42 TREES IN NATURE, MYTH & ART 



life. When wind and frost had stripped the 

 oak-tree of the last leaves that had clung to 

 the branches, it was believed that the spirit of 

 the oak took refuge in the mistletoe. How 

 many of us realise, when we hang up the 

 mistletoe-bough, that our ancestors brought it 

 into the house, believing that the tree-spirit 

 would come with it and bring the blessing of 

 fertility? This is the "true inwardness" of 

 kissing under the mistletoe. It is to these old 

 beliefs that we owe also the Christmas-tree, 

 and the decoration of our houses with ever- 

 greens. The tree-spirit was, as we have seen, 

 the giver of many blessings. With mere 

 branch or log or stick the spirit would also 

 come, and ensure well-being and fertility, not 

 only to the household, but to the cattle in the 

 stall. 



May- Day ceremonies are not as generally 

 observed as those of Christmas ; but they have 

 the same kind of significance. They were not 

 in origin a mere sign of rejoicing that the 

 leaves were on the trees again, and the flowers 

 blooming once more. They were religious 

 observances, believed to secure the blessings 

 the spirits could bestow. The spirit that in- 



