The White Stag by Kate Seredy

For generations the tribes of Huns and Magyars had moved relentlessly westward, obeying the voices of their pagan gods, which compelled them to follow the elusive white stag to their promised homeland. They swept Europe, all the while pursuing their vision of the stag. Their leader was called Attila, and the land Hungary. Here is the epic story of their tribal migration and their fierce leader - know to us even today.

The White Stag is the story of a culture of which I know little, that of the tribes of the Huns and the Magyars. The two tribes were once one, but split to follow two brothers, one adventurous, the other less intent on fighting. Both tribes roamed westward, in search of the white stag, and were eventually reunited under the leadership of Attila.

This story had a surprising rhythm, a cadence almost like a fairy tale, filled with battles and power struggles and wanderings.

I've read and enjoyed Kate Seredy's work in the past, so when I saw a hardcover edition of a title I didn't have online for $3, I hopped on it. Turns out the library reject is also a first edition, and further investigation shows it to be a Newbery award winner. I wasn't quite expecting something like a picture book when I pulled it out of the box, but it's rather like that, though the prose is firmly for older kids.

I also didn't read reviews ahead of time. I expected it to be a culturally rich tale about Hungary's history; instead it is a confusing legend about the Huns and Magyars having pagan origins and marrying wood fairies and so on. Just not my thing.

Oh well. The illustrations are pretty, and the book was short. On to the next!

Content: paganism, horse's death