THE (MISSING) ELEMENTS OF THE LOCAL-REGIONAL MYTH AND CULT OF PÉTER BODOR The “Sekler Jack of All Trades” as Estate- and Landscape-Gardener?

Abstract

By the 19th century almost every city in Transylvania had at least a couple of permanent gardeners, who through their diversified expertise and work had gained great esteem and respect among the locals and enjoyed a local-regional reputation. Péter Bodor (1782–1849), who became widely known and recognized primarily through the creation of the musical fountain in Târgu-Mureş, was also an estate- and landscape-gardener. Due to his joiner, clockmaker, locksmithing and other skills, the “Sekler jack of all trades” was and is still respected as a „garabonciás” (~ enchanter). Only a few know him as a gardener. The reason for this is presumably that the time of his activity as an active gardener can be dated back to his youth, period about which little data has been revealed in the research so far. In this study, I identify the elements of the local-regional myth and cult of Bodor, I investigate his representation in literature and the press. I briefly present his activities in the field of horticulture, which are less known in the collective cultural memory.