Legends of dragons guarding magnificent treasures in caves around the world have captured our imaginations and delighted us for centuries. One particular dragon is said to have guarded a king’s gold at Szelim Cave in Hungary.
This cave was only recently discovered and excavated by archaeologists in the 1930s. To this day, it has not left behind any treasures of gold, silver, or gems, but researchers have found something valuable. much more: ancient artifacts and evidence of ancient human occupation. is 200,000 years.
Szelim Cave is located in northwest Hungary, 948 feet above the valley, near the city of Tatabánya. The cave has been used as a shelter by local villagers for centuries. Today, this cave is easily accessible and it is watched over by the Turul memorial.
Turul ( CC BY-SA 2.0)
The Turul is a mythical bird of prey and the national symbol of modern Hungary. Its origin probably dates from the family emblem used in the ninth or tenth century by the House of Arpad, who ruled the Kingdom of Hungary until 1301.
According to legend, around 820 AD, Turul appeared to Emese, daughter of House Arpad, in a dream while she was pregnant. Turul became the protective spirit of her son Álmos, who became the first head of the confederation of Hungarian tribes from around 850 AD.
Álmos, Leader of Hungary (Public Domain)
In the second dream, Turul appeared to Álmos himself – an eagle (symbol of their enemies) attacked their horses and the mythical protector came and saved them.
Late Stone Age artifacts found
In 1932 Hubert Kessler began excavations at Szelim and in 1934 the Natural History Research Council provided the financial means for further work by István Gaál, who continued the work. Fireplaces, stoves, carvings, animal bones and human remains, some of which date from the period of Turkish invasions in the early modern period, have been excavated.
Human remains found in Szelim (Public Domain)
Sediments were more than 39 feet deep in most areas of the cave, and within months, rich archaeological finds were found just below the excavated bedrock. The discovered stone artifacts and tools date back to the Late Stone Age, about 50,000 to 10,000 years ago.
In 2013, the site was declared a protected national natural asset by the Hungarian government.
The short walk of less than a mile from the Turul monument to the entrance of the cake is a very scenic one even though there are two entrances to the cave. The interior is 147 feet wide by 42 feet wide and was formed when water eroded soft limestone.
The origin of the name ‘Szelim’ is disputed and explained by several theories. According to the first, Suleiman’s name was changed to Szelim. The Ottoman sultan, Ian Sulaiman, invaded the area and destroyed many local villages, killing thousands. The second hypothesis is the Hungarian language explanation. The shape of the cave resembles an eye and the Hungarian word for eye is szem. But according to Slovak linguists, the word szellim means saddle, although how this would lead to the naming of a cave no one is quite sure.
Legends also live in caves
According to oral stories told through generations, the people of seven neighboring villages escaped during a Turkish invasion in the 1500s when soldiers of Yavuz Sultan Selim Han (Selim I), the Ottoman rule, overran the entire region. The unfortunate villagers were only discovered because one boy began crying and although his mother tried to hide and keep quiet, she was discovered and forced to reveal the others’ hiding place. The soldiers set a fire at the entrance and killed them with carbon monoxide poison as the smoke filled the cave. Perhaps this is the origin of the legend of the fire-breathing dragon?
Yavuz Sultan Selim Han (Public Domain)
A less famous version has it that during the same invasion, a noblewoman from a nearby castle sought water and shelter in a cave, but she was denied access by the villagers. The desperate woman was found by the invaders and possibly in revenge, or under duress, revealed the location of the cave. Since the soldiers could not reach the cave in the narrow creek, they dug a large hole on the top of the mountain. The roof collapsed, burying the people inside.
