This year my A to Z theme is Small Town Legends. I am exploring folklore from villages and small towns around Hungary, bringing you the most entertaining bits. You can plan your next visit around them!
Maroshévíz (colloquially sometimes referred to as Hévíz) is a municipality in Transylvania with about 7,500 inhabitants (about 20% of which is Hungarian-speaking). In the historical times when the legend takes place, this area was part of the Hungarian Kingdom.
King Mátyás is a historical person, he ruled Hungary between 1458-1490. He lives on in legend as a wise and just king who often traveled the kingdom in disguise, tricking greedy nobles and helping the poor.
Here is the story:
In the case of this story, Mátyás was not traveling in disguise. Visiting the village, he asked the mayor to find him lodgings for the night - in a place with someone who has greater power than him. The mayor considered the strange request. Who in the village could be more poweful than the king? Finally, he had an idea. He took King Mátyás to a small hut at the edge of the village. There was only a small straw matress to sleep on - and the family had a newborn baby. The baby kept crying all night, and the new parents ignored the king in their hurry to soothe the baby.
Mátyás did not sleep a wink, but he had the good humor to appreciate the mayor's decision. The baby, indeed, held all the power in the house. He rewarded the mayor, and gave enough money to the young parents for a new house and a comfortable life.
(Story collected in 1964, reference from the Catalog of Hungarian Historical Legends)
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Hmm, but giving the baby too much power can be bad, too…
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