Mistletoe & Holly Legends
Mistletoe and Holly at Christmas
When Balder, the son of the Norse goddess Frigga, was killed by an
arrow made of mistletoe by Loki, and evil spirit, she wept tears
of white berries which brought him back to life.
Overjoyed, Frigga blessed the plant and bestowed to kiss all who
passed beneath it.
As Christian numbers increased and their customs prevailed, holly
and mistletoe lost their pagan associations and became
symbols of Christmas.
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The folklore, over the centuries, believed that a sprig placed in a
baby's cradle would protect the child from goblins,
and ...
Giving a sprig to the first cow calving after New Year would protect
the entire herd.
The custom of hanging a ball of mistletoe from the ceiling and
exchanging kisses under it as a sign of friendship
and goodwill.
Mistletoe became the symbol for peace and joy.
In the 18th Century, the exchanging of kisses between a man
and a woman was adopted as a promise to marry.
At Christmas a young lady standing under a ball of mistletoe
cannot refuse to be kissed.
The kiss could mean deep romance, lasting friendship
and goodwill.
It was believed that if the girl remained un-kissed, she
cannot expect to marry the following year.
Holly
Holly was the sacred plant of Saturn and was used at the Saturnalia
festival to honour him.
To avoid persecution during the Roman pagan festival of Saturnalis,
the early Christians decked their homes with Saturnalia holly.
Romans gave one another holly wreaths and carried them about
decorating images of Saturn with it.
It was also used as folk medicine for toothache, measles and
dog bites.
As Christian numbers increased and their customs prevailed, holly
and mistletoe lost their pagan associations and became symbols
of Christmas.
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