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Hello, dear visitors!
In our studio historian, archaeologist,
head of the non profit organization
"Nevytsky Castle" Alexander Dzembas.
Hello, Alexander!
Good day!
You promised to tell
our viewers a stories about Nevitskiy Castle
and the results of research of
archaeological expedition led by you.
What it will be today?
Today I would like to tell
legends of Nevitskiy castle.
There are many stories, they are colorful,
with numerous variations.
The most popular of these legends
is a legend about Pogan (Bad) Lady
and King Matthias.
Once upon a time in Nevitskiy Castle lived Pagan (bad) Lady.
She owned the whole neighborhood around Nevitskiy Castle
entire Uzhansky valley.
She was characterized by not only
extreme cruelty towards her peasants and workers,
but belligerence in relations with other lords who were nearby..
She forced villagers in the construction of the castle carry stones on their shoulders.
Uphill, with steep slopes.
As a solution to increase strength of construction,
were added not only milk and eggs,
but even human milk.
For any fault people were severely punished.
She was distinguished not only by extreme cruelty
but also extraordinary beauty.
To preserve her beatury,
according to legend, she even
took baths with fresh human blood.
People suffered enormously from the yoke of the Pagan Lady.
but there was no strength to overthrow her,
the castle was impregnable.
But soon, in a neighboring village Orihovytsya,
one of the richest peasants
hired servant
Matyash.
He was a very valuable employee.
He was a hardworking,
worked as an assistant to a local blacksmith.
However, an experienced master
noticed
noble manners of his servant Matyash
and on his body he saw the sign
that indicates of his noble origin.
At this time in Hungary disaster happened.
According to the legend,
Hungarian throne was free.
All lords
gathered in Nevitskiy castle in order
to elect a new king.
By tradition,
the crown was tossed up,
and to whom it fell on his head,
he became the new king.
Come to these gathering and the rich peasant
with his servant Matyash.
Imagine, the crown is tossed up
and it falls on the head
of Matyash.
But he is a commoner.
The man in charge of the meeting
can not allow
commoner to became the Hungarian king.
The crown was tossed again, and again it fell on Matyiash.
This was repeated three times.
Furious meeting leader
plunges the sword into
the rock and said:
rather this sword
bloom flowers rather
than commoner will become hungarian king.
And, lo and behold, in front of everyone,
sword bloomed.
No way out,
Matyash was proclaimed the new king.
But Matyash
had no army, Matyash had no weapons
the castle was quite firmly
protected.
His skills, diligence, cunning helped him.
He quickly produces weapons
for disgruntled peasants of the area,
since he was a blacksmith,
and uses clever
tactic.
He collects all the cattle which is in the ареа.
The horses, cows, pigs.
Moreover, cattle are tied
with torches,
various bells.
Silent Night.
Pogan Lady is in Nevitsky Castle.
All Uzhanskyi valley
flashing bright flame.
Cries of animals
bleating goats
human cries
all blended in an incredible
continuous roar.
And all this incomprehensible mass moving towards Nevitsky Castle.
Defenders of the castle were in panic.
And the Pogan-Lady just can not stand the nerves.
She uses underground tunnel
at her best horses
to escape.
King Matyash noticed this,
and rushed to catch up her.
Crazy race lasted
few days.
Finally, long wavy hair of Pogan Lady
in a dark forest
are trapped between the trees
and she fell from her horse.
Matias captured her.
Pogan-Lady decided
apply her latest weapon - her extraordinary beauty.
She suggested to Matias:
Let's get married,
we'll be happy together
govern all Uzhansky Valley
and the entire region.
But King Matyash was adamant.
Flashed his sword, and the head
of Pogan-Lady remained in his hand.
With her head he came back to Nevytsky Castle
commoners started to celebrate.
With this, the era of Pogan-Lady in Nevitskiy castle and
Uzhanskiy Valley come to an end.
Such is the legend,
I told her briefly.
Very interesting but also scary story.
Yes, but in order to undersatnd
what reflecting the legend
you need to imagine a medieval society.
The fact that legends were not written by witnesses,
legend were invented by people.
Imagine a medieval society
its Multiculturalism,
so to speak.
Society lived in Uzhanskiy Valley,
This Slavic population, Hungarians, Kumano (Kuman)
and a very large percentage of the German population.
It was the huge ethnic cauldron.
It is difficult to imagine
how they interacted with each other,
for example, on the market.
The transmission of information
at the time
ran with certain errors.
And imagine that this story is passed
from generation to generation. That is,
historical errors in the legends are natural.
We often encounter such errors, but
every legend has its rational.
It is rather a document that conveys
spirit and morale of the time period.
I wish to draw attention
to what the legend
praised:
courage, bravery. What is despised:
betrayal, cruelty.
These were our ancestors, dependent peasants.
What is the element of truth in these legends?
Interestingly, the main characters of the legend
have some real historical prototypes.
King Matyash
This is the real Hungarian hero.
This king was exactly distinguished for the fight
for the centralization of the Hungarian state
fought with independent lords
who tried to pursue an independent policies.
Many legends in the Hungarian kingdom say
he loved to be disguised as a commoner,
and walk among the people to the market and look
how people live.
These legends are not alone, as in Hungary,
and on the territory of current Slovakia.
This was one prototype.
He lived in the 15th century!
Another prototype - Pogan Lady
in our opinion, very interesting.
The fact that the owner of the castle,
Gyorgy III Drugets,
was married to the daughter
of Erzsébet Báthory
Daughter named Catalina.
Maybe
it is this family relationship
formed the basis for the legend.
We do not know
or this is Erzsébet Báthory herself,
Or did her daughter Catalina somehow
adopted sadistic inclinations
of her world-famous mother.
Stress on that in the book of Guinness World Records
among serial killers
Erzsébet Báthory is
has a first place.
Allegedly, she recorded all her sadistic crimes
in her diary, in which there were 600 victims.
She had a trial, and at
the court was present the owner Nevitskiy castle,
her son in law, Gyorgy III Drugets.
All her accomplices were executed.
Taking into account her kinship,
she was punished differently.
She was sealed and isolated in her own Čachtice Castle
Perhaps it was the image of Elizabeth Bathory
served as a prototype for the legend.
Just to notice,
Erzsebet Bathory lived
at beginning of the 17th century.
Matyash Corvinus lived during the second half of the 15th century.
That is, we have a chronological gap
150 years, but human memory
united
these events that were passed
at different times, in one single unit.
And it's a whole came to us in the form of legends
about the Pogan Lady and King Matthias.
I think this story would be extremely fantastic movie!
You know, such attempts have been and
soon on our website
on Facebook
you can see some videos of screen version of
this beautiful and colorful legends.
In the next issue we will discuss
about other legends and the results archaeological
research of Castle.
Thank you, Alexander Vasylovuch!
Goodbye!
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