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History of Mistletoe: Part Three

Monday, December 27th, 2010

Part one of our history of mistletoe detailed the basic facts of the plant and our last installment looked at the holiday flower as it transitioned from ancient cultures through to folkloric tradition.

Now we’ll see just how mistletoe came to be the Christmas symbol we know it as today.

Mistletoe in Pre-Christian Europe

Many cultures in Europe, before the spread of Christian influence, saw mistletoe as a potent symbol that represented a “divine male essence”. This made it, by association, a plant that had powers related to fertility, vitality and romance. The Celts of the ancient British Isles provide one example in their use of mistletoe as an antidote to poison and as a treatment for curing barrenness in animals.

Mistletoe, the Christmas Flower

It’s not surprising that mistletoe, being so important to so many ancient cultures, carried on through centuries of tradition to ultimately find itself attached to one of the Christianity’s most essential holidays, Christmas.

Beginning in the 18th century, descriptions of mistletoe being used as a Christmas decoration began to appear in art, literature and other contemporary historical accounts. Across Europe and into North America, mistletoe became more than just another holiday plant. Special meanings were attached to the plant in the English-speaking world, including one that saw a new custom come about wherein, after being cut, mistletoe was not to touch the ground before being removed last amoung the Christmas greens used during Candlemas. Superstition made this practice important: it was said that if the mistletoe touched the ground during this period of time, lightning or fire could hit the home. This lead to mistletoe often being hung throughout an entire year, only being removed when it was replaced at the next Christmas Eve.

The most famous tradition related to mistletoe — two people meeting underneath it being made to kiss — started appearing around this time as well (and may have roots in Scandinavian customs). Each time someone kissed underneath the mistltoe, one of its berries was plucked. When the berries were all removed, kissing underneath it was no longer required.

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History of Mistletoe: Part Two

Monday, December 20th, 2010

Previously we looked at the nature of mistletoe by describing its appearance, species varieties and role in its native ecosystems. Now we’ll move on to see the further history of the traditional holiday flower and how it came to assume its current role as a mainstay of Christmas celebrations.

Mistletoe in Ancient Cultures

Mistletoe has always been an important part of several ancient cultures with European mistletoe making an appearance in Greek and Norse mythology (amoung others). Some cultures believed that the plant carried medicinal properties and this is echoed in the modern world with many holistic health traditions using mistletoe as a remedy for respiratory and circulatory ailments. Herbalists across the world continue to use the plant’s twigs and leaves for various treatments and some German naturopaths prescribe mistletoe extract as an anti-cancer agent.

Mistletoe in Folklore

The prevalence of mistletoe in ancient cultures naturally lead to its appearance in many folktales and religious traditions. As mentioned above, the ancient Norse ascribed mistletoe a prominent spot in their culture and the ancient Greeks believed that it was the real-world inspiration for the Golden Bough of Aeneas.

The famous Nordic work, Prose Edda (c. 13th century), describes Loki tricking the blind god Höðr into killing his brother Baldr with a mistletoe “projectile”. Baldr had previously attempted to avert his fate by making all living things swear an oath not to harm him but mistletoe was excepted because it “seemed too young.” Other versions of the myth see Baldr being killed by a sword called Mistilteinn (which is Old Norse for “mistletoe”). Swords similar to Mistilteinn also appear in other contemporary Norse myths.

Mistletoe wasn’t isolated in its importance to Greeks and Nordic cultures either. In our final edition of the history of mistletoe we’ll see how the holiday plant spread from folkloric object to one of the primary symbols of Christmas by tracing its presence in pre-Christian tradition and seeing how this combined with Norse and Greek mythology to make the plant into the holiday symbol that it is today.

Tags: History of Mistletoe, History of Mistletoe Part Two, Mistletoe
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History of Mistletoe: Part One

Friday, December 17th, 2010

Mistletoe, while not technically a flower, is often used as a decorative plant — especially around the winter holidays. It enjoys a long tradition in international culture and traditions and enjoys a deserved place alongside other seasonal favourites like poinsettia or holly (to name just a few).

In part one of our look at the history of mistletoe, we’ll describe the basic facts of this “holiday flower” before moving on to see how it came to symbolize the many meanings it holds today.

What is Mistletoe?

Mistletoe is a fairly common plant that grows on the branches of trees and shrubs. European and North American mistletoe (the kind that most of us commonly associate with Christmas celebrations and decorations) is characterized by its oval-shaped, smooth evergreen leaves and clusters of berries.

There are several different varieties of mistletoe but the species we think of when we think of the holidays is European Mistletoe (also called Viscum album or Santalaceae) or Eastern Mistletoe (Phoradendron serotinum).

Mistletoe in Nature

Mistletoe, despite its beautiful appearance, is actually a hemi-parasitic species of plant. It grows on many host trees, often reducing their growth but sometimes, if infestation is heavy, actually killing them outright. It’s a prevalent plant species because it can chose a host from over 200 species of tree and shrub. Mistletoe reproduces mainly through birds carrying its seeds and, although it has a nasty reputation as a harmful parasite, has actually been found to play a vital role in the ecosystems it’s native to as a keystone species. Many animals rely on mistletoe as a food source or as a nesting place. Some studies have also found that mistletoe, because it attracts berry-eating birds, can help to spread the growth of juniper (through eaten and excreted juniper seeds).

Next time we’ll begin to look into the roots of mistletoe’s cultural history, exploring just how a simple, fairly plain-looking plant came to exist in the company of other, popular holiday flowers (and, of course, where modern traditions involving kissing under the mistletoe stemmed from).

Tags: Christmas flowers, History of Mistletoe, History of Mistletoe Part One, Mistletoe
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