The Green

It is the season when all the boys and girls are conspiring to catch one another underneath the mistletoe [www.sundancechannel.com]. Strangely enough, it might surprise you to know that such a cupid blessed icon is in fact a parasitic plant with poisonous flowers. In honor of the holiday season, we thought it would be fun to explore some of the history behind Mistletoe.

Mistletoe was once called the golden bough. It was especially sacred to Celtic Druids who used it in various rituals.

Once known as a medicinal ingredient called Allheal, folk medicine employed this plant to cure many ills. North American Indians used it for toothache, measles and dog bites. In historic Scandinavia, enemies who met beneath underneath mistletoe laid down their arms for one day.

Druids believed the Mistletoe contained the soul of the tree that it was parasitically attached to. It was believed that when the Druid cut down the vine-like plant with a golden sickle, the plant was blessed with spiritual powers of protection against the dangers of nature. Placing a sprig of it on your home's doorway was supposed to protect from thunder, lightning, fire, landslides and other evils.

The myth about kissing under the mistletoe comes from the English custom. A deeper, historical tale of the mistletoe comes from Norse mythology.

The Norse god Balder was the most handsome and beloved of the gods. His mother was Frigga, goddess of love and beauty. She endeavored to protect him from harm by making all the plants, elements and animals of the world promise to never hurt him.

Loki, the god of mischief, was naturally intensely jealous of Balder, and he managed to make an evil deal with the mistletoe plant, which, being a parasitic vine, was overlooked by Frigga. Loki made a special mistletoe arrow and tricked Balder's blind brother into stabbing Balder in the heart with it.

Frigga's tears resurrected Balder and symbolically, the white flowers of the mistletoe represent these tears, as well as containing the medicinal properties of the plant. Frigga is so happy to have her son alive that she reverses the nature of the mistletoe--making it a symbol of love that requires all who walk under it to give a kiss.