Mistletoe and Christmas Romance - What's the Connection?

How did mistletoe become the Yuletide symbol for Christmas romance? Unlike the rose which is universally associated with love, mistletoe has no charming characteristics that could connect it to romance. It's not even a flower. According to the dictionary, mistletoe is a parasitic shrub. It grows on the branches of a tree and sucks up the nutrients of its host.

There's nothing romantic about mistletoe, yet folklore associates it with having mystical powers and healing qualities. Some say it's an aphrodisiac, even though it's poisonous. It was an ancient belief that life could unexpectedly form out of dung and since mistletoe was often seen on a branch marked with bird droppings, the two were linked together in Anglo-Saxon vocabulary. Something that equates to "dung on a stick" just doesn't conjure up amorous thoughts.

Despite a lack of any appealing characteristics, mistletoe is the undisputed symbol for Christmas romance. Knowing that standing beneath the mistletoe is an invitation to be kissed, young children giggle at the site of it hanging in a doorway while adults quickly line up to keep the age old custom alive.

So how did mistletoe become synonymous with a Christmas kiss? Some ancients believed that mistletoe had the power to give fertility, so it found its way into primitive marriage rites. The Greeks Saturnalia festival, honouring their god Saturn, introduced mistletoe to these winter ceremonies. Some considered mistletoe as having mystical powers to keep away evil spirits, so it was hung in their doorways during the dismal winter months. Scandinavians considered it a plant of peace under which enemies could declare an end to their fighting and arguing couples could kiss and be happy again. The English gave it a certain appeal where a young lady kissed beneath a ball of mistletoe at Christmas time could see the possibility of romance and marriage in the upcoming year.

Although there are many tales surrounding the origins of the mistletoe kiss, the most romantic is that of the Goddess Frigga. She was the Goddess of Love and the mother of Baldur, the God of the Summer Sun. In the legend, her son had a dream of death that greatly disturbed the Goddess Frigga. If Baldur died, then it was said that all life on earth would also die. To prevent this, the Goddess Frigga called to the forces of air, fire, water, earth and to every animal and plant - and she received their promise that no harm would come to her son. Nothing on earth, or under it, could hurt Baldur. In her quest to keep her son safe however, the Goddess Frigga had overlooked one plant. It didn't grow on the earth, or under it, but on the limbs of apple and oak trees. It was the lowly mistletoe.

Knowing this, Loki, the God of Evil and enemy of Baldur, tricked the blind God of Winter, Hoder, into ridding himself of his foe. Loki made an arrow tip of mistletoe and gave it to Hoder who shot it, striking Baldur dead. As the skies darkened, all things on earth and in Heaven cried for the fallen Sun God. For three days and three nights, each element tried to restore life to Baldur, but every attempt ended in failure.

The legend says it was the tears of his mother, Goddess Frigga , that finally brought Baldur back to life. The pearly white berries on the mistletoe plant are said to be the tears she wept for her son. Filled with happiness, the Goddess bestowed a kiss on everyone who passed beneath the tree on which the mistletoe grew. This fable ends with the Goddess Frigga proclaiming that any that stood under the humble mistletoe would be free from harm, receiving only a kiss as a token of love.

There are slight variations to this story, but the end result is always one of joy. When the sprig of mistletoe is hung in the doorway, don't think about where it came from, but what it's become - an image of love and happiness during the Christmas season.