Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Mythology of the Red Fern
The Red Fern seemed to persist in my searches, appearing throughout history and varying countries in legends and mythological stories and rituals. Here are some of the different ones which I found.
Mythology of the Red Fern:
Slavic tradition dictates that couples wishing to be married would go out to the woods in search of a fern flower, which was only supposed to bloom at night, which allowed them to engage in sexual activities and become married. The mysterious fern flower became a powerful symbol of fertility and couples wishing to have children sought the flowers in order to have better odds at reproduction. The fern flower itself became a euphemism for sex.
In Wilson Rawls' novel Where the Red Fern Grows, Billy finds a red fern growing amid the graves of his two beloved animals. When Old Dan and Little Ann tree a mountain lion, Billy tries to save his dogs with a hatchet, only to have to be rescued by the two. Old Dan dies of the mountain lion's inflicted injuries and Little Ann dies of heartbreak from losing her companion. After seeing the red fern growing on the graves Billy remembers that the plant is a symbol of eternity, planted by an angel, which will never die.
A Native American legend tells of a young boy and girl who are lost in a blizzard. When the Spring comes, they are found frozen together holding hands. Between them there is a red fern growing, symbolizing the eternity of their friendship. The place in which the fern grew from then on was considered sacred ground.
In another myth of unknown origin a fern only blooms during the summer solstice. A person who comes across the fern flower was said to be endowed with fantastic gifts such as great wealth, luck, and the ability to interpret the speech of animals.
In a Hawaiian legend, Kamapuau, the god of rainfall and certain aspects of nature had a tempestuous love affair with Pele, the goddess of volcanoes and eruptions. At one point, Kamapuau attempted to capture Pele while she was inside one of the volcanoes by building a large house over the opening of the volcano. The house was built entirely of ferns, which did not hold Pele inside.
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| Eared Lady Fern in May |
Mythology of the Red Fern:
Slavic tradition dictates that couples wishing to be married would go out to the woods in search of a fern flower, which was only supposed to bloom at night, which allowed them to engage in sexual activities and become married. The mysterious fern flower became a powerful symbol of fertility and couples wishing to have children sought the flowers in order to have better odds at reproduction. The fern flower itself became a euphemism for sex.
In Wilson Rawls' novel Where the Red Fern Grows, Billy finds a red fern growing amid the graves of his two beloved animals. When Old Dan and Little Ann tree a mountain lion, Billy tries to save his dogs with a hatchet, only to have to be rescued by the two. Old Dan dies of the mountain lion's inflicted injuries and Little Ann dies of heartbreak from losing her companion. After seeing the red fern growing on the graves Billy remembers that the plant is a symbol of eternity, planted by an angel, which will never die.
A Native American legend tells of a young boy and girl who are lost in a blizzard. When the Spring comes, they are found frozen together holding hands. Between them there is a red fern growing, symbolizing the eternity of their friendship. The place in which the fern grew from then on was considered sacred ground.
In another myth of unknown origin a fern only blooms during the summer solstice. A person who comes across the fern flower was said to be endowed with fantastic gifts such as great wealth, luck, and the ability to interpret the speech of animals.
In a Hawaiian legend, Kamapuau, the god of rainfall and certain aspects of nature had a tempestuous love affair with Pele, the goddess of volcanoes and eruptions. At one point, Kamapuau attempted to capture Pele while she was inside one of the volcanoes by building a large house over the opening of the volcano. The house was built entirely of ferns, which did not hold Pele inside.
Monday, December 3, 2012
The Myth of the Red Fern
Here is some of the material from my presentation as well as some that I didn't have time to get to.
Fern Facts:
Ferns are a part of the Plantae group called featherplants or pteridophytes.
Featherplants are some of the oldest plants on earth, dating around 400 million years.
Most coal is derived from featherplants.
The Cyathea tree fern can grow to be 80 feet or higher.
The Wall Rue fern is 2-3 inches tall.
Ferns do not have seeds.
Ferns do not produce flowers.
Ferns reproduce through the production of spores.
Spores are produced in sporangia sacs on the underside of the leaves.
The spores develop into tiny heart shaped plants which produce both male and female cells.
Ferns can only reproduce when the male cells are allowed to "swim" to the female ones through rainwater.
The only climate unsuitable to grow ferns is Antarctica.
Ferns have outlived the dinosaurs.
Ferns grow fronds and not leaves.
Sigmund Freud had a morbid fear of ferns.
The woodmouse, short-tailed bat, and bullfinch all eat fern spores as a primary food source.
There are more than 12,000 varieties of ferns.
There is no actual "red fern," there are merely variations in pigmentation and seasonal color changes.
It remains a scientific mystery that water drawn from fern roots to leaves can travel against the force of gravity.
The grape fern turns a spectacular fiery red color in the Winter.
Ferns form the prominent base layer to most any tropical area.
Ferns are known to form symbiotic relationships with host plants.
While forming bonds with host plants, ferns are never parasitic and often a source of nutrients for the host.
The rhizomes of the Licorice Fern contain a potent steroidal compound that is 3,000 times sweeter than sucrose. Using this sweetener is illegal in the United States but the plant can be purchased at most nurseries.
Some ferns in the genus Athyrium have shocking maroons and reds for the color of veins and stems.
Fern Facts:
Ferns are a part of the Plantae group called featherplants or pteridophytes.
Featherplants are some of the oldest plants on earth, dating around 400 million years.
Most coal is derived from featherplants.
The Cyathea tree fern can grow to be 80 feet or higher.
The Wall Rue fern is 2-3 inches tall.
Ferns do not have seeds.
Ferns do not produce flowers.
Ferns reproduce through the production of spores.
Spores are produced in sporangia sacs on the underside of the leaves.
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| Sporangia on a fern frond |
Ferns can only reproduce when the male cells are allowed to "swim" to the female ones through rainwater.
The only climate unsuitable to grow ferns is Antarctica.
Ferns have outlived the dinosaurs.
Ferns grow fronds and not leaves.
Sigmund Freud had a morbid fear of ferns.
The woodmouse, short-tailed bat, and bullfinch all eat fern spores as a primary food source.
There are more than 12,000 varieties of ferns.
There is no actual "red fern," there are merely variations in pigmentation and seasonal color changes.
 |
| The Autumn Fern turns a rusty color during Spring |
The grape fern turns a spectacular fiery red color in the Winter.
 |
| The Grape Fern during Winter |
Ferns are known to form symbiotic relationships with host plants.
While forming bonds with host plants, ferns are never parasitic and often a source of nutrients for the host.
The rhizomes of the Licorice Fern contain a potent steroidal compound that is 3,000 times sweeter than sucrose. Using this sweetener is illegal in the United States but the plant can be purchased at most nurseries.
Some ferns in the genus Athyrium have shocking maroons and reds for the color of veins and stems.
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| Lady Fern |
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| Japanese Painted Fern |
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| Japanese Painted Fern |
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