Sioux City register. [volume] (Sioux City, Iowa) 1858-1871, 1866-05-26
THE MISTLEToE-ITS HfSTDRT
AND MYSTERY.

! Inc mlatotOe, an emblem OF friends sh lp
and social happiness, is employed at
Christmas time to announce to all whom
il may concern that animosities are at an
end, and that peace and good will with all
the world are to usher in the new year
The custom Of 'kissing under the mistle-
toe is very ancient, and is founded on
the legend Of Baldor, the phnbus Apollo
Of Scandinavian mythology.
The tale says that Balder once ireanpt
a dream, dreadful dream. He dreampt
that he WAS going to die, and was 50
frightened that he started from his bed,
mounted the swiftest cloud .steed, and
rode full gallop to his mother. His mo-
ther's name was Friga, the Venus of VAL
halia, very beautiful, and brimfu of the
milk Of love
When Friga heard the dream, she was
! no less alarmed than her son, and i'll
stantly told her husband, the great god
| Odin, the Jove of Northern deities What
was to be donef Oln evidently thought
| tba,-the dreams Of gods did rot arise
from Indigestion, but were sent by tie
Fates, as hints and warnings Of what they
were going to weave in the web Of dcsti-
ny. So Olin issued his royal ukase or
proclamation, commanding Everything
that springs from fire, air or earth, and
water" to appear without delay before his
Serene Majesty of Vaiha!la.
Every tree and river, every stone and
star, every beast and bird, the air that
s,irs up the gales, the clouds that launch
forth lightning, the fire that burns, the
sea that wrecks, and all The host of hca-
ven, obeyed the summons. The mighty
Odin sat on his cloud hrone, under the
shade Of the mighty ash, the branches Of
which, as every one knows, cover the
whole univere. The River Of Wisdom
and the River of Forek nowledge flowed
at his feet. and on his sh culders sat the
raven the dove to hispcr in bis ear, when-
ever his godship halted in knowledge. 1t
was an awful IL ozeut, and no doubt, ev-
cry thing trembed as the king Of gods
commanded the assembly, on pain Of i'm
mortal vengeance, 10 do no harm to a sin
gle hair of his beloved son Ba!der Loke
was there, the Spiri. Of v ckedness,
whose was tho empire Of the earth, and
old Blind Holder, the cd OF Death and
Darkness. They heard the Injunction,
if i. could possibly he done.
II seems that cart and horses can be
driven through divine Act Of pAriia-
ment as we'll as through human one,
soon found flaw in O4in's prohibition.
The mistletoe springs not "from fire, nor
yet from air, nor Jet from earth, nor yet
from water" i. is a parasite and grows
on the oak or apple-tree, but ts roots
never touch the earth. 50 the mistIctoe
was not called to the "storthing." and
knew nothing Of the injunction.
The envious Loke, having ripped from
an old oak a branch of the epiphyto, car
ried it to his cave and cut it into m ar
row. He dried it hard in the fire Of Hate,
aud tipped it with The poison of his own
spit,le; then going to tho blind god,
asked him to make trial Of his new
weapon.
Holder, al!-unsuspecting as be was, felt
the new "quarreI,' and Loke, placing him
80 as to face his enemy, told him to set
it to his bow. string. He drew the bow
as only gods can draw. and shot. Twang
went the string, aud whiz went the ar
row, swif.er than thought it struck the
Peace god, who instantly fell dean on the
pavement of Nalhala. The blackne.s Of
darkness now covered the whole world
Peace was killed by the god Of War and
Death. Peace was killed through the in
| stigaton Of Wickedness. Peace in hea-
| ven was no more. Peace would be seen
| On earth no more. Bader was dead, and
Loke had out~wittod OIin.
Frga was inconsolable, tho gods and
goddesses moved about Valhalla like Nj.
obe, all tears; the trees weps gall, the
stars in their courses wept; heaven and
earth would have been drowned in tears
if Balder could not have been restored to
life. But with the gods nothing is i'm.
possible, and tho spirit Of vitality was
brsathsd once more into his nostris. ~
The missletoe was now given in charge
TO Friga, and was never to pass from her
power "till it touched tho earth--the en-
piro Of Loke.' No wonder, then, the
Drnids ga.hared.it 50 carefully and you
will readily see Why II il suspended On
our ceilings to place it bepond the region
of Loke-the enemy OF love and good.
| will 3"
Odiu now made decree that bunch