The White Stag

This little story by Kate Seredy is a children’s version of how Hungary was founded – the myth, the legends, I suppose. I’d never associated “Hun” with “Hungary” at all; now I’ll never forget it, because this story is about Attila the Hun, told from the perspective of him and his people. It’s a fascinating idea, to present a sympathetic Attila to children! To most people he’s scarcely real, he’s like a demon, but in this story the Huns and the Romans and the Visigoths and the rest are all very real peoples, and the leaders, including Attila are altogether human.

It’s not just history; there’s Moonmaidens and a strange god and visions and Biblical language. I don’t know whether I would have enjoyed reading it as a child, but it’s the sort of book that would definitely work being read out loud, with Seredy’s wonderful illustrations – and the need to do some follow-up reading to ascertain how much is legend, how much truth. A very well told story.