Happy Holiday Season! I’m excited to be part of the 12 Bookish Days of Christmas blog hop hosted by YA Sci-Fi and Fantasy Addicts. Each post has a fun stocking stuffer (freebie) and a chance to win a mega giveaway. So, stay tuned and be sure to check out all of the participants.
12 Days of Christmas
Day 1 – YA Christmas Reads + Sweets
Day 1 Bonus – Hosting a Secret Santa Gift Exchange with Your Bookish Friends
Day 2 – Gift Ideas for Friends who Read
Day 3 – Found Family Trope Reads
Day 4 – White Stag Review + Decadent Vegan Hot Cocoa Recipe
Day 5 – Book Room Christmas Decor + Favorite Christmas Reads
Day 6 – 12 Favorite Fantasy Books of the Year
Day 7 – A Christmas Playlist to Read To
Day 7 Bonus – Christmas Traditions + Favorite Holiday Reads
Day 8 – Tamales and Books!
Day 9 – Winter Book Review: Wicked Lovely
Day 10 – Derby Pie and Fond Memories
Day 11 – Mistletoe Myths & Stories
Day 12 – A Soul as Cold as Frost Review + Coffee Recipe
Day 12 Bonus – Tea Pairings & Winter-Themed Books
Wrap-Up – All the Stocking Stuffers + Big Giveaway
Mistletoe Myths
Mistletoe is a parasitic plant that grows in clusters in trees and shrubs. It’s associated with love, but poisonous if you eat it. There are a bunch of odd customs and stories involving mistletoe, and they aren’t all merry and bright. Mistletoe is credited with killing a Norse god and leading to the creation of the Roman empire. So, how did this weird little plant become something to steal a kiss under during the holidays?
Mistletoe and the Druids
Mistletoe was sacred to the druids because they believed it was the essence of the sun god, Taranus. So, since it contained his power, any tree containing mistletoe was sacred. According to Pliny the Elder, priests would climb the sacred trees to harvest it with a golden sickle. They’d have to catch it before it hit the ground because otherwise it would lose its special powers.
They used the leaves and berries for herbal remedies and also hung it in their homes and stables to would ward off evil and protect from fairies. It was also important to the Celtic druids as a symbol of fertility because the berries bloom in winter.
Baldur (Norse Mythology)
In Norse Mythology, Baldur was the son of Odin and Frigg, the goddess of love. He was handsome and fun and everyone loved him. When Baldur foresaw his own death, Frigg created magic that prevented any plant that grew from the earth from harming him. But mistletoe doesn’t grow in the earth. It grows in trees, a loophole that everyone’s favorite god of mischief, Loki, exploited.
He made a spear made out of a mistletoe branch and waited. Since Baldur was supposed to be invincible, the gods liked to amuse themselves by throwing things at him. If you have kids, this will make perfect sense to you. Anyway, the blind god Hodr, egged on by Loki, threw the mistletoe spear at him and killed Baldur.
Aeneas and the Golden Bough (Greek Mythology)
Aeneas was a Trojan warrior who left as Troy was being destroyed. His adventures after the Trojan War unfold in Virgil’s, The Aeneid. He ended up founding the Roman empire, but before he could do that, he wanted to go to the Underworld to consult with his father.
He consulted the oracle for the best way to get into the Underworld. She told him he needed to find a bough of gold and offer it as a gift to Persephone, the wife of Hades, ruler of the Underworld. His mom, Aphrodite, sent two doves to help him find the bough. To make a long poem short, he found the bough and was granted access to the Underworld. His father took him to the River Lethe and showed him all the souls there waiting to be born, including all of his future descendants that would later build the great city of Rome.
The poet Virgil described the golden bough as being sheltered by an oak. So, because of this, scholars have suggested that the golden bough is mistletoe.
So, why do we kiss under the mistletoe?
In some happier versions of Baldur’s story, he gets brought back to life and Frigg is so thankful that she declares the mistletoe to be a symbol of love and promises to kiss anyone who passed underneath it. However, scholars have said that’s not accurate. So, who knows?
An early reference to kissing under a mistletoe comes from Washington Irving, who mentioned it in his sketchbook after visiting England in 1820. He wrote, “The mistletoe is still hung up in farm-houses and kitchens at Christmas, and the young men have the privilege of kissing the girls under it, plucking each time a berry from the bush. When the berries are all plucked the privilege ceases.”
Mistletoe shows up in my book, Dungeon of Hades. When I started writing it, I was trying to figure out how to get my characters into the Underworld. I reread parts of the Aeneid and was surprised to learn that the golden bough might be mistletoe. It led me down a mistletoe rabbit hole of stories.
Anyway, thanks for reading. Happy December!
Stocking Stuffer
Like Greek Mythology? Click here to get a free short story about Ariadne of Crete. Before Ariadne became a legend with Theseus, she was a mischievous princess of ancient Crete. As a girl, she wanted desperately to sneak into the labyrinth and see the deadly Minotaur. After several failed attempts, she spots something in Daedalus’ workshop that just might do the trick. But, if she can make it in, will she be able to get out? Or will she perish in the labyrinth like everybody else who has gone in?
Mega Giveaway
Click here for a chance to win our mega bookish giveaway with over $600 worth of books, merch, and gift cards.
