Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-12-17


Light from his forehead beimed,
Runes were upon his tongue
As on the warriors sword.
All things IN earth and air
Bound were by magic spell
Never to do him harm.
Even the planets ana stones
All save the Mistletoe,
The sacred MistotOo.'
HERE are some customs which
IT seem to survive almost indefn-
itely the lapse OF centuries. The
IzrS1ll mistletoe, which reappears every
- Christmas, was a sacred plant as
ill .acN as the days OF the Porsians, an
object Of worship in Persia and India. 1t
evokes memories of the ancient Gauls,
Of the sacred groves, and the Druids, whose
priests were said to have sprung from the
Magi and all that belongs to a vanished
religion. In the days Of the Druids, the
festival Of the cutting Of the mistletoe took
place in the month Of March, on the sixth
day Of the moon The tenth Of March at
that period was New Year day, and as the
! festival required the full light of the moon,
it was held as near New Years day as
the moon would allow. The Druds claimed
that the gods loved the oak above all other
! trees. 1t was the tree of Thor, the Thuu-
, derer In Scandinavian mythology, of JupI-
ter among the Greeks, of Perun, who Is
the Jove of the Slavonic nations. On the
day appointed for the festival Of cutting
the sacred plant, a procession was formed.
Two white bulls being led, were fastened
I by the horns to the oak. Is vuite-rObcd
/ Druid climbed tho leafloss branches of tho
tree, and with a golden sickle cut the
J sprayes of mistletoe. Beneath Tie stately
oak was a circle of Druid pricstesses in
white robes, the hair confined 10y golden
Ffe
spread to receive the sacred sprays As they
fell from the oak, for they were never
permitted to touch the ground. Religious
rites were then performed and the two
white bulls were sacrificed. The sprays Of
mistletoe were carefully preserved and
used in many ways. They were placed
over the doors to bring good fortune, to
keep off evil spirits. They were also used
in various decuctions to cure many mala-
dies for great healing power was ascribed
TO the plant.
Bacon says that mistletoe which grew
upon oaks was counted very medci-
nal, and the Druids considered it a remedy
against every kind of poison.
In some parts of Germany the children
still run about the streets at Christmas
tide. knocking at doors and windows with
hammers, and shouting Gut he'll Gut
heiv These words are plainly equivalent
TO the Drudical name of the mistletoe,
used by Pliny when he speaks of it as
"All Heal" It played an important part
I'm the life of the Gauls; a remnant of this
still seems to exist in France, for the
peasant boys still use the expression IAN
gui Fan neuf" as a New Years's greeting
The ceremony of decorating churches and
houses with evergreens is of great anti
guilty and was observed in many coun-
tries hundreds of years ago, just as We
still find similar custom in the east at
New Year. showing us that the origin OF
the observances is the same in each case
1t was esteemed a sacred plant among the
Normans and Celtic bards, the harpers OF
Scotland and Wales held it In great rever'
ence Perhaps the mstletoe was taken as
a symbol of the New Year on account OF
its clusters Of green leaves growing on bare
trees, and giving them the appearance
of having renewed their foliage. In Brit
tany IL Is called "Herbe de la CroiN," be-
cause 1t was believed that from the wood
the cross was made: though 1t was de-
graded from stately forest tree to a
parasite in consequence of this fact.
But before we hear of the mistletoe OF
the Druids. we meet with the plant in the
beautiful legend of the death of Balder
from the association wItn which 1t doubt
less derived its sanctity The Apollo, oil
Day god Of the Norsemen, bore the name
of Balder the Good He was beloved alike
of gods and men. In him the Norsemer
honored all that was beautiful, eloquent
wise and good. He was the spirit of activ
ity. Joy and light. Without the brightness
AZ his presence, Asgard the abode OF tn
gods, of Odin, of Thor. of Freyia, woul'
have been sad and gloomy; without hi
Joyous blessing earth would have been dull
and barren. Great trouble therefore fel
on the gods in Vahalla, when Bladder on
day Informed them that he had been vsite
by terrific dreams, threatening him wit
deadly peril. It seems that he did no
possess the Immortality which the Greek
attributed to their mythic dvinites, There
fore the gods of Vahalla determined (
use all their magic arts to- preserve I
themselves and to men their favorit
deity. The mythology of ancient Scandna
via included a principle or power OF ev
called Loki. whose chief aim was to d
mischief and mar the happiness of III
gods or all the deities, Loki hated mos
the God of Light. Balder's mother Freyj
resolved to extort an oath from all create
things that they would not hurt him. Tt
goddess mother met with a ready respons
from earth, air, fire, water, stones, di
eases, beasts birds. insects and poison
and from trees and flowers. One thin
alone escaped her spells. There grew c
the eastern side of the Nalhalla an anciel
oak, attached to which, rooted in /
gnarled branches, she perceived a tir
plant, a soft green, Insignificant thing wit
pearly white berries. 1t seemed so powe
less 10 do harm, that she passed It b
Alas! from all ages comes the warnin
that nothing is insignificant. After Il
spell had been laid on all creation, not
hurt Balder, the gods were wont to &c
his immunity from harm, by getting hi
10 stand on the plains of Asgard as
target at which they hurled darts al
stones, and some struck at him wi
swords and battle axes. The spell work
well; Balder was ever unhurt, and it can
10 be an honor paid him. when his invu
nerability was thus tested. One day Il
gods were assembled, when Loki hoveril
near unseen, gazed upon the sinsul
spectacle, He beheld the bright-hair
Bladder standing in a circle formed by Il
deities of Valhala. Odin stood gazing
the sport, while Thor threw his Nigh
hammer al Bladder which rebounded wit
out injury to the youthful god. In his tn
each god hurled missiles at Raider vi