Turul

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Turul is the mythological bird of the origin myth of the Magyars (Hungarian people).

The Turul is probably a large falcon, the origin of the word is Turkish (togrul or turgul means peregrine falcon). In Hungarian the word sólyom means falcon, and there are three ancient words describing different kinds of falcons: kerecsen (saker), zongor (lives in the male name Zsombor) and turul.

In the legends Turul is mentioned at least twice to shape the fate of the Hungarians: the first time Emese, mother of Álmos had a dream where a Turul appeared, impregnated her and told her that her child was going to be the father of a great nation. The second time, the leader of the Hungarian tribes had a dream where eagles attacked their horses and a Turul came and saved them, to symbolise that they have to move, and when they did, the Turul helped them to show the way, basically helping them to find the land of Hungary.

There were three Turul statues in Greater Hungary (before the country was cut apart by the treaty of Trianon): one still visible on the mountain next to Tatabánya, Hungary. It is said to be the largest bird statue in Europe; the wingspan of the Turul is almost 15 meters.

[edit] External links

• Pictures of the Turul statue in Tatabánya: [1] [2]
• Picture of the Turul statue in Buda Castle: [3]
• Tatabányáról magyarul
• Article about the Turul in Hungarian - Kiszely István: A magyar nép Őstörténete
• Turul monuments - Collection of the turul monuments in Hungary (In Carpath-basin)