Mistletoe
is an aerial parasite that has no roots of its own and lives off the
tree that it attaches itself to. Without that tree it would die.
Mistletoe was thought to be sacred by ancient Europeans. Druid priests
employed it in their sacrifices to the gods while Celtic people felt it
possessed miraculous healing powers. In fact, in the Celtic language
mistletoe means "all-heal." It not only cured diseases, but
could also render poisons harmless, make humans and animals prolific,
keep one safe from witchcraft, protect the house from ghosts and even
make them speak. With all of this, it was thought to bring good luck to
anyone privileged to have it.
Origins of its
name - The common name of the plant is derived from the ancient belief
that mistletoe was propagated from bird droppings. This belief was
related to the then-accepted principle that life could spring
spontaneously from dung. It was observed in ancient times that mistletoe
would often appear on a branch or twig where birds had left droppings.
"Mistel" is the Anglo-Saxon word for "dung," and
"tan" is the word for "twig". So, mistletoe means
"dung-on-a-twig".
The Mistletoe
Magic
From the earliest
times mistletoe has been one of the most magical, mysterious, and sacred
plants of European folklore. As already mentioned it was considered to bestow life and
fertility; a protection against poison; and an aphrodisiac. The
mistletoe of the sacred oak was especially sacred to the ancient Celtic
Druids. On the sixth night of the moon white-robed Druid priests would
cut the oak mistletoe with a golden sickle. Two white bulls would be
sacrificed amid prayers that the recipients of the mistletoe would
prosper. Later, the ritual of cutting the mistletoe from the oak came to
symbolize the emasculation of the old King by his successor. Mistletoe
was long regarded as both a sexual symbol and the "soul" of
the oak. It was gathered at both mid-summer and winter solstices, and
the custom of using mistletoe to decorate houses at Christmas is a
survival of the Druid and other pre-Christian traditions. The Greeks
also thought that it had mystical powers and down through the centuries
it became associated with many folklore customs. In the Middle Ages and
later, branches of mistletoe were hung from ceilings to ward off evil
spirits. In Europe they were placed over house and stable doors to
prevent the entrance of witches. It was also believed that the oak
mistletoe could extinguish fire. This was associated with an earlier
belief that the mistletoe itself could come to the tree during a flash
of lightning. The traditions which began with the European mistletoe
were transferred to the similar American plant with the process of
immigration and settlement.
Kissing under the
mistletoe
Kissing under the
mistletoe is first found associated with the Greek festival of
Saturnalia and later with primitive marriage rites. They probably
originated from two beliefs. One belief was that it has power to bestow
fertility. It was also believed that the dung from which the mistletoe
would also possess "life-giving" power. In Scandinavia,
mistletoe was considered a plant of peace, under which enemies could
declare a truce or warring spouses kiss and make-up. Later, the
eighteenth-century English credited with a certain magical appeal called
a kissing ball. At Christmas time a young lady standing under a ball of
mistletoe, brightly trimmed with evergreens, ribbons, and ornaments,
cannot refuse to be kissed. Such a kiss could mean deep romance or
lasting friendship and goodwill. If the girl remained unkissed, she
cannot expect not to marry the following year. In some parts of England
the Christmas mistletoe is burned on the twelfth night lest all the boys
and girls who have kissed under it never marry. Whether we believe it or
not, it always makes for fun and frolic at Christmas celebrations. Even
if the pagan significance has been long forgotten, the custom of
exchanging a kiss under the mistletoe can still be found in many
European countries as well as in Canada. Thus if a couple in love
exchanges a kiss under the mistletoe, it is interpreted as a promise to
marry, as well as a prediction of happiness and long life. In France,
the custom linked to mistletoe was reserved for New Year's Day: "Au
gui l'An neuf" (Mistletoe for the New Year). Today, kisses can be
exchanged under the mistletoe any time during the holiday season.
The Legend
For its
supposedly mystical power mistletoe has long been at the center of many
folklore. One is associated with the Goddess Frigga. The story goes that
Mistletoe was the sacred plant of Frigga, goddess of love and the mother
of Balder, the god of the summer sun. Balder had a dream of death which
greatly alarmed his mother, for should he die, all life on earth would
end. In an attempt to keep this from happening, Frigga went at once to
air, fire, water, earth, and every animal and plant seeking a promise
that no harm would come to her son. Balder now could not be hurt by
anything on earth or under the earth. But Balder had one enemy, Loki,
god of evil and he knew of one plant that Frigga had overlooked in her
quest to keep her son safe. It grew neither on the earth nor under the
earth, but on apple and oak trees. It was lowly mistletoe. So Loki made
an arrow tip of the mistletoe, gave to the blind god of winter, Hoder,
who shot it , striking Balder dead. The sky paled and all things in
earth and heaven wept for the sun god. For three days each element tried
to bring Balder back to life. He was finally restored by Frigga, the
goddess and his mother. It is said the tears she shed for her son turned
into the pearly white berries on the mistletoe plant and in her joy
Frigga kissed everyone who passed beneath the tree on which it grew. The
story ends with a decree that who should ever stand under the humble
mistletoe, no harm should befall them, only a kiss, a token of love.
What could be more natural than to translate the spirit of this old myth
into a Christian way of thinking and accept the mistletoe as the emblem
of that Love which conquers Death? Its medicinal properties, whether
real or imaginary, make it a just emblematic of that Tree of Life, the
leaves of which are for the healing of the nations thus paralleling it
to the Virgin Birth of Christ.
Mistletoe
is an aerial parasite that has no roots of its own and lives off the
tree that it attaches itself to. Without that tree it would die.
Mistletoe was thought to be sacred by ancient Europeans. Druid priests
employed it in their sacrifices to the gods while Celtic people felt it
possessed miraculous healing powers. In fact, in the Celtic language
mistletoe means "all-heal." It not only cured diseases, but
could also render poisons harmless, make humans and animals prolific,
keep one safe from witchcraft, protect the house from ghosts and even
make them speak. With all of this, it was thought to bring good luck to
anyone privileged to have it.
young lady standing under a ball of
mistletoe, brightly trimmed with evergreens, ribbons, and ornaments,
cannot refuse to be kissed. Such a kiss could mean deep romance or
lasting friendship and goodwill. If the girl remained unkissed, she
cannot expect not to marry the following year. In some parts of England
the Christmas mistletoe is burned on the twelfth night lest all the boys
and girls who have kissed under it never marry. Whether we believe it or
not, it always makes for fun and frolic at Christmas celebrations. Even
if the pagan significance has been long forgotten, the custom of
exchanging a kiss under the mistletoe can still be found in many
European countries as well as in Canada. Thus if a couple in love
exchanges a kiss under the mistletoe, it is interpreted as a promise to
marry, as well as a prediction of happiness and long life. In France,
the custom linked to mistletoe was reserved for New Year's Day: "Au
gui l'An neuf" (Mistletoe for the New Year). Today, kisses can be
exchanged under the mistletoe any time during the holiday season.
