miraculous Deer, another important figure in the Hungarian ethnogenetic myth. 3 Ironically, it was an EU-supported LIFE grant that led to the successful resettlement of the species in the region between 20. “Turul” was also briefly considered as a possible name for a new Hungarian currency introduced in 1926 (authorities ultimately chose the name “ pengő”). 2 Although the Saker Falcon isn’t among the more than one hundred species traditionally bred by Hungarians, in 2006 its temporary replacement on one side of the fifty forint coin by a different design generated anger on the far right, even though this depiction didn’t resemble the historic icon of the Turul. ![]() In 2004, the Hungarian parliament passed a resolution affirming the national symbolic value of many animal breeds native to Hungary. Note the Turul feather in Árpád’s helmet. ![]() Below: Mihály Munkácsy, Honfoglalás (Conquest of the Magyars), 1893. In this story, Turuls led a group of wandering tribes into the Carpathian basin, showing them the land of their future country.Ībove: The fifty forint coin with the regular and the temporary designs commemorating the 125th anniversary of the Hungarian Red Cross. 1 The second narrative is “The Conquest of the Magyars” (“Honfoglalás”), which concerns the territorial legitimation of the Hungarian state. The first is “Emese’s Dream,” in which the progenitress of the Hungarian people is impregnated by a Turul and gives birth to the Árpád Clan, which ruled Hungary during the country’s golden age, from the tenth to the thirteen century CE. The Turul as a symbol is present in two main narratives from ancient Hungarian legend. Its origins and age are still debated, but it probably dates from the Avar Khaganate, sixth to seventh century CE.Īccording to researchers, the cult of the Turul is based on the totemistic relationship between the nomadic Hungarian tribes and the Saker Falcon, a hunting bird of the Central Asian steppe. ![]() The earliest known representation of the Turul bird on one of the vessels found among the Treasure of Nagyszentmiklós.
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