This document summarizes a Lithuanian folk tale about a magical fern that is said to bloom once a year on the shortest night of summer. According to the tale, finding the blooming fern and collecting its flower can help one discover the secrets of the world, find treasure, or make a dream come true. However, it is difficult to find the blooming fern, which only occurs in the dense forest during midnight of the shortest summer night. One must draw a protective circle around the fern and remain brave while evil spirits gather, until the fern blooms and its flower can be picked. Many have tried but none have yet succeeded in finding the magical fern blossom.

1. Erasmus + Project
“Healthy Herbs Outlook”
2015-1-RO01-KA219-015133_4
“ A Fern”
“Papartis”

2. In the depths of the old
forests,
Senolėj girioj, už raisto

3. In the deep swampy marches
There is a home for a weird
plant, Gyvena augalas keistas –

4. a plant or a huge green fan.
Žaliom vėduoklėm lapoja.

5. In times of the brightest summer
night
a green fan sways.
A green fan sways and blooms with a
magic flower
Žaliom vėduoklėm lapoja
Ir žiedą padovanoja
Vasaros nakčiai šviesiausiai.

6. In times of the lightest
summer night
When the bonfires burn
until the dawn,
Vasaros nakčiai šviesiausiai,
Kai dega laužai, kol išaušta,

7. When the witches wash their faces
with the purest dew.
During that night they whisper into
your ear silently
- no matter how old you are -
Kai laumė lelijom prausias
Ir šnibžda tyliai į ausį
Mažiems, dideliems – visiems:

8. Drink from the stream and turn into a
child of the star,
Drink from the creek, you will be a child
of the star.
„Atsigerk iš miško versmės
Ir būsi vaikas žvaigždės.
Ir būsi vaikas žvaigždės.

9. And a fern will bloom for you.
And a fern will bloom for you.
Ir papartis tau pražydės,
Ir papartis tau pražydės.“

10. Ar norite sužinoti
didžiausias pasaulio
paslaptis? O gal rasti lobį,
tapti žymiu ir turtingu?
Paparčio žiedas gali padėti
įgyvendinti bet kokią
svajonę.
Do you want to find out
the secrets of our world?
Or maybe you would like
to find a treasure and
become a rich and famous
person? Anyway if you
have a dream and don't
know how to succeed it
one thing might help you.
And that is a fern
blossom.

11. Gauti jį nėra taip lengva.
Papartis žydi tik kartą
metuose – trumpiausią
vasaros naktį. Reikia
nueiti į miško tankmę,
susirasti papartį ir su
šermukšnio lazda apibrėžti
aplink jį ratą.
But there are a few special
points. First of all you
should know that a fern
blooms some where in the
forest only on the shortest
night of a year. Therefore
you need to go to the
dense of the forest, find a
fern and draw a circle
around it using a rowan
stick.

12. Tada atsistoti rato viduryje ir
laukti vidurnakčio. Piktosios
dvasios susirinks aplink ratą.
Jos gąsdins ir baugins, bet
reikia išlikti ramiam ir drąsiam,
belaukiant, kol pražys papartis.
O tada – nuskinti jo žiedą.
Daugelis vaikinų ir merginų
bandė rasti paparčio žiedą, bet
niekam dar nepavyko.
Then you have to stand in
the middle of that circle
and wait for the midnight.
All the evil spirits will
gather around the circle to
scare and expel you. If you
stay calm and brave you'll
see a blooming fern and
take its flower. A lot of
boys and girls looked for a
fern flower but no one
found it.

13. • “This project has been funded with support
from the European Commission. This
publication reflects the views only of the
author, and the Commission cannot be held
responsible for any use which may be made
of the information contained there in.”