The Last meeting of József Antall and Viktor Orbán

Using methods of ethnography, this study examines the well-known story of József Antall who on his death bed called for Viktor Orbán in order to leave his heritage upon him. The study argues that there is a structural similarity between the folklorized narrations of this meeting and older myths of knowledge transfer. Both cases imply a certain rite of passage including a magical transfer of the knowledge. This study is based on own collections and narrations found in online articles sites and forums. These myths are rooted in the collective struggle to understand reality. The contradictions of modernization increase the collective feeling of the unpredictability of human existence, thus, there is a growing need for making reality reasonable. In a world full of dangers, people need the certainty to know that there are heroes who can solve the problems of the world and thus sustain the life of the community. The modern myth of knowledge transfer is based on this framework. No surprise then, that the overpoliticized society of the end of communism was a fertile ground for evolving and spreading of myths.