Flora Friday - Raskovnik
Picture from Shutterstock
Hello all!! It has been a while so forgive me for being a bit rusty! Kerenza is a bit tied up today so I'm briefly jumping back into the fray with a Flora Friday!
Our Flora Friday today is Raskovnik!
Raskovnik is a plant from Slavic folklore and mythology which means that this herb belongs to a closed practice so information may not be forthcoming. Other names for Raskovnik include:
- Razkovniche
- расковник (Macedonian/Serbian)
- разковниче (Bulgarian)
- разрыв-трава (Russian)
- rozryw (Polish)
- raskov (Leskovac)
- ež trava (Macedonian - Hedgehog herb)
- demir-bozan (SE Montenegro - iron breaker)
- špirgasta trava (Syrmia)
- zemaljski ključ (Slovenian - earth key)
- mavričin koren (Savinja Valley - Rainbow root)
Raskovnik itself appears to be more of a mythological plant than a real life plant but there are plants that bare resemblance to Raskovnik or have the alternative name of Raskovnik (this of course varies from plant to plant depending on the region.)
Raskovnik is said to be hard to find with some stating that only few chthonic animals (meaning of or below the earth) can find it. In Bulgaria, Turtles are the best animal to use, in Serbia, Hedgehogs and in Dalmatia, Snakes. In some Bulgarian sources, it is said that Raskovnik bares resemblance to a 4 leaf clover but it is still hard to distinguish Raskovnik from a clover if your eye is untrained.
Metaphysical Uses
Raskovnik is reportedly able to unlock any lock or padlock and uncover anything that is hidden, including treasure that has been buried.
In Bulgaria, Raskovnik will split the ground above where treasure had been buried so it could be found. It is also believed that Raskovnik possess some alchemical ability and can turn iron into gold
In parts of Serbia, the treasure Raskovnik is supposed to uncover is gold coins. A condensed version of the tale is as follows:
A chained man requests that Raskovnik is brought to him to break his chains. Once the plant has been given to him and the chains had been broken, the man would vanish into the ground and a cauldron full of gold coins would appear where the man once was
Raskovnik's other abilities include:
- Making the one who picked it happy or wealthy forever
- Making the picker's desires come true
I hope you've all enjoyed this post! If I've missed anything or gotten anything wrong, please let me know!
We have a post on Slavic Witchcraft as part of our Which Witch series if you fancy some further reading!
Blessings,
C )0(
Comments
Post a Comment