Post by syzygy on Feb 22, 2018 13:31:43 GMT
(Translation from literary Hungarian laguage 'Hód-tavi csata' would have resulted in 'Beaver-Lake Battle', also the historical event might be better known this way. Explanation for different thread title can be found in second half of this posting)
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The battle was fought between king Ladislaus IV of Hungary and -still pagan- Cumanians. Ladislaus -whose mother's a cuman princess- was in alley with the warrior nation of Cumans until some rebel cumanian groups started to "burn" the southeastern great plain.
more images from source: geocaching.hu (check, originally it was red!)
Some quotation from wikipedia:
"...Ladislaus launched a campaign against Finta Aba and seized his castles in the summer of 1281. According to the Austrian Rhymed Chronicle, Bishop Philip of Fermo left Hungary around the same time, stating that he would never come back, "not for the sake of the Holy Father". A Cuman army invaded the southern parts of Hungary in 1282. The Illuminated Chronicle writes that Ladislaus, "like the brave Joshua, went out against" the Cumans "to fight for his people and his realm." He vanquished the invaders's army at Lake Hód, near Hódmezővásárhely. ..."
Some Cuman groups surrendered, took up christianity and settled, some has left the carpathian basin and said to be returned to the eurasian steppes joining to Mongol/Tatar forces.
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Explanation for post title:
Name of town: 'Hód.mező.vásár.hely' means 'Beaver.field (meadow).market.place'
Name of the one-time lake south to the town: 'Hód-tó' means 'Beaver-lake' except, that...
...on "peasant" Hungarian dialect the word for 'Moon' -literary 'Hold'- is pronounced without the 'l' and sounds like 'hód', which means 'beaver' on literary Hungarian.
Beavers were common but not current in the region, however shape of the one-time lake south to town (was like a crescent moon) makes the 'moon' meaning more plausible for me.
(Besides on historical documents often we meet with the 'Hold-mező-' variant, Hungarian Wikipedia article also mentions probability of this etimology.)
Among scholars even that is still subject of debate, whether the 'Hód-' were for the animal (beaver) or for family-name of a one-time (attested) squire of the area (Hód, Hódi?).
Also I can imagine the situation when the historical settlement "Hód" was named after one of the above mentioned, whilst the lake (and its pasture area "Hold-Mező" - "Moon-meadow" or "Hold-tó" -"Moon-lake) got its name after their shape of the crescent moon.
So, these are the reasons why I have decided to use translation of this etimology.
...do not mention, that it sounds much more romantic this way! (:
Moon-Lake Battle 1282 - Memorial.kmz (1.86 KB)
***
The battle was fought between king Ladislaus IV of Hungary and -still pagan- Cumanians. Ladislaus -whose mother's a cuman princess- was in alley with the warrior nation of Cumans until some rebel cumanian groups started to "burn" the southeastern great plain.
more images from source: geocaching.hu (check, originally it was red!)
Some quotation from wikipedia:
"...Ladislaus launched a campaign against Finta Aba and seized his castles in the summer of 1281. According to the Austrian Rhymed Chronicle, Bishop Philip of Fermo left Hungary around the same time, stating that he would never come back, "not for the sake of the Holy Father". A Cuman army invaded the southern parts of Hungary in 1282. The Illuminated Chronicle writes that Ladislaus, "like the brave Joshua, went out against" the Cumans "to fight for his people and his realm." He vanquished the invaders's army at Lake Hód, near Hódmezővásárhely. ..."
Some Cuman groups surrendered, took up christianity and settled, some has left the carpathian basin and said to be returned to the eurasian steppes joining to Mongol/Tatar forces.
***
Explanation for post title:
Name of town: 'Hód.mező.vásár.hely' means 'Beaver.field (meadow).market.place'
Name of the one-time lake south to the town: 'Hód-tó' means 'Beaver-lake' except, that...
...on "peasant" Hungarian dialect the word for 'Moon' -literary 'Hold'- is pronounced without the 'l' and sounds like 'hód', which means 'beaver' on literary Hungarian.
Beavers were common but not current in the region, however shape of the one-time lake south to town (was like a crescent moon) makes the 'moon' meaning more plausible for me.
(Besides on historical documents often we meet with the 'Hold-mező-' variant, Hungarian Wikipedia article also mentions probability of this etimology.)
Among scholars even that is still subject of debate, whether the 'Hód-' were for the animal (beaver) or for family-name of a one-time (attested) squire of the area (Hód, Hódi?).
Also I can imagine the situation when the historical settlement "Hód" was named after one of the above mentioned, whilst the lake (and its pasture area "Hold-Mező" - "Moon-meadow" or "Hold-tó" -"Moon-lake) got its name after their shape of the crescent moon.
So, these are the reasons why I have decided to use translation of this etimology.
...do not mention, that it sounds much more romantic this way! (:
Moon-Lake Battle 1282 - Memorial.kmz (1.86 KB)