Hungarian Folktales

Through the Lens of Gyula Illyés’s Collection

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/ahea.2026.618

Keywords:

folktales, Hungarian folktales, Gyula Illyés, Content analysis

Abstract

This study analyzes the thematic and structural features of seventy-seven Hungarian folktales drawn from Gyula Illyés’s Hetvenhét magyar népmese, to assess their contemporary relevance and their value for children’s moral and imaginative development. Each tale was assigned to one dominant genre—Fairy/Magic Tale, Silly/Trickster Tale, Hero Tale, Animal Tale, Legend/Ballad-like Tale, or Realistic/Novella Tale—prioritizing functional narrative logic and cultural context. Findings reveal substantial variation across genres, illustrating the breadth of Hungarian folklore tradition. Recurring features include the underestimated hero, the reciprocity of good deeds, culturally distinctive motifs such as the ash-baked scone (hamuban sült pogácsa) and the magical steed (táltos paripa), and imaginative preambles that explicitly mark the tales as fictional creations intended for enjoyment. Rather than uniformly reinforcing gendered mate-selection narratives, the tales emphasize resilience, wit, reciprocity, and moral agency. Interpreted through an ethnographic lens, these narratives function as culturally embedded expressions of communal values and worldviews. The study concludes that Hungarian folktales retain significant pedagogical and relational value: their imaginative power, moral clarity, and performative vitality make them well worth retelling to today’s youth, especially within interactive storytelling contexts that strengthen adult–child bonds.

Author Biographies

Klara K. Papp, Case Western Reserve University

Klara K. Papp, PhD, is professor emerita in the School of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA. Her areas of expertise include program evaluation, learner assessment, and educational research and scholarship. She earned her Ph.D. in educational psychology from the State University of New York at Buffalo. kkp4@case.edu

Kristina M. Walter

Kristina M. Walter is an Art Teacher at Shaker Heights High School in Cleveland, Ohio.  She has been teaching for over a decade. Additionally, she is actively engaged in volunteer activities in the Hungarian Diaspora Community.  kristina.walter@gmail.com

References

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Published

2026-08-21

Issue

Vol. 19 (2026)

Section

General Articles

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Copyright (c) 2026 Klara Papp, Kristina Walter

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