Catoctin clarion., 1901-01-17
LEGENDS OF THE
MISTLBTO

LII CnRlaHu anu FRANCE, Cue CuTlbt-
mas festivities are made beautiful by
the lavish decorations OF various ever
greens.
Desolate must be the hearthstone
that has not It's branch Of much loved,
time honored mistletoe with clusters of
pearls set in dark, thick clustered
leaves, or of holly hung with berries Of
vivid scarlet mid it polished leaves.
Like the splendor of heavens sun
light, these leaves, storied with romance
and history, are heirooms alike to the
hearts of prince and peasant, making
bright and beautiful the humble roof
tree and cleaning amid the banners,
shields and trophies of long ago, in the
great baronial halls that centuries have
aged, In our own continent, Ame. tea,
the favored, If wayward child Of old
England, at this holy festival binds her
brow with her own beautiful green's
twined with those worn by her honored
mother.
Apart from it's waxen beauty, the
mistletoe IS dear to cur hearts from
childhood's associations that h an g
around the lengendary ballad, The
Mistletoe Boueh,' sung on Christmas
Ewes of Lang Syne.
Many legends, poetic and mythical,
have made classic this beautiful para
site. 1t was regarded as sacred by the
Druids, who, On one of their festivals of
the full-moon, sought for a growth of
it on an oak tree, a tree also held sac
red by this ancient order. 1t was then
as now, rarely found growing upon an
oak, but when its beautiful berries
glistened upon this tree, was esteemed
possessed of mysterious virtues. and its
discovery celebrated with festivities and
| Solemn religious CeleuOuleS'
The turf beneath the sacred, wide
spreading branches became at once the
site of sacrifcial rites and feasting. A
large space was encircled by stones of
enormous size. The cromlech, Or altar
formed of one immense stone raised up
on other stones on end, occupied the
center of the space. Two young milk
white bulls, tethered for the first time,
were bound by the horns to the sacred
oak. The arch, Druid. in priestly vest.
ments, assembled the tree, and with a
golden sickle seyeled the mystic mlstle.
toe. which was caught in the snowy
robes of his acolytes. The victims " ere
slain amid rejoicings and prayers to
their deity that the gift might be pro-
pitious to those upon whom he had be-
slowed it.
An infnsion of the precious leaves in
water was regarded by them as an an
tidote to all poisons and cure for all
diseases. The plant, according tc
Pliny, was called by them name which
in their language, signifed >heal-all.
Its wonderful twigs suspended in from
of their huts exempted the fortunate
owner from the frowns Of the sylvan
deitles and from the wrath Of the ele-
ments.
"A charm against all bad and evil,
A spell to keep away the devil"
The Scandinavian legends warn us tha
the mistetc has fatal properties to al
who touch the sap in plucking it!
punches. Far away in the North upon
a lonely mountain top, there dwelt 1
fe peasant families. An inmate of ont
of the lonely dwellings was youns
girl, lovely, loving, beloved by and be-
trothed to her next neighbor, sturdy
peasant lad. The young girl fell sick
To restore her to health her lover sought
near and far for the precious mistlett
growing upon an oak. At length hi
search was rewarded. Upon snow
clad oak the coveted punches hung in
generous profusion. With eager, reck-
less haste, forgetful of his own danger
he climbed the oak, seized the life. CIV
ing or death dealing plant as handled
and fell lifeless to the ground.
The mythology of the North nfolds
to us the fatal power Of the m,stletoe ir
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