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The mistletoe and the vervain, the rue 
and the rosemary, had a mythical and dark 
meaning for the Norsemen. 
Before we hear of the sacred mistletoe of 
the Druids, we meet with the plant in the 
beautiful legend of the death of Baldur, from 
association with which it is possible that it 
derived its sanctity. 
The Apollo, or Day-god, of the Norsemen 
bore the name of Baldur the Good. He was 
beloved alike of gods and men. Without 
the brightness of his presence, Asgard, the 
abode of the gods—of Odin, Thor, and 
Freya—would have been sad as Hades or 
Hela. Without his joyous blessing, Earth 
would have been dull and barren. 
Great trouble, therefore, fell on the im- 
mortals, when Baldur one day informed them 
that he had had terrific dreams, threatening 
him with deadly peril. It seems that he 
did not possess the immortality which the 
Greeks ascribed to their mythic divinities. 
Therefore the Gods of Valhalla at once 
resolved to use all their magic arts to pre- 
