The sword of God

Having lived and prospered in the lands of Meotis for centuries, there came a time when the two sister nations had to part.  They simply became too numerous for their homeland and for their own good.

The first to go were the Huns, who soon established a huge world empire under the leadership of Attila (ca. A.D. 406-453).  This empire centered on the Hungary of later years, but it extended from the borders of the two Roman Empires to the Caucasus region and Central Asia.  It contained virtually all of the Germanic, Slavic, and Turkic tribes, and soon became a threat to both Roman Empires.  The building of this huge empire is the subject of the next heroic legend.  It is retold on the basis of several versions preserved in the chronicles of the Goth Jordanes and the Hungarian Kezai, and colored by the imagination of the storyteller Elek Benedek (1859-1929) and the peasants of the Debrecen region in Hungary.

Not even a hundred years had passed before the Huns and the Magyars became so numerous that the land of Meotis was unable to support them.  They were forced to find a new homeland once more.  So they decided to conquer Scythia.

Soon even Scythia proved to be too small for them.  After some meditation, the leaders of the Huns decided to take their nation westward.  The Magyars remained, but promised to follow their brethren should they find a suitable homeland.

Before the Huns departed, however, the leaders of the two nations had to decide what to do with the Sword of God, a sacred weapon that they had won from the Scythians.  After some debate it was decided that it should be handed to a blind man, who should twirl it around seven times, and then let it go.   Should the sword fall in a westerly direction, the Huns would take it with them.  But should it fall toward the east, it would remain with the Magyars.

And so it was done.  But then a miracle occurred.  Following the seventh spin, the sacred sword failed to descend to earth.