{"id":2194,"date":"2024-10-24T11:58:16","date_gmt":"2024-10-24T11:58:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antropoflora.com\/?p=2194"},"modified":"2024-10-25T06:39:05","modified_gmt":"2024-10-25T06:39:05","slug":"harts-tongue-fern","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antropoflora.com\/en\/harts-tongue-fern\/","title":{"rendered":"Hart\u2019s-tongue fern"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"2194\" class=\"elementor elementor-2194 elementor-2193\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-81ea553 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"81ea553\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;content_width&quot;:&quot;boxed&quot;}\" data-core-v316-plus=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-720ad25 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"720ad25\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.17.0 - 08-11-2023 *\/\n.elementor-widget-image{text-align:center}.elementor-widget-image a{display:inline-block}.elementor-widget-image a img[src$=\".svg\"]{width:48px}.elementor-widget-image img{vertical-align:middle;display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/antropoflora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Asplenium-scolopendrium-_-Limba-cerbului.png\" target=\"_blank\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"2036\" src=\"https:\/\/antropoflora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/16.-A.-scolopendrium-final-transparent.png\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-2199\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/antropoflora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/16.-A.-scolopendrium-final-transparent.png 1440w, https:\/\/antropoflora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/16.-A.-scolopendrium-final-transparent-212x300.png 212w, https:\/\/antropoflora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/16.-A.-scolopendrium-final-transparent-724x1024.png 724w, https:\/\/antropoflora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/16.-A.-scolopendrium-final-transparent-768x1086.png 768w, https:\/\/antropoflora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/16.-A.-scolopendrium-final-transparent-1086x1536.png 1086w, https:\/\/antropoflora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/16.-A.-scolopendrium-final-transparent-460x650.png 460w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1440px) 100vw, 1440px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fa3e2ab e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"fa3e2ab\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;content_width&quot;:&quot;boxed&quot;}\" data-core-v316-plus=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-474cbc1 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"474cbc1\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;content_width&quot;:&quot;boxed&quot;}\" data-core-v316-plus=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-139887b elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"139887b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.17.0 - 08-11-2023 *\/\n.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-stacked .elementor-drop-cap{background-color:#69727d;color:#fff}.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-framed .elementor-drop-cap{color:#69727d;border:3px solid;background-color:transparent}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap{margin-top:8px}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap-letter{width:1em;height:1em}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap{float:left;text-align:center;line-height:1;font-size:50px}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap-letter{display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t<p><strong><i>Asplenium scolopendrium<\/i><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, from the family\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Aspleniaceae<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, is a fern that grows up to about 60 cm in height. Its leaves are undivided, resembling long, glossy tongues with wavy edges. The sporangia are arranged like the legs of a centipede. It grows in lush green clusters, typically in shady, rocky, and humid areas, often around waterfalls and springs.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In folk tradition, it is known as\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">N\u0103valnic (a n\u0103v\u0103li-to rush)<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Deer\u2019s tongue<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, or\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Neighbor\u2019s tongue<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. In Transylvania, it is simply called\u00a0 Neighbor. In the past, people used to collect the plant with its roots, stuff it into sacks, and take it to markets to sell to those suffering from various ailments\u2014such as fever, consumption, or cough. It was boiled in sweet milk and taken in the morning on an empty stomach. For eye treatments, it was placed in fresh water on a Thursday morning.<\/span><\/p><h3><b>The Flower of N\u0103valnic<\/b><\/h3><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">N\u0103valnic<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0is a plant that, much like its relative, the common fern (<\/span><b><i>link to article about The Fern Flower<\/i><\/b><b>)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, possesses a magical ability that is not listed in its biological traits: the ability to bloom. It blooms for just a moment, but as soon as it flowers, it immediately withers. Very few people have the chance to see its flower, and those who do are believed to be lucky for life and destined for heaven.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is said that in the past, when people were kinder,\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">N\u0103valnic<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0would bloom even during the day, and anyone could pick its flower. Those who took and wore the flower would suddenly be granted knowledge of all the world\u2019s mysteries, both visible and invisible. However, since people have become more wicked,\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">N\u0103valnic<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0now only blooms on the night of Saint George\u2019s Day, precisely at midnight. The night before Saint George\u2019s Day is one of the major holidays in the agricultural and pastoral calendar, marking the return of nature to life, to its warm and living state. It is a night filled with meaning, during which &#8220;the heavens open&#8221; (Antoaneta Olteanu), and is rich in magical rituals and preparations for the festivities that take place on Saint George\u2019s Day, such as\u00a0<\/span><b><i>B\u0103b\u0103luda<\/i><\/b><b>.<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On this night,\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">N\u0103valnic<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0blooms, but as soon as it does, the devils who guard it come and take the flower, keeping people away from the knowledge it holds<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The sinister screams of the unclean spirits terrify those who keep watch at night, trying to catch the\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">N\u0103valnic<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0in bloom and take its flower. Whoever wants to keep the devils at bay in order to reach the flower at any cost must draw a circle on the ground and place a cross in its center, then sit inside the circle. However, despite these efforts, only people with a pure heart will be able to glimpse the flower, and afterward, they will know all things\u2014even the language of the flowers.<\/span><\/p><h3><b>N\u0103valnic\/Hart\u2019s tongue fern in Love Spells<\/b><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Young girls use\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">N\u0103valnic\/Hart\u2019s tongue fern <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0in love spells, employing it for marriage, honor, and love. Those who carry\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">N\u0103valnic<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0with them gain magical powers, and all love will rush toward them. In Suceava, to attract love, girls gather\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">n\u0103valnic<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0with its roots. They wear the roots in their skirts, and tuck the leaves into their bosom or weave them into their hair. Likewise, young men will wear\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">n\u0103valnic<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0in their hats for the same purpose.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When a girl wishes to cast a love spell, she must bring offerings to the\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">n\u0103valnic<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. She brings bread and salt and says:<\/span><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;N\u0103valnic<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Great herb<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I summon you with bread and salt<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And with holy prayers.<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Summon me too,<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With luck and much fortune,<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With luck\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And with joy<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let the whole world rush to me\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Girls also perform love spells with\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">N\u0103valnic\/Hart\u2019s tongue fern<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0on Dragobete, February 24th, the beginning of the agricultural year and a day of fertility\u2014the day when the birds of the sky are said to get engaged. Dragobete, the son of Baba Dochia, was a love-struck youth who could drive girls mad with love. In Olt, it is said that he was transformed into the\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">n\u0103valnic<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0plant.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another legend from Dorohoi tells of\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">N\u0103valnic<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a young man of striking beauty. Whenever he entered a village, all the paths would become tangled for the beautiful girls, and the women would lose control, wandering around in a daze, as if drunk. One day, an old woman dressed in white, who wandered in search of healing plants, cast a spell on the young man to stop him from confusing the girls. She transformed him forever into the\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">n\u0103valnic<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0plant.<\/span><\/p><p><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;N\u0103valnic you are<\/span><\/em><\/p><p><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">N\u0103valnic you shall be<\/span><\/em><\/p><p><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Among the love herbs you are,<\/span><\/em><\/p><p><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And a love herb you shall remain<\/span><\/em><\/p><p><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As it has always been\u201d (T. Pamfile)<\/span><\/em><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Witches use\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">n\u0103valnic<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0along with\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">great herb<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0and a slipper&#8217;s sole in their rituals.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;Harvesting\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">n\u0103valnic<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0for malevolent purposes was done at midnight. However, when the plant was invoked for beneficial purposes, it was collected in the morning, before the dew had lifted.&#8221; (Ion Ghinoiu)<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The most powerful for spells is the\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">N\u0103valnic\/Hart\u2019s tongue fern<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0plant, pulled out with its roots on Saint George&#8217;s Day.\u00a0The witch leaves bread and salt in the place where she uprooted the\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">N\u0103valnic<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0from the ground. In Moldova, the\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">N\u0103valnic<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0is pulled out on a Monday, before sunrise, and in its place, a piece of\u00a0\u00a0cornmeal porridge is left.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The witch then takes the sole from the priest\u2019s shoes\u2014the ones he wore during the liturgy on the Eve of Epiphany, when he blessed the water. The sole is cut at midnight, on the night of Epiphany.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The witch takes the\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">n\u0103valnic\/Hart\u2019s-tongue fern<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">great herb<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and the sole, and begins to say:<\/span><\/p><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;Just as people gather on Epiphany and rush to collect holy water and kiss the cross in the priest\u2019s hand, so will the young men of the village rush to N. to court her and live a sweet life with her.&#8221;<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The girl receives the water in which the plants were washed. She will wash herself with part of it, and the rest she will throw in the path of the young men. The witch will also give her a small piece of the sole, of\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">n\u0103valnic<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and of\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">great herb<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. These she will sew into her belt and wear until the day of her wedding.<\/span><\/p><p><strong>Author: Ilinca Micu<\/strong><\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Bibliography:<\/strong><\/h3><ol><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0Simion Florea Marian<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Botanica poporan\u0103 rom\u00e2n\u0103 Vol I, Edi\u021bie critic\u0103, introducere, repere biobibliografice,<\/span><\/i> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">indice Botanica, indice capitole publicate antum\/postum,<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> text stabilit, indice informatori \u0219i bibliografie de Aura Br\u0103d\u0103\u021ban, Editura Academiei Rom\u00e2ne, Suceava, 2010<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Germina Comanici, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ramura verde \u00een spiritualitatea popular\u0103, Editura Etnologic\u0103, Bucure\u0219ti 2004<\/span><\/i><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tudor Pamfile, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dragostea \u00een datina tineretului roman<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Editura Saeculum, Bucure\u0219ti, 1998<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Antoaneta Olteanu, Calendarele poporului rom\u00e2n, Paideia, Bucure\u0219ti, 2009<\/span><\/li><\/ol>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In folk tradition, it is known as N\u0103valnic (a n\u0103v\u0103li-to rush), Deer\u2019s tongue, or Neighbor\u2019s tongue. In Transylvania, it is simply called  Neighbor. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2201,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2194","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-monographs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/antropoflora.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2194","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/antropoflora.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/antropoflora.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antropoflora.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antropoflora.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2194"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/antropoflora.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2194\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2217,"href":"https:\/\/antropoflora.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2194\/revisions\/2217"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antropoflora.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2201"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/antropoflora.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2194"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antropoflora.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2194"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antropoflora.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2194"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}