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A page of the Margaret Codex
The
Legend of Saint Margaret
(
Hungarian
:
Szent Margit legendaja
) is an important piece of
Mediaeval
Hungarian literature
. The only specimen of the text was preserved in the Margaret Codex, copied by
Lea Raskay
in 1510. The legend tells the life and deeds of
Saint Margaret of Hungary
.
The Margaret Codex
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The Margaret Codex is a copy of a lost earlier book. The legend was originally denoted in
Latin
in the 14th century, and soon was translated to
Hungarian
. The document was copied in 1510 by the famous early 16th century
Hungarian
nun,
Lea Raskay
. Raskay is also valued by posterity for saving a number of other
Old Hungarian
works.
She did not simply copy the book, but also applied her own
orthography
, and added several
glosses
.
Significance
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The legend reveals many less known parts of the life of
Saint Margaret
, and provides a true picture about the lives of the monasteries of
Mediaeval
Hungary
. It also gives an insight to the days of
Buda
and
Pest
in the 13th century.
Sample
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- "Nyulak szigeteben, maskeppen Bodogasszony szigeteben, hol nyugoszik Szent Margit asszonynak teste, hogy ott megtudakoznanak nagy er?s bizonsag alatt Szent Margit asszonynak szentseges eleter?l, csodateteler?l, kit ez jambor doktorok es kananokok hiven mind megt?nek es mend vegig elvegezek es hiven megirak, papanak bevivek, nekonk es irva hagyak, mikeppen jol latjatok, az ? legendajat."
- "In the
Island of the Hares
, or in other words, in the island of the
Blessed Mary
, where the body of the holy lady Margaret reposes, they enquired with being strongly sure about the sacred life and miracles of Saint Margaret, whom these guileless doctors and canons all devotedly testified, verified and faithfully described, and took the text to the
pope
, so they, as you can see, left the legend of her to us and in a written form."
Sources
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External links
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See also
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