A zsidó a magyar proverbiumokban

After only some of previous papers or references (Flesch 1908, Újváry 2009), devoted to the topic, this essay is the first one registering the Hungarian proverbs, proverbial phrases and sayings in which the Jew is mentioned. The published collections by Baranyai Decsi (1598), Kis Viczay (1713), Baróti Szabó (1803), Kovács (1794) and Dugonics (1820) are examined. As for the summarizing proverb anthologies in Hungary Erdélyi (1851), Margalits (1896) and Szemerkényi (2009) were used. The number of such proverbs int he Hungarian proverb lore is relatively few, and only by the first half of the 19th century their number is increasing. Texts from the late 18th and 19th centuries often mention anecdotes, ethnic slurs etc. connected with the Jews. Among them some anti-semiotic remarks can be found too. However, in similar collections there is no trace of antisemitism, ore even the Jew was not mentioned at all. In the recent Hungarian proverb anthologies the number of „Jewish” proverbs is very little – as a sign of hypocrisis. In my paper, when it was possible, Hungarian proverbs concerning the Jews were contrasted with those concerning the Gypsies. Gypsy proverb lore in Hungary is more proliferous. The paper does not deal with the general problem of ethnic stereotypes. However, one source, from the 19th century, Csaplovits (1822) was quoted