Norse Myths and the History of Mistletoe
Kissing Under the Mistletoe Derives From Norse Myths
Tracing the history of mistletoe-induced kissing means going back to
ancient Scandinavia -- to custom and the Norse myths: "It was also the
plant of peace in Scandinavian antiquity. If enemies met by chance beneath it
in a forest, they laid down their arms and maintained a truce until the next
day." This ancient Scandinavian custom led to the tradition of kissing
under the mistletoe. But this tradition went hand-in-hand with one of the Norse
myths, namely, the myth of Baldur. Baldur's death and resurrection is one of
the most fascinating Norse myths and stands at the beginning of the history of
mistletoe as a "kissing" plant.
Baldur's mother was the Norse goddess, Frigga. When Baldur was born, Frigga
made each and every plant, animal and inanimate object promise not to harm
Baldur. But Frigga overlooked the mistletoe plant -- and the mischievous god of
the Norse myths, Loki, took advantage of this oversight. Ever the prankster,
Loki tricked one of the other gods into killing Baldur with a spear fashioned from
mistletoe. The demise of Baldur, a vegetation deity in the Norse myths, brought
winter into the world, although the gods did eventually restore Baldur to life.
After which Frigga pronounced the mistletoe sacred, ordering that from now on
it should bring love rather than death into the world. Happily complying with
Frigga's wishes, any two people passing under the plant from now on would
celebrate Baldur's resurrection by kissing under the mistletoe.
It goes without saying that, if we were to peel off the layers of custom
and myth surrounding "kissing under the mistletoe," we would find
ourselves in the midst of ancient erotica. Mistletoe has long been regarded as
an aphrodisiac and fertility herb. It may also possess abortifacient qualities,
which would help explain its association with uninhibited sexuality.
The unusual botanical history of mistletoe goes a long way towards
explaining the awe in which it was held in the Norse myths. For in spite of not
being rooted in the soil, mistletoe remained green throughout the winter, while
the trees upon which it grew and upon which it fed did not (the European
mistletoe often grows on apple trees; more rarely on oaks). The fascination
this must have exerted over pre-scientific peoples is understandable.
Most types of mistletoe are classified as hemiparasitical (i.e., partial
parasites). They are not full parasites, since the plants are capable of
photosynthesis. But these mistletoe plants are parasitic in the sense that they
send a special kind of root system (called "haustoria") down into
their hosts, the trees upon which they grow, in order to extract nutrients from
the trees.
Various types of mistletoe grow all over world, so it is difficult to
generalize about the plant. Mistletoe is in the Loranthaceae family. The
flowers of tropical mistletoes can be much larger and more colorful than the
small yellow flowers (later yielding whitish yellow berries) that Westerners
associate with the plant. The mistletoe common in Europe is classified as
Viscum album, while its American counterpart is Phoradendron flavescens.
The U.S. is also home to a dwarf mistletoe, called Arceuthobium pusillum.
The latter is not something that you would want growing on your landscape,
since it does do harm to the trees that it uses as hosts. Even the
hemiparasitical mistletoes are far from beneficial to their hosts. But
Arceuthobium pusillum is fully parasitical, having no leaves of its own. And
since there are no leaves to harvest from this plant, dwarf mistletoe is even
useless as a Christmas decoration for "kissing under the mistletoe"!
Those trying to ascertain how to get rid of mistletoe can find information
online in the Clemson Extension paper, "Getting Rid of Mistletoe."
While partyers focus on kissing under the mistletoe, and while botanists
and landscapers concentrate on distinguishing hemiparasitical mistletoes from
the fully parasitical, the medical profession has begun to investigate the
alleged benefits of mistletoe to human health. Actress Suzanne Somers increased
public awareness of the research taking place on mistletoe as a possible cure
for breast cancer and gave mistletoe history a new twist. Somers opted to treat
her breast cancer with Iscador, a drug made from a mistletoe extract. CNN
followed up this report with another, however which was highly skeptical of the
efficacy of mistletoe as a cancer cure for humans.
|