Son of the White Mare

The film opens in a mythic, primordial time where a white mare takes refuge within the knot of the cosmic World Tree. Over the course of fourteen years, she nurses and raises her human son, Treeshaker (Fanyűvő), feeding him magical horse milk to grant him superhuman strength. Before passing away, the mare tells him ancient tales of a time when the world was plunged into darkness by three multi-headed dragons, who overthrew the primordial kingdom and kidnapped three celestial princessess. Armed with monumental strength, Treeshaker sets out into the world to fulfill his destiny. Along his journey, he encounters two other men of incredible, god-like power: Stonecrumbler (Kőmorzsoló), who can crush boulders to dust, and Irontemperer (Vasgyúró), a mighty blacksmith. Striking a deep bond of brotherhood, the three warriors build a forest home together, sharing chores. The Underworld DescentTheir routine is interrupted by a bizarre, malicious gnome named Hétszűnyű Kapanyányi Monyók, who repeatedly attacks the brothers and steals their food while they are left alone to cook. When Treeshaker finally catches the gnome and traps his beard in the root of a tree, the creature’s desperate thrashing splits the earth open, revealing the hidden entrance to the Underworld beneath the roots. Forgiving a weapon from the gnome’s shorn beard, Treeshaker alone volunteers to descend into the terrifying subterranean realm using a giant cauldron lowered by his brothers. Down below, in a surreal landscape shifting through rivers of copper, silver, and gold, Treeshaker battles and slays the three monstrous dragons one by one, rescuing the three captive princesses. Betrayal and TriumphTreeshaker sends the princesses and the magical castles back to the surface in the cauldron. However, due to the heavy magical weight, his brothers panic and abandon him, leaving him trapped in the Underworld as the entrance seals shut. Left stranded in the dark, Treeshaker strikes a bargain with the captured gnome, who directs him to a giant griffin. When Treeshaker saves the griffin’s chicks from a vicious serpent, the grateful creature agrees to fly him back to the Upper World. The flight requires a grueling sacrifice: running out of provisions mid-air, Treeshaker must slice off his own leg to feed the bird, only for the griffin’s chicks to magically restore his limb upon arrival. Confronting his brothers, Treeshaker initially feels immense anger at their betrayal, but ultimately forgives them. The three heroes marry the rescued princesses, moving into their magnificent castles to live out their days. In a striking, surreal final shot, the mythical hero walks triumphantly across a silhouette of the modern world, cementing the tale as an eternal cycle bridging ancient steppe mythology and human history.