MISTLETOE LEGENDS 55 



at Jerusalem by Sir Joseph Hooker, the great botanist. 

 The red-berried mistletoe was successfully raised from 

 seed on young olive trees six years ago in this country 

 by the Hon. Charles Ellis, of Frensham, near 

 Haslemere, and was figured at that time by Hooker. 



The mistletoe has an evil name in Scandinavian 

 mythology. Baldur, the beautiful, the Sun-god, was 

 made, like Achilles, invulnerable to spears and arrows 

 cut from whatever tree grows on earth. All things had 

 taken an oath not to hurt him, and the gods of 

 Walhalla amused themselves by throwing all sorts of 

 darts and clubs at him none could hurt him. At last 

 the blind god Hoder, who loved the beautiful Baldur 

 none the less because he himself was weakly and 

 sightless, also ventured to throw a dart at his invulnerable 

 friend. It sped home, pierced Baldur's heart, and 

 killed him. The dart was made of mistletoe, a tree 

 that does not grow on earth, but lives as a parasite high 

 up on other trees, and had taken no oath to spare 

 Baldur. It had been put into the blind god's hand in 

 a friendly helpful sort of way by a designing female, 

 who was really the evil spirit Loki in disguise. What 

 is the allegory ? Does the mistletoe dart stand for 

 calumny ? Is the mistletoe associated with calumny 

 because it is a parasite in high places ? If one must 

 choose between the mistletoe myth of Norsemen and 

 Briton the latter, which survives in the power 

 accorded to the mistletoe to license, even to command, 

 by its mere overhead existence, the giving and taking of 

 unexpected kisses and of expected ones, too, is certainly 

 the more cheerful and suitable to the hopeful enterprise 

 of New Year. 



24. The Cattle Show 



I always look upon the Christmas Cattle Show of the 

 Smithfield Club as a scientific delight. Breeding is 



