Katalin Turfitt

The Hungarians - A Shaman People? Every second is a surrealist and every third a shaman Even if this old saying about the Hungarians probably exaggerates, at least seventy percent of all Hungarian primary school children could surely answer the question who the Táltos (the Hungarian Shaman) were or rather are. Despite Christianization, 160 years of Ottoman reign, monarchy, National Socialism, half a century's socialistic government continuing up to the present-day globalization in the McDonalds-era, the Hungarians still seek the advice and help of their Táltos. Even if these could often work only in secret due to the political situation, they are nowadays- working mainly in trance - still present everywhere as seers, chiropractors, spiritual healers, herbal doctors, non-medical practitioners or necromancers. A glimpse at the ancestry of the Hungarians leads us to the sources of their shaman’s culture. Origins of the Hungarians in Siberia

The Hungarians come from the Ural Mountains in Siberia, where they shared the habitat with numerous other shaman peoples such as the Finns, the Laps, the Turks or the Karagas. Their way from Siberia to Europe in the course of the migration is yet today not completely clarified. Archaeological findings prove the theory that originally the Hungarians were domiciled in the areas of the Ural and Ob approximately 4000 b.c. and they moved into Europe in stages in the millennium up to the acquisition of land in the present-day development area. As former hunters and fishers and later nomadic cattle raisers, they populated the Carpathian valley 896 a.d. for many years.

In the old home, the Hungarians shared their original shaman beliefs- related with Totemism and animism - with the resident people. Still today, the traces are found in folklore, traditions and the soul of the people. Mediality, a heightened sense of empathy and introverted life attitude are essentially more strongly distinctive with the Hungarians as with western Europeans. Like other former shaman people, the original belief maintained to a very special extent the access to individual and collective unconsciousness.

Route of the Hungarians from the Ural into the Carpathian Valley

The shaman world understanding

In the belief of the shaman, the world is tripartite into lower, middle and upper world. Without having made any agreement at any congress, this Mircea Eliade, described as a soul-spiritual archetype, is found throughout the world. The Hungarian language even has specific names for the middle world (evilág), the low world (alvilág) and for the upper world (túlvilág). Another archetype is found in the connection of these worlds through the arbor vitae, also known as the tree reaching to heaven, (égigéro). How very rooted it still is today in the Hungarian consciousness, appears in the example of the recently common mobile telephone game where fairies and animals ascend the arbor vitae (the tree reaching to heaven). The symbol of the arbor vitae repeatedly found application in the national art (s. Picture).

Wooden wardrobe with arbor vitaes from the XVIII. Jh. in Zsámbék in Hungary / St.Vendel-Haus In contrast to the shaman of other peoples, the Táltos seldom assumed spiritual leadership alongside the worldly leaders of their communities. They lived withdrawn. Their social activities did not consist of holding regular ceremonies even if they did occasionally carry out sacrifices. The many elements of show and entertainment which were to be found in many other shaman peoples were not practiced by the Táltos. An essential part of their world understanding is the worship of the ancestors and their power. Through their healing activity, they mediate that we humans are survivors and therefore a special, conscious quality of vitality. Numerous songs of and about Táltos are traditional in the Hungarian folklore. A frequent refrain "Hej, regö rejtem “in effect means: I am in trance. The Hungarian Táltos, comparative to their colleagues, work fervently for the sake of humanity and love. Their small ego is unimportant. They ask for donations and no fees, whereby in Hungary a donation can also mean a natural product. Who becomes a Táltos (shaman) in Hungary? Only select men or women, who see the light of the world with particular physical characteristics can become a Táltos: you should have at least one bone or organ more than others have in their body, born with an amniotic sac, survived serious illnesses, experienced near death, or possess a "shaman tooth” (táltosfog). It is frequently also outstanding spiritual characteristics like special sensitivity, inclination to melancholy, seclusion or mediality, by which future shaman distinguish themselves.

Contrary to others shaman traditions, the Hungarian Táltos is not already recognized in the womb. His function is- with rare exceptions – furthermore not hereditary. The animals of the Táltos Companions and protectors of the Hungarian Táltos on their spiritual trips are their animals: Turul In spirit, the Hungarian Táltos fly on the back of the gigantic raptor Turul. We find its representation larger-than-life in west Hungary, for example, where it watches over the city Tata from a hill. Another example for the multiple historic illustrations, found on a golden jug, is the Turul with a woman’s figure in ecstatic posture. s. Picture.

Finding from Nagyszentmiklós (Hungary)

Bull (Bika) At night, the Táltos occasionally took on the shape of a bull in order to fight out power struggles amongst each other, or, to influence the weather.

Crane (Darumadár) Cranes also accompanied or carried the Táltos on their spiritual flights. Because of its mythical meaning, this bird was so highly esteemed that one single feather was sometimes as valuable as a cow in the middle ages.

Stag (Szarvas) According to the saga, a stag is supposed to have shown the leader of the Hungarians the way to the Carpathian Valley during the migration. The leading strength of this animal also describes a four hundred year younger chronicle. A Magical Stag is supposed to have shown the sacred Ladislaus where he should have the cathedral in Vác erected, s. Picture.

Miniature from the picture chronicle (Képes Krónika) by 1370

Shaman horse (Táltosló)

For the nomadic people of Hungary, horses were indispensable -not only as a means of transportation. Of equally large importance, they were also magical animals or accompanying animals of the shaman. Snow-white horses were highly esteemed and were preferred as sacrificial animals.

Horse motives on drums

Instruments and clothing With drums, rattles, and sieves the Táltos produced sounds to increase consciousness. Drum ornaments from the Ural are still traditional, s. Picture.

Drum ornament, Hungarian ethnology museum,

Many of the recurrent patterns symbolize the sun, moon or the planets. Still today, the traditional Easter eggs in Hungary are frequently painted with similar patterns, s. Picture.

The coats of the Táltos are painted and embroidered with flowers or animal motives. Their headgear is tailor-made from antlers or bird feathers. Shamanistic cures in Hungary A short description of the most important cures: In the shaman chiropractics, the Táltos, initially in trance, ask their helping spirits if they may perform the planned intervention. Yearly, hundreds of thousands Hungarians let themselves be treated by such chiropractors. Spiritual healings are performed in trance (révület). Either, it is “channeled” or the cure for the ill person is negotiated with helping spirits. The mightier amongst the shaman even dare to haggle with "evil “spirits. The shamanistic cure with herbs differs from the conventional method in that it doesn't select plants and herbs to cure certain illnesses on the level of the everyday consciousness but rather the correct remedies are telepathically revealed to him in trance by the spirits or companions. A type of prediction in Hungary is carried out with help of beans in a strainer, similar to the known Nepal shamanistic rice diagnosis. Another form is known as Bean Toss. The emerging formations are interpreted. Included in the cure is also death companion. The shaman heals the so-called dying free soul. The shaman calms the dying by explaining that the free soul is leaving its bodily soul to travel through the different layers of the upper world in order reach the light and be re-born. The belief in reincarnation is widespread in Hungary. It is proven historically through excavations that the dead are often buried with gold coin in their mouth so that the free soul can pay the gate keeper of the after life. In a séance, the Táltos put themselves into trance. They make contact with the deceased souls and answer the questions of the clients. Even under socialism, séances lived on. In the seventies, a cinema film about a very popular Hungarian séance medium was shown. Nobody was surprised that something like that was shown. It was not the fact that the dead were conjured that caused uproar but rather the contributions for the performances, which amount filled the viewer with envy.

In cures with water, the water is conjured, thereby increasing its effectiveness. Even without scientific proof, water has always been an energy bearer for the shaman. -After rinsing the wounds the water is poured on the earth at the wayside and is conjured so that the users of the way carry this water away on their feet, weakening it and thereby defeating the illness. -The "quiet water “heals above all sick children. It is called such because it is not allowed to speak while the water is being carried in a vessel from a brook or other source to the sickbed. Afterwards, the sick child is washed with the healing water.

Finally, some old recipes are further named against some illnesses: -Against intermittent fevers it helps to lay one peppercorn each in nine halved plums filled with spring water and to slowly drink the water in small sips distributed through day until it is finished. -The bandages from fire or infected wounds are hung on trees so that the wind blows the illness from them. -Against fever it helps to touch the trunk under an elderberry tree and to say: "Dear elderberry tree, I bring you a visitor, the fever. Please take it on. In return, I promise you that I will never look at you again: “ - In a nervous breakdown, the Táltos enter into contact with the evil spirit responsible for the illness and swears long and vulgarly, until the spirit leaves the body of the sick person. Measured on the extreme wealth of Hungarian cursing, actually all evil spirits would have had to have left the country a long time ago. - To cure a tumor, the Táltos use the "Schadensei”. He encircles the tumor whereby it is changed energetically and is reduced. -For jaundice, one cup is carved from yellow turnip for the ill person, from which he should drink. -The face of "bewitched “people is washed with carbonic water. -Warts are conjured, making them dissolve without a trace. -Dolls receive healing effects through conjuring and are put into the sickbed- not only for children. Renaissance of the shaman As everywhere, also in Hungary the longing for naturalness and healthiness in the age of nuclear power plants and genetic engineering has risen enormously. In consequence, shamanistic schools have sprung up like mushrooms after rainy weather in the so-called civilized world. Also in Hungary, City Shamans- also known as Core-Shaman, plastic shaman or seminar shaman – are being trained following the methods of Michael Harner. Whether it is a trend that might even enliven the community remains to be seen. Basically it is absolutely irrelevant with which methods we humans try to become healthy and authentic, or to make nature inhabitable for humans in the nick of time, - most important is, we are doing something. Literature: -Diószegi, Vilmos und Hoppál, Mihály: Folks Beliefs and Shamanistic Traditions in Siberia / Bibliotheca Shamanistica ISBN 9630569655 -Diószegi, Vilmos und Hoppál, Mihály: Shamanism in Sibirien / Bibliotheca Shamanistica ISBN 9630569647 -Hoppál, Mihály: Sámánok lelkek és jelképek Budapest 1994 Helikon Verl. -Hoppál, Mihály: das Buch der Schamanen / Europa und Asien Ullstein Verl., 2002 (auf Deutsch) ISBN 355007557 -Diószegi, Vilmos: Samanizmus (Terebess Verl. Budapest 1998)

-Dömötör, Tekla: Leute-Glaube und Aberglaube der Ungarn, Corvina Verl. ISBN 9631313034 -Siikala, Anna-Leena und Hoppál, Mihály: Studies On Shamanism / Ethnologica Uralica ISBN 9630574896 Internetseiten: - Horváthné Schmidt Ilona: Sámántechnika / Schamanentechnik/Vortragstext a. d. Seiten www.funyiro.hu/html/saman/samantech.htm auf Ungarisch - Sámánizmus a.d. Seiten www.terebess.hu/keletkultinfo auf Ungarisch - http://szintezis.info.hu/samanfuzet.html in Hungarian - www.turfitt.de.ms Seminare zur Einführung in Schamanismus und schamanische Psychotherapie