These thoughts lately, tossed into the LHC, are paralyzing. Views of the present, wisps of the past, and inklings of the future are jockeying for disk space on the mental hard drive. What is, what was, and what will be in an epic clash of the titans. What do you do when every instinct screams no?
Courtesy of the fine folks at Daily Writing Tips…
Before mistletoe became an excuse to kiss people at Christmas parties, it was an important symbol in ancient Celtic religion.
Pliny the Elder describes a ceremony in which Druids climbed an oak tree to harvest mistletoe with a golden scythe. Wrote Pliny:
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 figures in the story of the Norse god Baldur. (Also spelled Balder and Baldr.)
Baldur was the most beloved of the Norse gods. All the gods loved him except Loki the mean-spirited troublemaker.
Baldur’s mother Freya (also Frigg or Frigga) dreamed that he died and was taken by Hel. Norsemen who died in battle were taken by the Valkyries to Valhalla. Everyone else went to Hel’s kingdom. When Freya woke she went to Hel and begged her not to take her son. Hel said that if she could persuade everything in the world not to harm Baldur, he could go on living. Freya extracted an oath from rocks, elves, giants, plants, and everything else. Every thing and every creature swore not to harm Baldur. Unfortunately, Freya neglected to speak to the mistletoe. It was so small and insignificant that she didn’t see how it could be a threat to anyone.
When it became evident that nothing would kill Baldur, the other gods made a game of throwing weapons at him. Loki found out about the unsworn mistletoe. He went to the plant and took a cutting back to Asgard. He fastened it to an arrow and gave it to Baldur’s blind brother Hoder. Loki guided Hoder’s hand and the mistletoe on the arrow pierced Baldur’s heart, killing him.
There’s more to Baldur’s story, but this is the part about the mistletoe.
Of course, reading more about mistletoe over at Wikipedia will inform those who didn’t already know that the plant is actually a parasite – but a good parasite nonetheless.
A couple tidbits I didn’t know previously…
In Romanian traditions, mistletoe (vâsc in Romanian) is considered a source of good fortune. The medical and the supposed magical properties of the plant are still used, especially in rural areas.
Mistletoe (Phoradendron flavescens) is the state floral emblem for the state of Oklahoma. The state did not have an official flower, leaving mistletoe as the assumed state flower until the Oklahoma Rose was designated as such in 2004.
As for all the kissing, that began as something else (courtesy of Ancient Origins: Yule)…
It was also the plant of peace in Scandinavian antiquity. If enemies met by chance beneath it in a forest, they laid down their arms and maintained a truce until the next day.
Mistletoe was used by the Druid priesthood in a very special ceremony held around this time…five days after the New Moon following winter solstice, to be precise. The Druid priests would cut mistletoe from a holy oak tree with a golden sickle. The branches had to be caught before they touched the ground.
Celts believed this parasitic plant held the soul of the host tree.
The priest then 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, and the magical powers of this plant, blossomed over the centuries A sprig placed in a baby’s cradle would protect the child from faeries. Giving a sprig to the first cow calving after New Year would protect the entire herd. And so forth.
I hope you enjoyed your trip down Lore & Legend Lane. Remember…
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