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Hungary

The Seven Chieftains of the Magyars

I really never thought that one day I would be one of the main attractions of the capital of the Hungarians, and that I would be surrounded by so much respect, even centuries later. But that is how it is. I, Lord Árpád, stand here with all my chieftains in one of Budapest’s most beautiful locations, Heroes’ Square. It is true that the list of my chieftains comes from a man named Anonymous, who lived sometime in the late 12th century. If you think Anonymous is a strange name for a chronicler, you're right. He got this name because they don't know precisely who he was, so he got the Latin name Anonymous, which means ‘of unknown name’. His chronicle included the seven chieftains, to whit: Álmos, Előd, Ond, Kond, Tas, Huba and Töhötöm (who is also known as Tétény). According to legend, these seven chieftains made a blood pact in Etelköz, from where the Hungarians arrived into the Carpathian Basin. This is where present-day Hungary is located. They stand here with me on Heroes’ Square. I am in the middle, rather than Álmos, who was my father. He couldn't see our new country, that's why I'm here instead of him. Is this story true or not? Who knows, it happened so long ago, around 895-896 to be exact. But this arrival was important, because without it Hungary would not exist today. It also has another name: the Hungarian conquest. There was a big celebration on the one-thousandth anniversary of the conquest, and we were created to be a part of that. Well, we were a little later, because the entire Millennium monument was only completed in 1906. We have been standing here since then, however, and the country, and indeed the world, are literally in awe of us.