Fern flower

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The fern flower is a magic flower in Slavic mythology (Polish: Kwiat paproci, Russian: Цветок папоротника) and Baltic mythology (e.g. Latvian: Papardes zieds).

Contents 1 Slavic tradition 2 Latvian tradition 3 Blooming ferns 4 References

[edit] Slavic tradition

According to the myth, this flower blooms for very short time on the eve of the Ivan Kupala Day. The flower would bring fortune to the person who finds it. In various versions of the tale the fern flower brings luck, wealth, or the ability to understand the animal speech.

[edit] Latvian tradition

In the Latvian tradition, the fern flower is supposed to appear only on the night of Jāņi, the celebration of the summer solstice with pre-Christian origins. Here, it is a symbol of fertility. During this supposedly magical night, young couples go into the woods "seeking the fern flower".

Referring to this tradition, Papardes zieds ("fern flower" in Latvian) is the name of an NGO in Latvia that promotes education about matters pertaining to sexuality, fertility, and relationships.

[edit] Blooming ferns

In fact, ferns are not flowering plants. However some experts think that the flowering fern myth has roots in reality. In the past, the grouping of plants was not as exact as modern taxonomic ones. Several flowering plants look like ferns, and some of them indeed open flowers during night time.^[1] Also, certain real ferns, e.g., Osmunda regalis have sporangia in tight clusters, which may appear as flowers and in fact they are commonly known as "flowering ferns".

[edit] References

1. ^ "Saint John's Wreaths and Fern Flower" (Polish)

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