Monday, May 20, 2013

The Ördög

The Ördög (known as Urdung in Old Hungarian) is an ancient shapeshifting demon from Hungarian mythology, said to personify the darker aspects of the world. With the introduction of Christianity, the Ördög came to be identified with the Devil himself. The word ordog itself means "devil" in the Hungarian language.

The Ördög is thought to resemble a faun or a satyr, having the upper body of a man, and the lower body of a goat. He has pitch-black hair, pointed ears, bestial features, cloven hooves where his feet should be, ramlike horns on his head, and a pointed tail. Some say that he has an oversized phallus as well. He is said to dwell in Pokol, the Hungarian version of Hell or the underworld. It is in this vile place that he constantly stirs a huge cauldron filled with human souls. The Ördög is cunning, and he is always seeking to collect more souls.

Like the satyr, the Ördög prefers to live in remote forests or rural areas. Most frequently, he is summoned to participate in the sabbats and rituals of witches. He also partakes in the wild orgies and feasts that happen at those times. Any children that are born of this unholy union are known as cambion (the offspring of a demon and a human in medieval legend). Female children will most likely go on to become witches, while the males will probably become Ördög themselves.

When the Ördög wanders about in the human world, he often takes the form of a fox, a dark flame, or a shepherd with sparkling, dark eyes. Here, he makes bets with humans to see if they succumb to corruption. It is likely that those who do succumb end up forfeiting their souls to the Ördög.

Sources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ordog

http://tfwalsh.wordpress.com/2012/02/27/ordog-hungarian-devil/

http://timbrannan.blogspot.com/2013/04/o-is-for-ordog.html?m

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambion

http://ouceramicshungary.wordpress.com/2011/08/29/ordog/

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