Mágia: Hungarian Myth, Magic, and Folklore

by Margit Toth

Explore the world of Hungarian Paganism with this book's impressive collection of history, lore, and traditions from the Carpathian basin. The Hungarian people, also known as the Magyars, fused pre-Christian and Christian beliefs into their identity, and that fusion remains today. Exploring mythology, daily life, magic, the Wheel of the Year, and life passages, this book reveals this book reveals Hungarian folk religion and beliefs, both past and present.

Margit Tóth introduces you to many aspects of the Magyar cosmos, from the creation story to homestead practices. Among many other topics, you will learn how restless spirits were aided, what magical properties the Summer Solstice bonfire had, and why clothes were never washed on a Tuesday. This book provides insight on ancestors, nature spirits, sacred foods, healing magic, divination, and death and burial customs.

Genres: Audiobook, Mythology, Nonfiction, Spirituality

346 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 8, 2024

Reviews

[Ashe · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, I highly appreciate the effort Margit went through to write this book as, as she said, material written in other-than-Hungarian languages are few and far between, and this book is very accessible. There's a wide range of myths, related entities, magical customs, or folk belief shared within this book from (mostly) days past and in some cases retained today in various forms.

I did miss some myths or entities I'd heard about elsewhere, like the children of Arany Atyácska (the golden father/ Isten) and Hajnal Anyácska (the dawn mother): Hadúr, Napkirály and Szélkirály, or the myth where the son took seeds out of the sea which became the magyar (i believe the word for seed and eyes was related), or the elemental spirits (man & woman of fire/water).

While the creative practitioner might be able to gleam some ways to adapt these customs or beliefs to their modern life, this is likely easier for dual-faith practitioners or Christian witches judging by how this is how most customs survived today. I do appreciate more historical context to these customs where it applied, but I had expected there to be more talk of modern practitioners of these magical or folk practices. Margit briefly noted exactly this during the conclusion regarding her own life, but I think this could've deserved its own chapter to complement the rest and round it out beyond mere interesting information. To get more ideas how one might explore that for themselves (or where to find the people who do with the examples of certain terminology they might use for it). I suppose one might more easily do this having the text edition in front of them than the audio, being able to see some of the terminology mentioned throughout in written form, and it's in no a critique on the value still held within this book, just a wish I myself had while listening to this book. I do think I've been convinced to purchase a print copy for my personal collection despite having already listened to the entire book once, to help me further explore as I try to rediscover the culture of my great grandmother which she sadly didn’t share with us here in the Netherlands.

Margit. Hála neked, rengeteget tanultam!

[Béla Gyarmati · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mágia: Hungarian Myth, Magic, and Folklore is a fascinating dive into Hungary’s mystical traditions, blending ancient myths with captivating cultural insights. The book shines in its ability to transport readers to a world of magical beings, rituals, and centuries-old beliefs, offering a rich overview of Hungarian folklore..

Learning about old customs, traditions and about the folklore really helps me gain a deeper understanding of the land and culture my family comes from and props to Toth for the amount of thorough research and translation she must have put into this.

However, the book falters in its execution. A major pitfall is its lack of practical connection between these customs and modern life, leaving readers wondering how these traditions might still resonate today. Additionally, the uneven focus—brushing over some topics while delving excessively into others—creates an inconsistent reading experience. At times, the content feels more like a list than a cohesive narrative.

Despite these shortcomings, "Magia" serves as a solid resource for folklore enthusiasts, but those seeking a more balanced or practical exploration of Hungarian folk magic or carrying on tradition may find it wanting.

[Kushiel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this really interesting! 'm pretty well versed on Norse, Greek, Egyptian myths so hearing some myth and folklore around Hungary was lovely. Interesting how Christianity always ends of merging into preexisting traditions and beliefs.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dense but still interesting to read and imagine my ancestors doing these things haha. It was also really fascinating to come across traditions and folklore that overlapped with other cultures. For example Hungarians have their own 돌잡이 ceremony??? That blew my mind. And that’s just one example. I listened on audiobook because that was the only copy I could get from my library. This was good since I didn’t have to wonder how to pronounce the terms, but on the downside, since i couldn’t see any of the words, I don’t know how to spell them. So it’s hard to do further research. I also think for me, dense informational books like this are harder to retain when you listen to them compared to reading physically. So if I have the chance later I’d like to reread some sections visually.

I wish this book had been published years ago so I could have asked Pop-pops if he was familiar with any of this stuff. :’( Guess we’ll never know~

[sunny (jael’s version) · Rating 4 out of 5]

i really need a book of in depth spells and rituals now pretty please

[Arnika · Rating 4 out of 5]

pretty good but some of the translations felt a little off and the audiobook narrator clearly was struggling to pronounce them to the point where i had to make mental leaps and bounds to try and figure out the actual word being said. that’s not really the fault of the book though which was itself very interesting and filled with rich info on various practices. i just wish it would have taken some time to clarify at what points in history all of these were being practiced considering the work treats itself like an academic resource

[Mizzy Mint · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet another book I loved. There was a lot of folklore and superstitions and just common household beliefs that are prevalent. Some are things I have heard of before and some where wild and new. I will say it was cute hearing more about the origins of the little kitchen witch dolls you hang up in your kitchen. I've seen them before and was always curious about them so I really felt invigorated to look into getting one for my own after reading this. I loved the stories in this book and the quality of writing felt so personal and warm. I really loved the voice of the author and the way information was given to us, it was just co comforting and trustworthy. I definitely recommend this if you want a good read and I can't wait to add a copy of this to my collection.