The Táltos, Who Fought as Bulls in the Sky
In Hungarian folklore, some children were born with a tooth, or an extra finger. They would grow up to be táltos, who fought in the clouds in the shape of bulls.
What was reported
In Hungarian folklore, a táltos was a person with special powers, a kind of shaman, recognised at birth by signs such as being born with teeth or an extra finger. As a child, they might fall into a long sleep, during which they were said to be initiated by spirits.
Táltos could heal, find hidden treasure and control the weather. They were said to battle each other in the sky, often in the form of bulls or stallions, and the winner's side would have good weather. Records of witch trials in the 1700s include people who said they were táltos.
Explanations offered
Scholars think the táltos preserves traces of ancient shamanic beliefs brought by the Magyars from the steppes before they settled in Hungary. Like the kresnik of Istria and the benandanti of Italy, táltos were seen as protectors, though church authorities often treated them as witches.
- When
- Recorded from the 1500s
- Where
- Debrecen, Hungary
- Witnesses
- Hungarian folklore and old court records
- Status
- Folklore
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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