Mistletoe

A magical plant

Mistletoe was considered a sign of fertility and life by the ancient druids, as unlike the host trees on which it grew, it stayed green and alive during the winter months. According to the Roman historian Pliny the Elder:

The druids – that is what the Gauls call their magicians – hold nothing more sacred than the mistletoe and a tree on which it is growing, provided it is a hard timbered oak ...Mistletoe is rare and when found it is gathered with great ceremony, and particularly on the sixth day of he moon .... Hailing the moon in a native word that means ‘healing all things,’ they prepare a ritual sacrifice and banquet beneath a tree and bring up two white bulls, whose horns are bound for the first time on this occasion. A priest arrayed in white vestments climbs the tree and, with a golden sickle, cuts down the mistletoe, which is caught in a white cloak. Then finally they kill the victims, praying to a god to render his gift propitious to those on whom he has bestowed it. They believe that mistletoe given in drink will impart fertility to any animal that is barren and that it is an antidote to all poisons.

Mistletoe is very common in the south of England, especially here in Somerset where it mostly grows on apple trees or hawthorn. It took me a while to find mistletoe growing on an oak tree for the photograph - and I didn’t cut any down as I was lacking a golden sickle and a white cloak at the time (not to mention a ladder...) Interestingly, considering Pliny’s account, the fertility giving properties of mistletoe survived in folklore, and women would wrap the plant around their wrists and waists if they wanted to conceive. This might also be behind the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe - although historically this practice wasn’t recorded until Victorian times.

Another possible source of the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe can be traced back to Norse mythology and the story of the death of Baldur. The son of Odin and Frigg, Baldur was reputed to be the most beautiful of all the gods. According to legend, Frigg cast a powerful magic to make sure that no plant grown on earth could be used as a weapon against him, and Icelandic stories tell how the gods amused themselves by throwing objects at him, knowing that he was immune from harm.

But the one plant her spell didn’t reach was mistletoe, as it grows from the branches of trees, not in the earth. When Loki discovered this, he fashioned a spear out of mistletoe and gave it to the blind god, Höd. Deceived by Loki, Höd hurled the mistletoe spear and killed Baldur, unaware that it was the only thing that could hurt him.

According to one version of the myth, the gods were able to resurrect Baldur from the dead. Delighted, Frigg then declared mistletoe a symbol of love and vowed to plant a kiss on all those who passed beneath it - which, however unlikely the connection seems, may have led to the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe. In an alternative version, Baldur can’t be resurrected, and in her grief, Frigg determined to make mistletoe a symbol of love for all eternity.

Today is the winter solstice, and having given up on trying to reach any mistletoe growing wild, I bought a lovely bunch from the florist down the road. So now for a glass of mead to celebrate the return of the light…

Happy solstice, everyone!