The times., 1899-12-24
TALES OF TEE MISTLBTOB
Some Legends and Fables That
Cluster Around 1t.
Regarded With Vcnerntion for Ages.
Held Sacred by the DrUids-A
Tragic TeutOnic Myth Concerning
the Plaintiffs History Reaches
Back To the Obscurity OF the Past.


BacI, to the Obscurity OF the Past.
On the mistletoe bough! How many
are the legends and fables that cluster
round it. How often have We heard of
the Druids and their ancient eeremo-
nies, and how little do we remember of
the details!
Some parts Of the ceremonies are
perhaps best left undescribed, but the
following account. as given by Pliny. is
sufficiently minute and not uninterestng:
The Druids held nothing more sacred
than the mistletoe and the tree that bears
it, supposing always that tree to be the
robur, according to him. The mistletoe.
however, is but rarely found upon the r0-
bur- and when found is gathered with rites
repiete with religious awe. Hav-
ing made all due preparation for the sac
rifce and a banquet beneath the trees, they
bring hither two white bulls, the horns of
which are bound then for the first time
Clad in a white robe the mistletoe with a
gorden sickle. which is received by others
in a white cloak They then immediate the
victims, offering up their prayers that God
will render this gift of his propitious to
those to whom He has so granted tt
1t was also supposed to be the embOdi-
ment of lightning, probably because the
branches are forked, and was frequently in
times far later than those of the Druids
planted near homesteads TO protect them
from fire. So precious, indeed sacred, We're
the oak and the mistletoe considered to be,
that direful calamities are described by
several writer's as oyertaking those VINO
rechessly destroyed them
In that quaint old book Evelyn's 'Syl-
va (dated 1879, there is a charming tale
which deserves to be quoted at full length.
He writes that Il am told of the disasters
which happend to the two Men who mot
long since) field a goodly Oak near CrOy
don, upon which branch of Misselto
grew, which they sold: The one losing
soon after his Eye the other breaking his
Leg as if the Hamadryads had reyeng' d
the indignity."
Again the two sexes are usually found
on separate trees; the plant bearing male
flowers on one, that with female blEoms
on another. An exception has been found
10 this rule also, and flowers OF both sexes
have been discovered on the same bush.
There is a tragic legend about our plant
TeutOnic myth which tells how "Balder
a demigod was almost perfect, in learn
ing and all virtues, being indeed so pure
that no unclean thing was allowed 10 come
into his presence. His mother, Freya,
hearing that it was pTophesied that he
should die, made all things on earth such
as fire, water beasts, metals, trees. and
sickness, vow that they would not injure
her son. Becoming thus apparently invul-
nerable he was the object OF envy with all
his contemporaries, one of whom the wick
ed Lote, gTudging him his exemption as
certained by subtlety that no VOW had been
taken from the mistletoe, since that plant
grew on other trees and not upon the
earth, and was, moreover too slender and
young TO take an oath. Therefore the wick
ed LOte aimed at Balder a dart made of
mistletOe wood and slew him, TO the great
grief of Freya, who in her despair request
ed his delivery from Hades Her petition
was granted on condition that everything
on earth would assent to it. Everything on
earth did assent, with the exception Of one
old woman, who was supposed TO have
been Lote in Disguise"
From BaIder TO Pliuy seems a startling
transition. but the latter author has
something TO tell us about our plant so de-
cidedly tinged with fable that this seems
the proper place TO recount it. This writer
has been discoursing about the box tree,
and declares that ION the north side it
produces misletoei on the south, hy-
pheaT." Hyphear, be it understood, is to be
considered as a somewhat similar para
site.
As regards the mistletoe. Pliny has some
yet more astonishing statements to make.
In the course of his observations upon it he
remarks that that which grows upon trees
which lose their leaves loses its leaves as
well; while on the other hand. that which
grows upon evergreens always retains its
leaves. In whatever way the seed may
have been sOwn, it Will never come to any
thing unless it has been first swallowed
by birds, the wood pigeon more particu-
larIy, and the thrush; such being the ma
ture of the plant that it viii not come to
anything unless the seed is first ripened in
the crop of the bird
The latter notion that birds are often
the means of dispensing and propagating
the seed is no doubt correct enough, but,
of course, their intervention is by no
means absolutely Indispensable, as any one
whose garden contains an apple tree can
prove for himself.
1t seems rather hard on these "smale
fowles" to read the next instant that these
same berries on which they feed are a
most fit matter to make lime of 10 entrap
and catch birds withall"
PIiny believed in the medicinal virtues
of the fruits which he said, were an anti
dote against all poison; while Gerarde,
though mentioning the glutinous character
Of the preparation, adds that 1T hath been
most credible reported unto me, that a
.fewe of the berries of misseltoe bruised and
strained into ollie and drunken hath pres
/ entity and Forthwith rid a grieyous and
sore stitch.
/ Famous in fable, projected by Hama
! dryads, esteemed by chirurgeous, used as
( a 6ecoration-the mstletoe bough is not sc
unimportant as it might seem at haey
! glance It's history stretches far, far back
/ and is lost in obscurity. 1t is a strange
/ quaint plant and as we handle it today
| hanging it up perchance in similar man
ner but with far other significance to that
/ with which our remote ancestors handled
it, we do not wonder that curious legends
/ .L...LA La.n aa-h.raa .rnmmd iL-snu-h "a