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Mistletoe
a 2010 compilation by Only 4 U Kids |
| 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".
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| The Plant: |
| Mistletoe is especially
interesting botanically because it is a partial parasite (a "hemiparasite"). As
a parasitic plant, it grows on the branches or trunk of a tree and actually sends out
roots that penetrate into the tree and take up nutrients. But mistletoe is also capable
for growing on its own; like other plants it can produce its own food by photosynthesis.
Mistletoe, however, is more commonly found growing as a parasitic plant. There are two
types of mistletoe. The mistletoe that is commonly used as a Christmas decoration
(Phoradendron flavescens) is native to North America and grows as a parasite on trees from
New Jersey to Florida. The other type of mistletoe, Viscum album, is of European origin.
The European mistletoe is a green shrub with small, yellow flowers and white, sticky
berries which are considered poisonous. It commonly seen on apple but only rarely on oak
trees. The rarer oak mistletoe was greatly venerated by the ancient Celts and Germans and
used as a ceremonial plant by early Europeans. The Greeks and earlier peoples thought that
it had mystical powers and down through the centuries it became associated with many
folklore customs. |
| The Mistletoe Magic: |
| From the earliest times
mistletoe has been one of the most magical, mysterious, and sacred plants of European
folklore. 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. |
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