Everyone is familiar with mistletoe. It is that pretty little bundle of leaves and berries that we hang in our doorway during Yule. We then maneuver the object of our affections beneath it in order to steal a kiss. Known far and wide as the Yule kissing plant, mistletoe happens to have an extremely interesting history that has nothing to do with kissing.

Around 50 AD, the ancient Greek physician, Dioscorides, was the guy to go to for whatever might ail you. As one of the most influential herbalists in history, Dioscorides discovered that external tumors could be cured with the use of mistletoe. In his five-volume Materia Medica, he wrote that mistletoe "has the power to disperse, soften, drawing and assisting tumors of the parotid gland and other lesions..." A few decades later, Pliny the Elder wrote his Natural History, and expounded on the use of mistletoe in the treatment of both "scrofulous sores" and epilepsy.

Pliny also described mistletoe as not only a medicinal herb, but also a plant that could be used in ritual and magic. When the Romans moved into Britannica, the local Druids became a focus of interest. Pliny recorded that the oak tree was sacred to the Druids, and the leafy green parasitic plant that grew upon it was considered a gift from the gods. Mistletoe bears fruit at the time of the Winter Solstice, which the Druids considered the birth of the new year. According to Pliny, Druid elders performed a ritual in which mistletoe was harvested from the oak using golden sickles. The boughs were caught in a white cloth in order to keep them from touching the ground. The ritual to gather mistletoe was performed during the waxing Moon phase. It was then fed to animals to ensure fertility in the coming season. Two white bulls were sacrificed as part of the rite, and prayers were sent up to the gods to bestow prosperity upon the villages.

From Pliny, Book XVI:

"The Druids hold nothing more sacred than mistletoe and a tree on which it is growing ... when it [mistletoe] is discovered it is gathered with great ceremony Hailing the moon in a native word that means 'healing all things,' they prepare a ritual sacrifice and banquet beneath a tree and bring up two white bulls, whose horns are bound for the first time on this occasion. A priest arrayed in white vestments climbs the tree and with a golden sickle cuts down the mistletoe, which is caught in a white cloak. Then finally they kill the victims, praying to god to render his gift propitious to those whom he has bestowed it. They believe that mistletoe given in drink will impart fertility to any animal that is barren, and that it is an antidote for all poisons."

Pliny's passage has been corroborated by known elements of Celtic culture. In "The World of Druids," Miranda Green acknowledges mistletoe, feasting, the moon, and bull sacrifice as familiar components of Celtic religion. The mistletoe appears as a motif in early Celtic art; human heads bear leaf-shaped crowns on jewelry and stone monuments. Evidence of ritual banquet has been found in Celtic tombs and shrines. The moon is associated with healing Celtic goddesses depicted wearing lunar amulets. Cattle were commonly used by the Celts as sacrificial animals, evidenced by engravings and sacrificial shrines.

Additionally, in 1984 a body found in England dating back to the Celtic Iron Age suggests ritualistic use of mistletoe in Druidic sacrifices. The man was found to have mistletoe pollen in his stomach. His cause of death was determined to be a slit throat. The carbon dating, evidence of ritual, and finding of ingested mistletoe certainly adds validity to the role of mistletoe in Druidic practices. Pliny's passage, given the support of archaeological findings, strengthens the common theme associated with mistletoe's history of life-giving nature intertwined with the supernatural and death.

Growing high off the ground without roots and sometimes gold in color, mistletoe was associated with the sun. Most specifically, it was considered to be the sperm of the ancient Celtic deity, Taranis. A tree that hosted the golden mistletoe was a tree marked sacred by the gods and the most powerful mistletoe, of course, grew on the sacred oak. To honor Taranis, a ritual mistletoe harvest on the waxing of the Moon closest to Samhain would be done. The boughs were kept in a place of honor, as well as in the eves of the roof, to protect those inside from lightning.

The Druids weren't the only ones celebrating with mistletoe. The Roman festival of Saturnalia is one of the most ancient documented traditions of the Winter Solstice. During this seven-day celebration, gifts were exchanged, much wine and food was consumed, and there was dancing and music. Work was suspended during Saturnalia, courts were closed, and general merrymaking and debauchery took place. Saturn was an agricultural god, and so to keep him happy, fertility rituals took place under the mistletoe during the festivities.

In the Aeneid (Book VI), Virgil wrote of mistletoe in comparison to the central metaphorical image of the Golden Bough, embodying supernatural, vitally empowering and death-related elements.

"Like mistletoe that in the woods in winter
Thrives with yellowish berries and new leaves
A parasite on the trunk it twines around
So bright amid the dark green ilex shone
The golden leafage, rustling in light wind.
Aeneas at once briskly took hold of it
And, though it clung, greedily broke it off,
Then carried it to Sibyl's cave."

Awareness of mistletoe's parasitic nature is explicitly evident, intertwined with allusions to death, the supernatural, and more subtly, to giving of life. Sibyl's cave is the entrance to the underworld and entry was limited to those who plucked the golden bough. The golden bough gives Aeneas the ability to further his journey while simultaneously stimulating his consciousness of death. It is ambiguous whether Virgil intended the Golden Bough to be a direct representation of mistletoe, such that he differentiates them in simile for the sake of poetry. Earlier in Book VI the supernatural and empowering parts of the Golden Bough are elaborated, again in dichotomy with death:

"A tree's deep shade conceals a bough whose leaves And pliant twigs are all of gold, a thing Sacred to Juno of the lower world. The whole grove shelters it, and thickest shade In dusky valleys shuts it in. And yet No one may enter hidden depths Below the earth unless he picks this bough, The tree's fruit, with its foliage of gold."

The bough bears golden foliage described as the "tree's fruit" in contrast to the later passage above in which the parasitic nature of the bough becomes the focus. Gold suggests the implication of high value and the mistletoe as fruit could allude to nutritive or life-giving value. Simultaneously, the plucker of the golden bough is empowered with the ability to gain entrance into the underworld, again linking the golden bough and mistletoe less directly with death and the supernatural.

In Scandinavian countries, warring clans could negotiate a truce under the mistletoe, which was considered a plant of peace. In the Norse Eddas, if a pair of enemies accidentally ran into each other under a growth of mistletoe in the forest, they had to lay down their arms and cease fighting until the next day. The plant was so well known amongst the Scandinavians that it even figured into their folklore and legends.

According to Norse mythology, Balder, the son of Odin and Frigga had a dream foretelling his death by his brother's hand. Frigga in an attempt to safe keep Balder asked all of nature — plants and animals, iron and stone, wood and water — to promise not to harm him. Unfortunately, Frigga overlooked the mistletoe plant. Loki, the resident trickster, took advantage of the opportunity and fooled Baldur's blind twin, Hod, into killing him with a spear made of mistletoe.

"I behold Fate looming for Balder, Woden's son, the bloody victim. There stands the Mistletoe slender and delicate, blooming high above the ground. Out of this shoot, so slender to look on, there shall grow a harmful fateful shaft"

"Loki, who knew the secret of the mistletoe, inveigled blind Hod into casting a dart with a mistletoe warhead at Balder, and the latter fell immediately."

Baldur, a gentle and beautiful god, was greatly mourned by Odin and the other gods and later restored him to life. As thanks, Frigga declared that mistletoe must be regarded as a plant of love, rather than death, and so kissing beneath its leaves celebrated Baldur's resurrection.

In a tale similar to that of Frigga and her son, as punishment for its participation in the act, the plant was forbidden to grow in the earth, and was thereafter relegated to a survival off more virtuous trees, such as the oak or ash. With the spread of Christianity, a legend popped up in France that the cross upon which Jesus was crucified was made from the mistletoe tree. After the Crucifixion, the plant shriveled and became dwarfed to a parasitic vine, thus earning the name herbe de la croix.

From medieval times onward, the use of mistletoe has been recorded in many folk remedies and superstitions, particularly in more rural areas. Sprigs could be cut and harvested, tied in bundles, and placed over a doorway to ward off demons. In some countries, mistletoe was placed in the stable to keep cows and livestock safe from any mischievous witchcraft. In both Italy and Sweden it was believed to be a fire repellent. To country folk, the plant was known as the best remedy for a barren woman — mistletoe was the cure-all for problems with conception most likely borne from the mystery of its propagation to early cultures. In an interesting diametric, some Native American tribes, such as the Cherokee, used certain species of mistletoe as a birth control method.

In the late 1800s, the uniquely English tradition of mistletoe as some sort of love charm took hold. This involved hanging clumps of the plant in halls and doorways serving as an ice breaker between interested couples to partake in a chaste kiss. Such a kiss could mean deep romance or lasting friendship and goodwill. But if the girl was not kissed, she could not expect to marry during the following year. Hence, a strong incentive for the romantically inclined to be sure to find themselves underneath a sprig at a convenient moment. According to this same tradition, the plant was burned at the end of the season to prevent the charm from backfiring and creating enemies rather than friends. As late as the early twentieth century, a sprig of mistletoe was believed to bring dreams of a future husband when placed under the pillow of a hopeful young woman.

During the height of the Victorian era, kissing under the mistletoe was never to get out of hand. Oh no, and to prevent abuses, the custom was strictly defined: A man might steal a kiss under the hanging branch, but when he did, one berry was to be plucked from the plant and discarded. When all the berries were gone, the magic of the mistletoe was spent and the indiscriminate kissing ceased, at least until next year.

"The Yule-log and Christmas candle were regularly burnt, and the mistletoe with its white berries hung up, to the imminent peril of all the pretty housemaids." Washington Irving

We now know that the familiar white or red-berried Christmas mistletoe is just one of many hundreds of mistletoe species worldwide. Viscum album is used in Europe whereas Phoradendron serotinum is used in North America. All mistletoe plants are parasites and grow on the branches of trees and shrubs. Most grow in the tropics and subtropics, with only a few species in northern temperate zones. They rely on their hosts for water and mineral nutrient supply. Technically speaking they are only hemi-parasites as most have green leaves and can photosynthesize, but many use some metabolites from the host.

Some species, such as the Dwarf Mistletoes of North America, can be serious forestry pests with infestations causing significant damage to timber crops. Other species are more benign often occurring in small numbers on isolated trees. Some, particularly those in the Loranthaceae family, can be quite attractive with colorful flowers.

One of the amazing things about the mistletoe berry is that while it can be deadly when ingested by humans, birds seem immune to its poisons. Good thing, because the propagation of the mistletoe plant is dependent on the birds that consume the berries but do not digest the seeds. When ingested in small amounts, as in teas or extracts, there are rarely side effects from mistletoe. However, consuming large quantities of mistletoe leaves or berries has the potential to be fatal, particularly in children, who have been known to nibble the pretty berries during the holiday season.

However, modern research has proven what the Druids knew so long ago — that mistletoe has healing properties. Using mistletoe against cancer was mentioned as early as the 1920s. Recently scientists have found that in the laboratory mistletoe does kill cancer cells. It also stimulates the immune system, which in turn fights off disease.

For thousands of years, mistletoe has found its way into our homes and our hearts. Along with other light-hearted seasonal traditions such as gift-giving, singing about lords a-leaping and ladies dancing, the custom of kissing under the mistletoe adds a truly romantic element to the Yuletide season. As was sanctioned by priests and prudes alike, come and give us a kiss under the mistletoe!

Sources:
Alternative Religions
Mistletoe History
Mistletoe at Wikipedia
Llewellyn’s 2008 Herbal Almanac, Mistletoe Mysteries by Patti Wigington
Virgil's Aeneid; translated by Robert Fitzgerald; Vintage Books, 1984
Pliny the elder: Natural History; Book XVI
Miranda J. Green: "The World of the Druids" Thames and Hudson, London (1997).

Article part of XoXo Mistletoe Madness, Saturnalia 2007.