December 18, 2007

• Yuletide Traditions: Mistletoe

  Mistletoe

  

  Also known as: (Viscum Album) All Heal, Birdlime, Devil’s Fuge, Golden Bough, Herbe de la Croix, Holy wood, Lignum sanctae Crucis, Misseltoe, Mysteldene, Thunderbesem, Witches broom, Wood of the cross.

  The European mistletoe, Viscum album, meaning “white inner organs,” is a green shrub with small, yellow flowers and white, sticky berries which are poisonous. The flowers are small with male a female flowers found on different plants. It grows from two to five feet in diameter and is commonly seen on apple trees, and very seldom on oak trees. But it is only the mistletoe found on oak trees which was considered sacred, the white berries representing the oak god’s semen. The mistletoe found in North America is Phoradendron flavescent or Phorodendron serotinum, meaning “tree thief.” Despite the romantic folklore of mistletoe, it is actually a partial parasite, a “hemiparasite.” As a parasitic plant, it grows on the branches or trunk of a tree, sending out roots that penetrate into the tree to take up nutrients.

  The name mistletoe comes from the Old Saxon Mistl-tan, meaning a different twig and referring to the fact that it is always found growing on a tree whose twigs it does not resemble. The Missel thrush receives its name from the berries which it eats, spreading the seeds in its droppings. In the Celtic language mistletoe means “all-heal.” To Nordic Pagans, the mistletoe is Guidhel, “guide hel,” perhaps from its association with the death of Baldur, Nordic god of beauty, peace, and the summer. Frigg, his mother, obtained promises from all plants and animals that they would not harm her son but overlooked the lowly mistletoe which could not even grow on its own. To amuse themselves, the other gods gathered to throw things at Baldur, knowing that everything would veer away without striking him. Loki fashioned an arrow from mistletoe wood however and gave it to Hod, Baldur’s blind brother. Thus Baldur died by the hand of his brother and was sent to the underworld. The whole world mourned so much that Hel agreed that if every living thing would shed a tear for Baldur’s death, she would release him again to the word of the living. So Frigg traveled the world, begging all things to cry for her son. Only a cranky old giantess living alone in a cave would not cry, and so Baldur could never fully return to the living world. Some say Loki was the giantess. Still Baldur did return to the world, after a fashion, and mistletoe was given into the care of his mother. From then on, anyone who passed under mistletoe was required to exchange a kiss of peace.

  In winter, trees lose their leaves revealing the perennially green mistletoe. The ancient Druids worshipped mistletoe for a variety of reasons. They believed that it represented the spirit because it seemed to grow from the air on the sacred oak. The fact that it appears to be alive in winter while its host tree appears dead led some Pagans to believe that it held in itself the life of the host tree during the colder months. The Druids sacrificed two white oxen before harvested mistletoe in the sixth day of the moon with a golden sickle, itself a symbol of the moon. To be effective however, the herb should never touch the ground. It was caught in a sheet of the finest white linen. If the plant was sought for and not found or if it fell to the ground during harvest, some great misfortune would befall the nation. Once the herb was harvested, the druids divided the branches into many sprigs and distributed them to the people, who hung them over doorways as protection against thunder, lightning and other evils. The folklore continued over the centuries. It was believed that a sprig placed in a baby’s cradle would protect the child from goblins. Giving a sprig to the first cow calving after New Year would protect the entire herd. In France, the kissing custom linked to mistletoe was reserved for New Year’s Day. Today, kisses can be exchanged under the mistletoe any time during the holiday season.

  Although there is supposed to be a monkish tradition that the mistletoe was originally the tree used for the cross and ceased to be a tree after that usage, it is generally regarded as a Pagan plant and is banned from use in some churches. Though early Christians condemned mistletoe as evil and Pagan, later Christians latched onto its Pagan symbolism and proclaimed the mistletoe as an emblem of eternal life. They even adopted the custom of kissing under the mistletoe as a sign of peace. Later, this custom evolved into stealing a kiss from anyone found standing under the mistletoe and was once again condemned as too licentious for devout Christians. In the 18th Century, the exchanging of kisses between a man and a woman was adopted as a promise to marry. At Christmas, a young lady standing under a ball of mistletoe cannot refuse to be kissed, and the kiss could mean deep romance, lasting friendship, or  goodwill. It was believed that if the girl remained unkissed, she could not expect to marry in the following year. The custom of kissing under the mistletoe caught on in England long before it became popular in Puritan America. However, it was said that if the mistletoe were not burned after the kissing was done, that those who kissed beneath it would be enemies before the year was out. As it burned, it was avidly watched by the women. If the flame was steady, so would their husbands be, but if it sputtered, their husbands would be ill-tempered. A woman might also take a sprig of the mistletoe under which she kissed in order to have dreams of her future husband.

  Processed European mistletoe has shown success in killing cancer cells and strengthening the immune system and is currently undergoing clinical trials. Small quantities of the leaves, powdered, are said to be good for those who suffer from epilepsy, but the berries have the exact opposite effect. In Sweden however, it is thought that just carrying a bit of mistletoe wood, as in the handle of a knife, is sufficient to ward off an epileptic fit.

  Mistletoe protects against witchcraft, demonic illusions, and nightmares. Some felt that it was very unlucky not to bring some mistletoe into the house at the holiday and that it should be left hanging all year long until the next year when it was replaced. This would ensure that the house would not be struck by lightning or catch on fire or that the inhabitants would never be without bread. It also seems that mistletoe increased fertility, and might be given to cows to eat or be hung in the barn for that purpose. Mistletoe which had been properly harvested, that is, not allowed to touch the ground, could be used to ward off illness or heal wounds. It was hung around the neck or the wood was worn as a ring. It might also be worn or carried to aid men in hunting or by women to ward off possession, witchcraft, and poison or to aid in conception. It was kept near a newborn to prevent the fairies from replacing it with a changeling. Even if there was no fear of fairy theft, the mistletoe might be laid out near the bedroom door or placed under a pillow to give a restful sleep. The golden color of dried mistletoe denoted its ability to find buried treasure, and Albertus Magnus and other authorities said mistletoe was the key to every lock.

  • 6:16 pm
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