"ICICLES HANG BY THE WALL" 261 



II 



Mistletoe and Box 



THE MISTLETOE (Viscum album}. The mis- 

 tletoe, the "all-healer," is a mysterious and mystical 

 plant. The Greeks venerated it. Virgil gave it to 

 ^Eneas for the "Golden Bough," to guide him to 

 the Underworld. The Scandinavians dedicated it to 

 their goddess of love, Freya (or Freyja). The mis- 

 tletoe is, however, more closely associated with the 

 Druids than with any other race. The plant was so 

 sacred to these strange people that it was never 

 allowed to touch the ground. At the New Year 

 the Druids marched in solemn procession into the 

 forest, and the high priest climbed the oak-tree and, 

 with a golden sickle, cut the mistletoe from the 

 branches. Other priests stood below holding a white 

 cloth to receive the mistletoe as it fell. The sacred 

 plant was dipped into water and then distributed 

 among the people, to whom it was supposed to bring 

 good luck of all kinds. 



Even to-day we do not like the "Mistletoe Bough" 

 to fall. We say it is "unlucky"; but possibly we 

 have unconsciously inherited from our remote an- 

 cestors a spark of reverence for the "Golden Bough." 



