The Wondrous Stag
Two brothers out hunting chased a white stag with shining antlers across the steppe. They never caught it, but it led them to a new land and new wives, and their sons founded two peoples.
What was reported
In the Hungarian legend of the Csodaszarvas, the 'Wondrous Stag', two brothers, Hunor and Magor, sons of a great king, went hunting and saw a magnificent white stag. They chased it for days, but it always stayed just out of reach, until it vanished in a land of rich marshes and pastures.
There they found the daughters of a prince dancing, carried them off as wives, and settled. The descendants of Hunor became the Huns, and those of Magor the Magyars, the Hungarians.
Explanations offered
The legend was written down in medieval chronicles, including those of Simon of Kéza in the 1280s. Stories of animals that lead peoples to new homelands are found across Eurasia. The stag is a symbol of Hungarian national identity.
- When
- Recorded in the 1200s
- Where
- Hungary
- Witnesses
- Medieval Hungarian chronicles
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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