The Literature of the Magyars

The Magyars were the early inhabitants of Hungary, and the Hungarians still call themselves Magyars.

The literature of Hungary is in the Magyar language, which bears a resemblance to the Turkish.

It is only of late years that this literature has assumed a popular character; the native language was excluded from public and official documents for eight centuries, but, notwithstanding this fact, the Hungarians possess to-day a literature, which, both in regard to quantity and quality, will sustain comparison with that of the most civilized of western nations.

The Magyars are believed to be of Scythian origin; their language belongs to the Turanian family, particularly to the Finnish branch, and is closely allied in syntax to the Turkish. Towards the end of the seventh century, A. D., the Magyars emigrated from Asia into Europe, and for two hundred years occupied the land between the rivers Don and Dnieper. Being pressed upon by other tribes, they finally established themselves in Hungary.

The first king of Hungary was Stephen I., called the Saint; he was crowned in the year 1000 with a crown that had been sent to him by Pope Sylvester II.; it forms to-day the upper part of the "sacred crown of Hungary." St. Stephen caused Christianity to take the place of heathen superstition, whereupon the savage incursions of "the people of the east," who had become a scourge to the surrounding nations, ceased entirely.

With Christianity was introduced a knowledge of the Latin language, which was taught in the schools and made use of in public documents, while the native tongue was spoken by the common people.

The accession of the house of Anjou to the throne of Hungary, in the thirteenth century, gave a new impulse to the Hungarian language. The Bible was translated into it, and it became the language of the Court, although the Latin was still the tongue of both Church and State, and remained the literary language of the country until the close of the fifteenth century.

The sixteenth century was still more favorable to the Hungarian language and literature; the Reformation was introduced into Hungary from Bohemia. This religious reform was an inspiration to literature. By it the vernacular of the Magyars was established in the church and in schools, and it became the sole vehicle for sacred poetry. Thus enriched and polished it acquired a high degree of perfection.

Translations of the Bible were multiplied; chronicles, histories, grammars and dictionaries were published, and the number of Protestant schools was greatly increased.

But the native language afterward suffered a reverse when the country came under the absolute dominion of Austria. In order to thwart the national tendency of the Magyars, the Austrian government restored the Latin and the German languages. The interval from 1702 to 1780 was the golden age of literature in Hungary. As a specimen of the Magyar or Hungarian language, a verse from the Bible may not be amiss.

"Mert ugy szerte Isten e'vilagot, hogy az o egyetlenegy szulott Fijat adna, hogy minden, valaki hiszen e benne, el ne vesszen, hanem orok eletet vegyen."--St. John III., 16.