Instead of seven sheepfolds, seven castles were built. The shepherd had nothing more to worry about. The sheep’s contented bleating encouraged him to take the name Bebek, he started a family, and that’s how it all started… (There are many versions of the folk tale, but the shepherd, the treasure, and the seven castles are pretty stable characters). One of the seven castles was built in Pelsőc. A century has passed since one of the shepherd’s grandchildren, Bebek György, ruled Gömör County.

Bebek Gyögy had a beautiful daughter named Margit. One stormy night Margit dreamt that four hundred angels were dancing on a soft drifting cloud above the castle. The angels were so carried away by the rhythm that they all fell from the edge of the cloud, right into the gates of the castle. At the gate, the angels turned into warriors, and Bebek György declared that the warrior who would win back the castle of Fülek from the Turks would win Margit’s hand.

The four hundred warriors went to Fülek, one of them, Homonnai Miklós, planted the Hungarian flag on the castle wall, chained the Turkish pasha, and took him to Pelsőc. Meanwhile, Margit spent her time in front of the mirror preparing for the wedding. The bride’s father, Bebek György, offered the king of the dwarves a quick way to earn some money on the Szilice plateau. “Boys! We should build a magnificent palace in the belly of the mountain above Gombaszög, with emerald stairs, glittering pearls, and golden walls for four or five hundred people. Will it be ready in the morning?” And the king of the dwarves said, “Never mind! It’s nothing!”

The next day, everyone gathered at the fairy palace. The beautiful bride and the athletic Miklós marched in, the bridesmaids and the 399 knights looked on in rapture, but then there was a thud, a bunch of vengeful Turks came galloping down the stairs, the wedding feast was over, there was blood everywhere instead of wine. The Turks killed Homonnai Miklós and the other soldiers first. Margit was taken to distant Turkey.

Later, in mournful silence, the dwarves dug graves. They made a bed of green litter for the brave and planted an ivy tree, a symbol of mourning, on top of the mound. A few years later, the Pauline monastery was built in the same spot. Every spring since then, nightingales sing about the love of Miklós and Margit. On Margit’s day, at night, for a single hour, the water of the nearby spring turns red, the blood of the heroic warriors.

From the castle of Pelsőc, only a fragment of the wall remains. The Pauline Monastery in Gombaszög was also destroyed, but in the 21st century, with the help of enthusiastic activists, it was given the gift of rebirth. The legend of Margit and the brave warriors was written by Tichy Kálmán from Rozsnyó under the pen name of “Tichy Kálmán from Nyíresi”. He was also the first author of science fiction in Felvidék (the traditional name of Upper Hungary) and an artist, like his brother Gyula.

The picture of the window to the past is borrowed from Orosz Örs. You can read more about the story of how the monastery can be saved here:   Gombaszögi pálos monostor It is an outstanding project, and it is worth supporting.