The White Stag by Kate Seredy
"The White Stag" by Kate Seredy is a novel that intertwines elements of Hungarian folklore with the historical narrative of the Huns and Magyars, particularly focusing on the legendary figure of Attila the Hun. Written during a time when Hungary faced significant territorial losses and national identity challenges, Seredy aimed to restore a sense of pride by fictionalizing the westward migration of these peoples. The story follows the journey of Nimrod, a great hunter, and his sons Hunor and Magyar as they pursue a mystical white stag, seen as a symbol of hope and destiny. The characters navigate trials, including hunger and conflict, ultimately leading to the establishment of the Huns and Magyars as distinct tribes. Through vivid black-and-white illustrations, Seredy captures the nobility of the warriors, while her narrative emphasizes themes of national identity and ancestral pride. The novel serves not only as a retelling of an ancient legend but also as a cultural touchstone for Hungarians and readers interested in mythic narratives of heritage. "The White Stag" was awarded the Newbery Medal and remains a significant work in children's literature.
Subject Terms
The White Stag by Kate Seredy
First published: 1937; illustrated
Subjects: Travel and war
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Folktale and historical fiction
Time of work: The fourth and fifth centuries
Recommended Ages: 10-15
Locale: The empire of Attila the Hun in Asia and Europe
Principal Characters:
Nimrod , a mighty hunterHunor , a son of Nimrod, the father of the HunsMagyar , a son of Nimrod, the father of the MagyarsDamos , a prophetBendeguz , the son of HunorAlleeta , a Cimmerian princessAttila the Hun , the son of Bendeguz and Alleeta
Form and Content
Kate Seredy explains in the foreword to The White Stag that she wrote the novel because she had felt dissatisfied with a book on Hungarian history that presented a dry “unending chain of facts, facts, facts” and argued that the Magyar (Hungarian) race was not descended from Attila the Hun. Her book, therefore, fictionalizes and romanticizes the westward drive of the Huns and Magyars and the life of Attila the Hun, using the rhythms and rhetoric of folklore as it establishes Attila as the founder of Hungary. Seredy’s black-and-white illustrations depict chiefly the warriors, who, like comic book superheroes, appear noble, mighty-thewed, and glorious. These drawings also hint at a slant to the eyes to reveal the Huns as an Asiatic race.
The book traces four generations of Huns. Nimrod, a great hunter, is the leader of a tribe suffering from hunger and illness. His two sons, Hunor and Magyar, have been gone for months, following a miraculous white stag. Nimrod asks their god, Hadur, for a sign that their fortunes will improve. Hadur sends first an eagle, which plunges into his sacrificial pyre; then two more, which depart northward and westward; then a fourth; and then a great red eagle, which flies away to the west. Nimrod interprets these signs: He is the first eagle, who is soon to die, while his two sons will lead their tribe nearer to their destined home. After they are gone, there will be another leader, and it will be his son, greatest of all, who will lead them to the promised land.
Hunor and Magyar return and tell a tale of having followed the White Stag on a visionary quest to a beautiful country with food enough for all. A prophetical young boy, Damos, has a mystical dream in which Hunor and Magyar are paired with two white herons, and shortly thereafter Nimrod’s sons marry two lovely “Moonmaidens.”
Seredy traces the journeys of the tribe, which splits into Huns and Magyars—some choosing to travel to the less populated northern regions with the peaceful Magyar and others, fierce and wild, preferring to wage war through Europe with pitiless Hunor. Hunor’s son, Bendeguz, grows into a brawny warrior who builds the Hun tribe into a restless, reckless army. Bendeguz falls in love with a captured princess, Alleeta, the daughter of King Ashkenaz of the Cimmerians; Damos, now grown old, marries them.
Worrying that Hadur has turned his back upon the tribe, Bendeguz desires to remain with Alleeta in the peaceful land where their army is encamped. Damos replies that the Huns have a destiny to fulfill and that their travels are not yet over. When Alleeta dies giving birth, Bendeguz is so angry at Hadur that he declares their son, Attila, will become the Scourge of God. Bendeguz rears Attila without love or comfort, and the boy becomes a ruthless warrior. Attila’s army rampages across Europe, always seeking their foretold home. At last, the White Stag reappears during a blizzard to guide them across the Carpathian Mountains, where the Huns find a beautiful valley rich with greenery and game. Attila vows to protect this land and its people.
Critical Context
In 1920, Hungary underwent a loss of more than two-thirds of its territory as a result of the Treaty of Trianon at the conclusion of World War I. All Europe had once feared the Huns, but their putative descendants believed that their glory had been diminished. Furthermore, at the time that this book was written, historians were arguing that the Magyar race was not connected with the Huns after all. Kate Seredy desired to retell the ancient legend that traces a descent from Attila to the Magyars and thus to recapture the lost glory of Hungary’s legendary heritage.
Seredy calls upon biblical authority by choosing Nimrod, the biblical hunter, as the forefather of the Hun and Magyar races, which historians argue both came out of Scythia. The tale of the White Stag is ultimately an explanation of national identity, much like the myth of Romulus and Remus, the legendary founders of Rome, or the twelfth century Germanic Nibelungenlied. For Seredy and all Hungarians, the legend was a matter of roots. Young readers, Hungarian or not, understand that much personal strength comes from pride in one’s racial and national identity.
The White Stag won the Newbery Medal and continues to be included in bibliographies for children’s literature in library collections. It is unquestionably the most famous of the retellings of the legend of the White Stag.