- Fern flower
The fern flower is a
magic flower inBaltic mythology (e.g. _lv. Papardes zieds, _et. Sõnajalaõis), andSlavic mythology ( _pl. Kwiat paproci, _ru. "Цветок папоротника").Latvian and Estonian tradition
In the Estonian and Latvian tradition, the fern flower is supposed to appear only on the night of
Jāņi (Jaaniõhtu or Jaaniöö in Estonia), the celebration of thesummer solstice with pre-Christian origins. Here, it is a symbol offertility . During this supposedly magical night, young couples go into the woods "seeking the fern flower", which is in fact an euphemisim for sex.Referring to this tradition, [http://www.papardeszieds.lv 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.lavic 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 theanimal speech .Blooming ferns
In fact,
fern s are notflowering 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. [ [http://www.zwoje-scrolls.com/zwoje17/text18.htm "Saint John's Wreaths and Fern Flower"] pl icon] Also, certain real ferns, e.g., "Osmunda regalis " havesporangia in tight clusters, which may appear as flowers and in fact they are commonly known as "flowering ferns".References
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