The Legend of Mistletoe

The legend of Mistletoe

Did you know there was a legend about mistletoe? We know mistletoe to be a form of tradition where if two people stand under it they would kiss. But how did mistletoes come to be though?

The mistletoe tradition that we know of today originated in Norse mythology. Like many legends this one is to involve the gods, not Greek gods but Norse gods. His name was Baldr and how all this got started was because he had a premonition of his death. His mothers name was Frigg and she was one of the first to know about this. Like any mother she was worried about her son and this vision of his so she asked everything that’s living to not harm her son in any way, shape, or form. Though she asked them all she forgot to ask the mistletoe. Loki the god of mischief or in this legend the god of evil had actually used this to his advantage. Every god was at Valhalla shooting arrows at Baldr and was amazed that none of them could harm him. Now Loki comes in with an arrow made of mistletoe and that arrow was the one to kill Baldr. It took three days for the god to be revived by his mother and the mistletoe that killed him. The white berries on the mistletoe are Frigg’s tears. After Baldr was revived Frigg said that whoever stood under the mistletoe would therefore have to kiss or be entitled to one.

This is actually one of the legends about mistletoe but there is some history behind it too. The mistletoe tradition appeared in Greece, Scandinavia, France, and England. There are many different beliefs about it. Mistletoe became one of the symbols of love (live a dove) and continues to reign throughout the world.

http://www.indobase.com/holidays/christmas/legends/legend-of-mistletoe.html