MISTLETOE. 200 
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 adart made of Mistletoe, 
thrown by a blind man. Such is the origin of 
the respect paid by the Gauls to this parasite 
shrub. 
x 2 






