World tree (Hungarian)

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The world tree (Hungarian: világfa), is a typical element of Hungarian folk art and folk tales and a distinct folk tale type. In Hungarian it has several other descriptive names like "Égig érő fa" (the tree reaching into the sky), "tetejetlen fa" (tree without a top), "életfa" (life tree).

Several of these tales have versions in the Transylvanian, German, Romanian, Roma, Serbian, Croatian, Turkish and other cultures in Asia, but the origin of the Hungarian tales goes back to the shamanism traditions of Hungarians. The shamans are the humans who are entitled to climb up the égig érő fa and wander in the seven or nine layers of the sky.

One version of these tales is about the "small swineherd" (in Hungarian kiskondás) who climbs up the tree to save the princess who is held captive by a dragon (Világhírű Szép Miklós tale). The tree is a frequent element of funny tales, in which for example a gypsy climbs up into the heaven and then down into the hell.

The world tree often grows out of a reindeer or a horse. It often carries among its branches the Sun and the Moon. This latter concept is typical for Uralic, Altaic and paleoasian people. (The Hungarians are originally Uralic, like the Finnish.) The tree often stands on the world mountain, with its top in the sky and roots in the hell, where snakes and toads live. In the tales often birds sit on the tree, like eagles, hawks or the mythical Hungarian bird, the turul.