The Garabonciás, Who Rides the Storm
In Hungarian villages, a ragged student might knock at the door asking for milk and eggs. Turn him away, people said, and a hailstorm would follow.
What was reported
The garabonciás is a wizard of Hungarian folklore, born with teeth or an extra finger, who studies magic for thirteen years in an underground school. He wanders the countryside in a ragged coat, carrying a magic book.
He's said to ride a dragon through the clouds and control the weather. When he comes begging for milk or eggs, it's wise to give them: those who refuse him may have their crops destroyed by storm and hail.
Explanations offered
Similar wandering weather-wizards appear in other parts of Central Europe. The garabonciás may be a memory of real wandering scholars, or of older shamanic traditions of the Hungarians.
- When
- Told for centuries
- Where
- As told across Hungary
- Witnesses
- Hungarian folklore
- 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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