Pansies, Polish Folktale

A long time ago, Polish lands were covered in wilderness and people lived in small villages. In one of those villages, there was a ruler named Jan. He had two sons, Tom and Paul. The brothers were very close and were spending whole days together.

One day the father went hunting and got injured by a bear. After that accident, he deteriorated in his health. Therefore, it was time to pass his rule to his sons. He split the lands into northern and southern. It was time for the brothers to go their separate ways.

The day came when they said their good-byes with the father and got on the road. When they reached a point of the road about to separate them, they decided to spend the last night together by a bonfire. While sitting by the fire, they noticed an elderly man approaching them “Do you mind kind gentlemen if I spend the night by the fire with you?” “Of course, you can spend the night with us” – answered brothers. The brothers shared the food and drink with the elderly man and told him their story.

In the morning as a thank you token, the elderly man handed both brothers a sack of seeds saying “plant these flower seeds in the sun.” Surprised brothers kindly said thank you, but denied the gift stating “We’re the knights. We don’t need some flower seeds.” “These are not ordinary seeds. They will let you know how the other brother is doing. If they bloom in gold, it means that everything is ok. If they bloom in purple, that might mean some worries. If they bloom in burgundy…” – the man left without finishing his sentence. The brothers looked at each other and decided to plant the seeds. They said their good-byes and continued their separate ways.

Tom settled in the north in the land of lakes, where his people raised sheep, which brought them wool, milk and cheese. Paul settled in the south in the land of mountains, where his people cultivated cereal and vine. Both of them sowed the seeds in the flower boxes below the windows. Flowers quickly blossomed into gold and blue, signifying peace and prosperity. Weeks went on and everything was well till one morning, when Tom looked throughout the window and froze in terror when he saw burgundy flowers. The color reminded him of blood. Immediately he thought of his brother and knew he had to rush to check on him.

As soon as Tom collected his forces, they moved toward his brother’s lands. They galloped as fast as they could. After a few hours, they reached a large lake, where they saw a fortified castle besieged by hostile forces. Tom arrived just in time to help. The enemy was forced out and Paul welcomed his brother and his troops. Curious Paul asked his brother, “but how did you know that I needed help?” Tom told him about the burgundy flowers. As a result they named the flowers pansies, which signified their brotherly love. Not too many people remember this story, but pansies grow in many gardens in Poland.

FYI: Pansies in Polish are derived from a word “brotherhood.”