The Sword of Teldus
TÉLDUSZ KARDJA
The Sword of Teldus (Téldusz Kardja [‘teɪl do͞oz ‘kärd yə]), also known as the Sword of God, was a legendary weapon wielded by the mythical Lovasnép king Megerősit and his successors, which over time became an emblem of royal authority and national solidarity. For centuries it helped unite the Lovasnép people, both as a military weapon and as a symbol of the sovereign's divine right to rule.
In the old times on the high plains of Podravia, among the nation of the Lovasnép there was a young goatherd named Kecskepásztor, who pastured his herd on the fertile sloping grasslands along the Suprat River. One day in the spring time, on the morning of the feast of Téljeholdak, he beheld in the western sky a great red star, trailing behind it a stream of blood and smoke. As the flaming orb hurtled toward his fields, a deafening thunder split the air, followed by an even louder report as the impact shook the ground.
Kecskepásztor cowered with his face buried in the grass, fearing for his life. As quiet returned, he arose and ran toward the place where the star had fallen. When he got there, he saw a great circle where the soil had been thrown up, black and smoldering. In the center was a large black stone, from which protruded the hilt of a sword. Astounded, Kecskepásztor brought the mysterious object to the king of his tribe, who was called Megerősit.
Megerősit was determined to learn the secret of the shining stone that fell from the sky. He summoned all of his most learned counselors to advise him. But neither his philosophers nor his lawyers, nor even his priests could explain the meaning of the thing. In the end, it was the king’s blacksmith, the renowned master Kalapácsüllő, who finally solved the riddle. He placed the stone on his anvil, and studied it from all sides. Then he struck the stone sharply with his hammer in a specific place.
The stone split into two parts, revealing a magnificent gleaming sword, straight, sharp and true, which Kalapácsüllő presented to king Megerősit. All in attendance were amazed to see the sword appear from the stone, and interpreted the events as a sign from the heavens that Megerősit was the rightful king of all the nation of the Lovasnép, and destined for victory in all battles.
Since it was the feast of Téljeholdak, Megerősit named the sword Téldusz Kardja, which means "Sword of Teldus." Within five years, Megerősit conquered all of the tribes of the Podravian plain, unifying the entire Lovasnép nation into a single kingdom. The Téldusz Kardja became the symbol of royal authority and national unity, and was passed down and preserved through the generations.
These tales of the Téldusz Kardja are set in the high plains of what is now western Noam sometime prior to the migration of the Lovasnép into the Barchurian Lowlands. The legends first appear in Jarlath Gairdain's sixth century Hostair na Lawvasoi, which was based upon an earlier lost work by the Noamese chronicler Qulu Rizvan of Mabalizwa.
The existence of a historical basis for King Megerősit has long been debated by Lovasnép scholars, with one venerable school of thought arguing in favor of a connection to a genuine historical personage. Basing their argument on the early work of Gairdain and Rizvan, they associate the mythical Megerősit with a Savage Age chieftain of the mid-fourth century. On the other hand, more recently historians have begun to doubt the accuracy of the early historical manuscripts, consequently removing Megerősit from the historical record and relegating him to the realm of pure legend. According to noted Lovasnép historian and linguist Pokőrni-Tás Mátyás, "The only thing a conscientious historian can say with reasonable assurance is that there may have been an historical Megerősit, but if there was, we know nothing about him."
In the ninth century, a sword purported to be the Téldusz Kardja surfaced in the court of Grand Prince Leopold I. Although its provenance was never definitively established, it quickly became a revered component of the royal regalia and remained so for nearly 600 years until the fall of the Barchurian Empire.
"The ferocity with which the Téldusz Kardja cut down the king’s enemies convinced them that it had been reserved by God for the invincible arm of Megerősit."
--Edmund Hylobat (1737 - 1794), Cyrontian Historian
ORIGIN MYTH
In the old times on the high plains of Podravia, among the nation of the Lovasnép there was a young goatherd named Kecskepásztor, who pastured his herd on the fertile sloping grasslands along the Suprat River. One day in the spring time, on the morning of the feast of Téljeholdak, he beheld in the western sky a great red star, trailing behind it a stream of blood and smoke. As the flaming orb hurtled toward his fields, a deafening thunder split the air, followed by an even louder report as the impact shook the ground.
Kecskepásztor cowered with his face buried in the grass, fearing for his life. As quiet returned, he arose and ran toward the place where the star had fallen. When he got there, he saw a great circle where the soil had been thrown up, black and smoldering. In the center was a large black stone, from which protruded the hilt of a sword. Astounded, Kecskepásztor brought the mysterious object to the king of his tribe, who was called Megerősit.
Megerősit was determined to learn the secret of the shining stone that fell from the sky. He summoned all of his most learned counselors to advise him. But neither his philosophers nor his lawyers, nor even his priests could explain the meaning of the thing. In the end, it was the king’s blacksmith, the renowned master Kalapácsüllő, who finally solved the riddle. He placed the stone on his anvil, and studied it from all sides. Then he struck the stone sharply with his hammer in a specific place.
The stone split into two parts, revealing a magnificent gleaming sword, straight, sharp and true, which Kalapácsüllő presented to king Megerősit. All in attendance were amazed to see the sword appear from the stone, and interpreted the events as a sign from the heavens that Megerősit was the rightful king of all the nation of the Lovasnép, and destined for victory in all battles.
Since it was the feast of Téljeholdak, Megerősit named the sword Téldusz Kardja, which means "Sword of Teldus." Within five years, Megerősit conquered all of the tribes of the Podravian plain, unifying the entire Lovasnép nation into a single kingdom. The Téldusz Kardja became the symbol of royal authority and national unity, and was passed down and preserved through the generations.
THE SWORD AND THE TURUL1
It came to pass during the Savage Age that the Qaghan of the No’am grew envious of the Lovasnép, and sought to subjugate them. But the Lovasnép were skilled horsemen and brave, led by cunning leaders, and so even the Great Qaghan’s army could not bring them to heel. The wars and raids brought great suffering to both peoples, but still the Lovasnép would not surrender and the ruler of the No’am would not relent.
Determined to extend his rule into the bountiful plains of Podravia, the Great Qaghan enlisted the aid of the fierce Scolotok tribes of the north, to help him drive the Lovasnép out of their ancestral homeland. In the final battle, at a place called Síkságja Csapás or the Plain of Calamity, the combined armies of the No’am and the Scolotok overran the Lovasnép warriors, slaughtering them. Even the vaunted Lovasnép horsemen were no match for the overwhelming numbers of the Qaghan’s army.
King Elvesztett, wielding the ancient Téldusz Kardja, slew over 100 of the invaders, but nevertheless was no match for the onslaught. Surrounded by the enemy, he withstood many blows before falling to his knee. It was Pazyryk, Chief of the Scolotok, who dealt the final stroke, and the Téldusz Kardja fell from King Elvesztett’s hand.
At that moment, a loud and long shriek pierced the air over the battlefield, and above them appeared a great silver gyrfalcon – the Turul of ancient legend, who sits atop the Tree of Life among the tiny birds who are the souls of the yet unborn. The great raptor dove into the fray and drove the King’s killers away from his dead body. Then, seizing Téldusz Kardja with its talons lest it fall into unworthy hands, the Turul rose again into the sky, swiftly disappearing from sight.
Thus the Téldusz Kardja was returned to heaven, and the First Golden Age of the Lovasnép came to a close. The defeated tribes were uprooted and scattered to the wind, their ancestral lands confiscated by the Qaghan. The Lovasnép wandered for many years, before settling in the country called Luvodia, where they remained for many generations.
Determined to extend his rule into the bountiful plains of Podravia, the Great Qaghan enlisted the aid of the fierce Scolotok tribes of the north, to help him drive the Lovasnép out of their ancestral homeland. In the final battle, at a place called Síkságja Csapás or the Plain of Calamity, the combined armies of the No’am and the Scolotok overran the Lovasnép warriors, slaughtering them. Even the vaunted Lovasnép horsemen were no match for the overwhelming numbers of the Qaghan’s army.
King Elvesztett, wielding the ancient Téldusz Kardja, slew over 100 of the invaders, but nevertheless was no match for the onslaught. Surrounded by the enemy, he withstood many blows before falling to his knee. It was Pazyryk, Chief of the Scolotok, who dealt the final stroke, and the Téldusz Kardja fell from King Elvesztett’s hand.
At that moment, a loud and long shriek pierced the air over the battlefield, and above them appeared a great silver gyrfalcon – the Turul of ancient legend, who sits atop the Tree of Life among the tiny birds who are the souls of the yet unborn. The great raptor dove into the fray and drove the King’s killers away from his dead body. Then, seizing Téldusz Kardja with its talons lest it fall into unworthy hands, the Turul rose again into the sky, swiftly disappearing from sight.
Thus the Téldusz Kardja was returned to heaven, and the First Golden Age of the Lovasnép came to a close. The defeated tribes were uprooted and scattered to the wind, their ancestral lands confiscated by the Qaghan. The Lovasnép wandered for many years, before settling in the country called Luvodia, where they remained for many generations.
HISTORY
These tales of the Téldusz Kardja are set in the high plains of what is now western Noam sometime prior to the migration of the Lovasnép into the Barchurian Lowlands. The legends first appear in Jarlath Gairdain's sixth century Hostair na Lawvasoi, which was based upon an earlier lost work by the Noamese chronicler Qulu Rizvan of Mabalizwa.
The existence of a historical basis for King Megerősit has long been debated by Lovasnép scholars, with one venerable school of thought arguing in favor of a connection to a genuine historical personage. Basing their argument on the early work of Gairdain and Rizvan, they associate the mythical Megerősit with a Savage Age chieftain of the mid-fourth century. On the other hand, more recently historians have begun to doubt the accuracy of the early historical manuscripts, consequently removing Megerősit from the historical record and relegating him to the realm of pure legend. According to noted Lovasnép historian and linguist Pokőrni-Tás Mátyás, "The only thing a conscientious historian can say with reasonable assurance is that there may have been an historical Megerősit, but if there was, we know nothing about him."
In the ninth century, a sword purported to be the Téldusz Kardja surfaced in the court of Grand Prince Leopold I. Although its provenance was never definitively established, it quickly became a revered component of the royal regalia and remained so for nearly 600 years until the fall of the Barchurian Empire.
1 First recorded in the tenth century, this tragic legend further develops the history of the Téldusz Kardja as a divine symbol of royal authority. It also marks the first appearance in Lovasnép literature of the Turul. The mythical Turul bird of prey is among the most important national symbols of the Lovasnép people. Based upon a large falcon or hawk, the Turul’s role is one of protector spirit. It is considered a totem of the Lovasnép people, and appears in several well-known legends.
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Ancient Lovasnép Mythology
The Turul with the Sword of Teldus
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