I’ve been making pictures about a traditional folktale from Ukraine…here’s another

It tells of St. John’s Eve (Kupala Night , the shortest night of the year) and the only night the fern flower blossoms. (Since no one has ever seen a fern flower, it was rumored that they must bloom at midnight, producing the precious seed).

In this quest for the fern seed, a young man who is too poor to be given his sweetheart’s hand in marriage, is told by an old man the secret of acquiring the fern blossom. After a frightful night in a forest, the young man plucks the red flower and, as it opens, it shines like a flame. 

The old man (who turns out to be the devil in disguise) appears with the witch Baba Yaga, who stamps upon the ground, illuminating jewels, gems, and cauldrons filled with gold. But before the witch will allow the young man access to these treasures, he must first give her human blood. 

The young man and his beloved do not live happily ever after. The one thing all of the St. John’s Eve fern tales have in common is a “Be careful what you wish for ending, and don’t make a deal with the devil…”