MISTLETOE. 
233 
an old woman, he repaired to Friga. “ In 
battle,” said he to her, “arrows, javelins, and 
rocks, fall upon your son Balder, without doing 
him any harm.”—“ I know it,” said Friga: 
“ all those things have sworn not to hurt him ; 
there is nothing in nature from which I have 
not obtained the same promise, except a plant 
which seemed too weak to do him any injury: 
it grows upon the bark of the oak, and it is 
called Mistletoe.” Thus spake Friga. Loke 
instantly went in quest of the plant, and, re¬ 
turning to the assembled gods, who were fighting 
with the invulnerable Balder, for their sports 
are battles, he went up to the blind Heder. 
“ Why,” said he, “ dost not thou launch thy 
darts against Balder ?”—“ Alas!” replied He¬ 
der, “ I am blind, and I have no weapons.” 
Loke gave him a dart made of Mistletoe, saying, 
“ Balder is right before thee.” The blind He¬ 
der threw the dart, which pierced Balder, who 
fell lifeless. Thus the invulnerable son of a 
goddess was killed by a dart made of Mistletoe, 
thrown by a blind man. Such is the origin of 
the respect paid by the Gauls to this parasite 
shrub. 
