228 THE STORY OF PLANT LIFE 



sacred plants held in much veneration, as the 

 Lotus in India and the East, the Myrtle of the 

 ancients, etc. 



The Rev. Hilderic Friend cites an author who 

 writes of the Mistletoe as follows : " It is not a matter 

 of surprise that a plant of such peculiar aspect which 

 occurs in such a remarkable position as the Mistletoe, 

 should have awakened the attention of various races, 

 and exerted influence over their religious ideas. It 

 played an especially important part among the Gauls. 

 A remnant of this seems to exist still in France, for 

 the peasant boys use the expression ' An gui I'an 

 neuf ' as a New Year's greeting. It is also a custom 

 in Britain to hang the Mistletoe to the roof on 

 Christmas Eve — the men lead the women under it 

 and wish a Merry Christmas and a Happy New 

 Year. Perhaps the Mistletoe was taken as a symbol 

 of the new year on account of its leaves giving the bare 

 tree the appearance of having regained its foliage." 



The god Baldur we are told was slain with a branch 

 of the plant. Mr. Friend remarks of this legend : 

 ** Frigga had taken an oath of all created things that 

 they would never be employed for the injury of this 

 best of gods, but she had overlooked one little shoot 

 that groweth east of Walhalla, so small and feeble that 

 she forgot to take its oath. This feeble shoot, thus 

 forgotten, was put into the hands of a blind god by 

 Loki, and whilst the other gods were amusing them- 

 selves by flinging at Baldur the various things that 

 had taken the oath, Hodur flung the Mistletoe dart, 



