A peasant couple and other peasants from Upper Hungary are shown in this colored copper etching by Joseph Heinbucher and E. von Bikkessy, published in Vienna in 1816 in A Magyar es Horvat orszagi legnevezetesebb nemzeti oltozetek hazai gyujtemenye [A Collection of the Most Noted National Costumes from Hungary and Croatia].

Folktales, legends, sagas, myths, and fables are part of the earliest and most delightful evidence of human creative genius. They grew out of the typical experiences of our ancestors, and their specific content varies from one culture to another, revealing a great deal about the history, traditions, heritage, and quality of life of a people.

In addition, oral traditions include other literary manifestations like songs, anecdotes, proverbs, beliefs, and folk wisdom.

Hungarian or Magyar oral traditions are rich and varied. They reflect the Magyars' long and turbulent history, in present-day Hungary as well as in their earlier homelands.

For the last three to four millennia, these homelands were situated in the territory on each side of the Ural mountains, stretching from the frigid northern regions of European Russia to the pleasant southern lands along the Caspian and Black seas, and the Caucasus Mountains.