It is said that the original Turul wasn’t only fierce, but caring. Back in the time when he rised as the symbol of the magyar he embodied many things, as national heroes do. Of course, he was as brave as any hero should be. Of course he defended his people against their enemies, as any hero should do. But he also announced the birth of Almos, son of queen Emese; to further protect him in his youth. Perhaps only true warriors are also true care givers, or perhaps this is but a mistery, a riddle coming to us from a long gone past. Yet we know that other mysteries shroud the precise identity of the first Turul. Was he a falcon or an eagle? Was he some other, perhaps extinguished, perhaps not, big bird of prey? The sculptures that remain from those early times give us no certainties. Perhaps it is but good that some things we will not know.
Our own Turul is also mysterious. He is hard to pin down, even in our rational days of simple and one dimensional identities. We know that he practices kendo, but he has also started iaido in our mists. It is said that he is a musician, and as such he has released music under his name. Perhaps less surprisingly, he also works caring youngsters. And more frequently than not, he is seeing travelling back to his ancient land. To make music, to care for his people or to fence, we don’t know. Perhaps it is good that in our unbelieving and no-nonsense days, some things we will not know.
It was recently that brother Turul received a backlash. In his incipient career as iaidoka he was encouraged to challenge nikkyu, the level that defeated brother Catfish. The day of the exam came and the jury found the performance of our Turul insuficient. Catfish, perhaps due to his own frustrations and past troubles, was incensed. Not brother Turul, though.
From his own height he did look down to Catfish, and allowed himself a smile. “Don’t you think that I have been here before?” he asked. “I am old, and many have been my backslashes, my mistakes and my defeats” he said. “And yet here I still am, learning how to fence as any other young beginner”. Catfish remembered father Snow Monkey talking about defeat. “Without defeat there is no learning” he has said. Catfish remembered the all looking eyes of brother Chameleon, also recently defeated by yet another exam. There is nothing in common between the eyes of a bird of prey, and the eyes of a chameleon, Catfish knew.
Yet the smiling eyes of Chameleon were not that different of the eyes of Turul.
