Mistletoe`s Mystical Roots Being An Accomplice For Stolen Kisses At Christmastime Is Only One Of The Roles Mistletoe Has Played Throughout History.

December 20, 1985|By Elsa Hertel, Special to the Sun-Sentinel

Long ago in England, Edwin Lees wrote:

When Tom at eve comes home from plough

And brings the mistletoe`s green bough,

With milk-white berries spotted o`er,

And shakes it the sly maids before,

Then hand the trophy up on high --

Be sure that Christmastide is nigh.

We still do hang the mistletoe ``up on high`` among our other Christmas decorations. But what a surprise it is to learn that this plant is much more than mere decoration; that it has an intriguing past full of contrasts and that it is one of the most magical plants of European folklore.

It was worshiped as sacred, yet hated as a destructive parasite. Its pretty, little white berries contain a deadly poison, yet for centuries the leaves and twigs were a cure-all in medicine. It has served as a murder weapon, but has become a symbol of love and good will.

Remember the legendary Golden Bough that, when held in the hand or concealed in clothing, saved the life of many a famous folk hero when he recklessly sought danger? That Golden Bough is mistletoe. Yet mistletoe is an unspectacular plant without fragrance, and its pale green leaves look like gold only when sunshine`s glow is upon them. Its branches join each other at awkward angles and produce tiny, pale flowers that turn into small, waxy, sticky, milky-white berries.

Mistletoe grows in England, on the Continent, and in the southern half of the United States from Florida to New Mexico. It actually is a parasite, living only by the grace of trees such as nut, fruit, spruce, pine and oak, and partaking of their lives. It does produce its own carbohydrates, but sucks water and nutrients from the tree branches to which it is attached. Often an unfortunate tree harbors so many clumps of mistletoe that it becomes a grotesque silhouette in the landscape and slowly dies. Some trees don`t mind the presence of the freeloader; but others, especially fruit trees, suffer.

It is the pretty but poisonous little off-white berries that cause mistletoe to spread, for in them, surrounded by a very sticky goo, are the seeds. Birds, especially blackbirds and thrushes, leave the gluey seeds sticking to tree bark where they sprout.

One wonders why such a plant has for so long been part of Christmas -- until its surprising story is told.

One ancient myth describes its use as a sharp weapon causing the death of Baldur, the beloved Norse god of the sun. When Loki -- god of evil and jealous of Baldur`s popularity -- planned to get rid of him, he pulled down a twig from a clump of mistletoe growing in an oak tree and whittled it to a sharp point. This he fitted into an arrow, and taking his bow went to his blind friend Holder (god of winter) and said, ``Come on, Holder, I`ll take you for a little walk in the sacred oak grove.`` When they got there, Loki saw Baldur walking in the distance. He pressed his bow into blind Holder`s hands, fixed the arrow so that it pointed at Baldur, and said, ``Pull the string, Holder, just to see what you might hit.`` Holder pulled the string. Loki had sighted the arrow well and Baldur fell dead.

For three days the world was without sunlight while the other gods tried to revive Baldur. It was Freya, his mother and the goddess of love, who finally succeeded. In her joy, she kissed everyone who came up to her while she was standing under a clump of mistletoe growing on an oak tree branch. Thus originated the custom of kissing under the mistletoe.

It was also Freya who proclaimed that thereafter, the little mistletoe plant would never again be used for a weapon. Instead, it would become a symbol of life and a power for good. And, it actually turned out that way. In fact, in many countries in ancient times, mistletoe was worshiped as part of heaven because it grew up so high and never touched the ground.

The Druids, the elite of the Celtic tribes in England and on the Continent, worshiped both the oak tree and the mistletoe. When they found mistletoe growing in an oak tree they considered themselves doubly blessed. They would harvest it with much ceremony at midsummer, or on the sixth day of a new moon, or at the winter solstice since the mistletoe leaves stay green all year. Perpetual ritual fires would be blazing and everyone would gather around an oak tree and look up with devotion at the clump of mistletoe glittering like gold as the late afternoon sun caught the yellow-green leaves.

People all over the world not only ignored mistletoe`s faults, but also often considered its faults a sign of magic and holiness. The Druids imagined that the mistletoe was deposited upon the tree by lightning as a gift from heaven; if a piece of it accidentally fell to the ground, it lost its magic property.

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