The well known myth from Transylvania is Dracula. The underrated personage is Totscus. This is a normal situation taking into account that the legend of Totscus is full of dramatic deaths, macabre situations and social movements against church and over wealthy.
Facts from history
First documents are dated in 1437, when a popular uproar (peasant revolt of Bábolna) provoked by the abuses of the Transylvanian bishop, Gheorghe Lepes coagulates in a huge peasant army, led by a local noble Antal Budai and other 5 generals. One of them was known as “Burgher” (Bürger = a German bourgeoisie from Cluj). Nobody knew his real name but popular legends tell that after the popular army was defeated by the Transylvanian ruler Ladislau IV army, the prison cell of one of the surviving revolt leaders was found empty before the execution. It was Bürger‘s cell, full of spider webs, and completely empty.
The kiss of the death
In the popular myths from Transylvania the character name is Totscu, but for a better understanding we have to consider the presence and cultural german influence in region. Some historians say the name would have been Totscus, which surprisingly links the legend of prison records in Budapest, Vienna, Napoli and Lisbon.
It is certain that the stories from Transylvania speak of the death in the immediate period of several Transylvanian officials. What is interesting is that in most of these deaths seemed to be suicides, despite the fact that there were no prerequisites.
Immortality nourished with deaths
Stories about Totscus have different themes through the lands and centuries. Centuries – Hell yes! – you’ll see further. In Transylvania the legends precedes the revolt of Bábolna with at last 200 years, and they are speaking about mysterious suicides of rich nobles, and abusive priests. In Vienna in 1533, a character called Totsküss was arrested as a suspect in death of Herzogin Adel Egennberg, a very rich widow previously seduced by this mysterious character. Similar recordings appear in following 50 years in Verona, Palma, Seville and Lisbon. The same scenario: rich and relatively young widows, sometimes abusive officials are also are discovered dead – mysterious suicides.
The spider of depression
It seems that Totscus had a tattoo or a birth sign (the tattoos were rare in those times for southern Europe) on his shoulder which represented a strange spider. Many stories tell that he had the ability to turn into a spider when he wanted to go unseen. Speculation says he had also the ability to dominate the will of others and to induce them a state of extreme depression that led to the suicide of victims.
The red line of fiction
Merging the stories and facts together creates the following thread. In a Transylvanian village in 12th century a wizard is blamed and expelled for his failure to save a child. One day later the entire village had committed suicide. The village was abandoned and the surrounding forests start to be avoided by merchants due to several mysterious disappearance. Seems that our wizard discovered the secret of immortality but hey, who needs a lonely life? His legend was already known and he’s wandering from city to city under false names. Guided by the sense of righteousness and anti-clerical feelings, he joins the popular uprising. Due to its intelligence and capabilities it becomes one of the leaders. After the revolt suppression and revenge against the oppressors he flee westward. From this point the same pattern occurs for another 120 years. Last stories are in Lisbon…
What happened then?
Did he die?
Did continue his way to the west reaching the new world?
Is he still alive?
Was he on Heaven’s Gate in 1997, leading the people to the Hale Bopp spiritual spaceship?
Why Totscus? Why we embraced this name?
Depression is the plague of our generation. I am not speaking here about its reasons. It is just that sometimes we know how it feels. Our peaceful and plentiful life proves to be empty. We shout the sad stories of loneliness and loosing faith for all those.