''The White Stag'' is a children's book, written and illustrated by
Kate Seredy
Kate Seredy (November 10, 1899 – March 7, 1975) was a Hungarian-born writer and illustrator of children's books. She won the Newbery Medal once, the Newbery Honor twice, the Caldecott Honor once, and Lewis Carroll Shelf Award. Most of her bo ...
. It won the
Newbery Medal
The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished contr ...
for excellence in American children's literature and received the
Lewis Carroll Shelf Award
The Lewis Carroll Shelf Award was an American literary award conferred on several books annually by the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Education annually from 1958 to 1979. Award-winning books were deemed to "belong on the same shelf" ...
. ''The White Stag'' is a mythical retelling that follows the warrior bands of
Huns
The Huns were a nomadic people who lived in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe between the 4th and 6th century AD. According to European tradition, they were first reported living east of the Volga River, in an area that was part ...
and
Magyars
Hungarians, also known as Magyars ( ; hu, magyarok ), are a nation and ethnic group native to Hungary () and historical Hungarian lands who share a common culture, history, ancestry, and language. The Hungarian language belongs to the Uralic ...
across Asia and into Europe, including the life of
Attila the Hun
Attila (, ; ), frequently called Attila the Hun, was the ruler of the Huns from 434 until his death in March 453. He was also the leader of a tribal empire consisting of Huns, Ostrogoths, Alans, and Bulgars, among others, in Central and Ea ...
.
Plot synopsis
''The White Stag'' opens after the fall of the Biblical
Tower of Babel
The Tower of Babel ( he, , ''Mīgdal Bāḇel'') narrative in Genesis 11:1–9 is an origin myth meant to explain why the world's peoples speak different languages.
According to the story, a united human race speaking a single language and mi ...
.
Nimrod
Nimrod (; ; arc, ܢܡܪܘܕ; ar, نُمْرُود, Numrūd) is a biblical figure mentioned in the Book of Genesis and Books of Chronicles. The son of Cush and therefore a great-grandson of Noah, Nimrod was described as a king in the land of ...
is waiting for his two sons,
Hunor and Magyar, to return. They rode away after a mysterious white stag that appeared seven months ago. Afraid they will never return and his people will be left leaderless, the old man offers a sacrifice to their god,
Hadur
Sanaa ( ar, صَنْعَاء '), also spelled San'a or Sana, is a governorate of Yemen. Its capital is Sanaa, which is also the national capital. However, the city of Sanaa is not part of the governorate but instead forms the separate governorat ...
—his war horse. Immediately his sons return with meat for the hungry people. As they tell the story of their chase of the white stag, Nimrod realizes it is now time for them to take over leading their people, and he throws himself on the altar.
Now Hunor and Magyar lead the people in a search for their promised land, following the white stag they can never catch. Later they meet and marry the Moonmaidens, and live contentedly for fifteen years. Eventually the game deserts them, and the people move on. "Like a sharp wedge they had driven themselves into Europe and now they were surrounded by enemies; they had to go on or perish." This time they have to fight many groups who live in the lands they travel through, and the people begin to quarrel. Hunor is strong and hard, while Magyar is quieter and more learned. Though both brothers still lead, the people are becoming divided and now identify themselves as Huns or Magyars, depending on which brother they most respect. Magyar wants to find a less populated land, but Hunor leads them into more fighting.
Finally the two groups split. The Magyars stay behind and Hunor's son,
Bendeguz, and grandson,
Atilla
Attila (, ; ), frequently called Attila the Hun, was the ruler of the Huns from 434 until his death in March 453. He was also the leader of a tribal empire consisting of Huns, Ostrogoths, Alans, and Bulgars, among others, in Central and ...
, lead the Huns west. When they find themselves at a dead-end during a blinding snow storm, the White Stag appears to show them a path through the mountains to their promised land, modern-day
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
.
Background
Kate Seredy was born in Hungary and came to the United States at the age of twenty-three. She had previously published two children's books here. Her first, ''
The Good Master'', was based in her homeland, and received the Newbery Honor award.
[ Seredy's second book, "Listening", was set in rural New York where she lived in at the time. Hungary again became the inspiration for ''The White Stag''. Originally conceived after Seredy read a book on Hungarian history for children and found it dry, she says in the "Forward" that she wrote the book for "Those who want to hear the voice of pagan gods in wind and thunder, who want to see fairies dance in the moonlight, who can believe that faith can move mountains, can follow the thread on the pages of this book. It is a fragile thread; it cannot bear the weight of facts and dates." Based on her father's favorite folktale about the founding of that country, ''The White Stag'' was written in just three weeks.
]
Critical reception
''Kirkus Reviews
''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...
'' gave ''The White Stag'' a starred review
A starred review is a book review
__NOTOC__
A book review is a form of literary criticism in which a book is merely described (summary review) or analyzed based on content, style, and merit.
A book review may be a primary source, opinion piece ...
"for books of remarkable merit", saying, "Kate Seredy has a magic sense of story, a manner of telling that seems instinctive of the content, and her illustrations are perfect interpretation of the text." According to the ''Fresno Literature Examiner'', Seredy "had a significant impact on children's literature". It went on to call the book "A beautiful collection of mystical black-and-white illustrations and handcrafted fantasy… ''The White Stag'' is a poignant combination of myths, history, and legends." In 1959 ''The White Stag'' received the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award
The Lewis Carroll Shelf Award was an American literary award conferred on several books annually by the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Education annually from 1958 to 1979. Award-winning books were deemed to "belong on the same shelf" ...
.
Despite the fact that ''The White Stag'' was a Newbery Medal
The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished contr ...
winner and ''The Good Master'' was named an Honor book, a number of reviewers consider ''The Good Master'' to be Seredy's best book, preferring it over ''The White Stag''.[Chevalier, Tracy (editor), ''Twentieth-Century Children's Writers'', St. James Press, 1989, pp. 871;] Reviewer Anita Silvey
Anita Silvey is an author, editor, and literary critic in the genre of children’s literature. Born in 1947 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Silvey has served as Editor-in-Chief of ''The Horn Book Magazine'' and as vice-president at Houghton Mifflin ...
explains this by saying "Powerful, poetic prose and stunning illustrations combine to make (''The White Stag'') one of Seredy's best, although it lacks the child appeal of her other work."[Silvey, Anita, ''Children's Books and Their Creators'', Houghton Mifflin, 1995, pg. 588;]
See also
* The white stag in Hungarian mythology -- Csodaszarvas (animal)
* White Stag Leadership Development Program
The White Stag Leadership Development Program, founded in 1958, is a summer leadership training program for youth 10 1/2–18 led by two California-based non-profits that sponsor leadership development activities. The teen youth staff of the two ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:White Stag, The
1937 American novels
American children's novels
Newbery Medal–winning works
American historical novels
American fantasy novels
Children's historical novels
Novels set in Hungary
Viking Press books
1937 children's books