THE MISTLETOE. 115 



of men living a forest life. Bacon did not overlook 

 this, and says : " It is a plant differing from that on 

 which it grows," — exactly what I am persuaded the 

 word means. I may add, however, that the words 

 mist (fog), and tnist (dung), as well as the Tnist in 

 mistletoe, are probably alike derived in the first 

 instance from a primitive root-word tnigh, which 

 expresses mingling or intermixture of different sub- 

 stances. The German word mist (dung), in its primi- 

 tive sense, thus signifies nearly the same as the 

 word compost, and the idea of dung as voidings does 

 not seem to be originally convej^ed in the word. 

 The Gaelic for mixture is measg, which is of kindred 

 origin. But though this relation exists betAveen 

 several words and a primitive root-word, it is as far 

 from correct to say that these words are derived 

 from each other as that the word misfle or mistel is 

 derived from onist, whether meaning fog or dung, 

 or from measg, mixture. 



In Scandinavian mythology the mistletoe was 

 sacred to Freya, the goddess of love. The peculiar 

 customs now associated with it appear to have 

 their origin in this remote connection, while the 

 season of the year when these customs are recog- 

 nised links it with the death of Balder and the 

 great Sun-myth of the North. Professor Max MuUer, 

 in Chips from a German Worksho}:), says : " There is 

 much suffering in nature to those who have eyes 

 for silent grief ; and it is this tragedy — the tragedy 

 of Nature — which is the life-spring of all the trage- 

 dies of the ancient world. The idea of a young hero, 

 whether he is called Balder, or Sigurd, or Sifrit, or 

 Achilles, or Meleager, or Kephalos, dying in the ful- 

 ness of youth, a story so frequently told, localized, 

 and individualized, was first suggested by the Sun 

 dying in all his youthful vigour, either at the end 

 of a day, conquered by the powers of darkness, or 

 at the end of the sunny season, stung by the thorn 

 of winter." Balder was beloved of all the world, and 

 everything in heaven and earth had sworn not to 



