Buzz
By Chris Gayomali
The story of mistletoe, with roots in ancient Greek culture, is a fascinating mix of mystery and contradiction. Some varieties are toxic, and eating their white berries can lead to stomach issues (many poison control centers distribute "holiday safety" flyers annually). Yet, Hippocrates utilized certain mistletoe types to alleviate menstrual pain, and throughout history, it has been used to treat conditions like leprosy, infertility, epilepsy, and even cancer. (New studies suggest its extract may even help to fight colon cancer cells.)
Then there’s the plant's semi-parasitic characteristic. Mistletoe, related to sandalwood, attaches to other trees, drawing water and nutrients from its host. However, unlike sandalwood, mistletoe’s seeds are spread by berry-eating birds, enabling it to thrive high on branches in the sunlight, depending on other trees for shade. Mistletoe is often regarded as a symbol of virility. As Smithsonian Magazine notes, its seeds are coated with a semen-like substance that helps them cling to tree branches after being dispersed by birds, allowing a new mistletoe plant to embed itself into the host tree and begin to develop.
So, why do we continue to kiss beneath this toxic and deceptive plant every Christmas?
The common story suggests that early Christians adopted mistletoe into their festivities as Christianity spread across Europe in the third century. However, this tradition actually predates the Christians and is tied to the Norse god Baldur — the second son of Odin, god of truth and light — who was so adored by the gods that they tried to shield him from every danger. His mother, the goddess Frigg, took an oath from every element in the world — fire, water, iron, metals, stones, earth, trees, sicknesses, poisons, all creatures, and birds — that none would harm her beloved son. As a result, Baldur was deemed invulnerable. So, what does this have to do with mistletoe? Stay with us...
At a grand gathering soon after, stones, arrows, and fire were all thrown at Baldur to test his invulnerability. None of these caused him harm, and he emerged unscathed. Envious of Baldur’s newfound power, the trickster god Loki set out to find a way to defeat him. Loki discovered that Frigg had forgotten to ask mistletoe — small and overlooked — not to harm her son. Eventually, a dart made from this tiny plant was used to kill Baldur in front of all the gods who cherished him so deeply.
Frigg, of course, was heartbroken. Steve Whysall at the Vancouver Sun explains that the tears of Baldur’s grieving mother became the berries of the mistletoe, and it was declared that "mistletoe would never again be used as a weapon, and that Frigg would place a kiss on anyone who passed beneath it."
And so, we hang mistletoe in our doorways each holiday season — a reminder not to overlook it again.
