With fir and holly, it is one of the plants that symbolize the end of year celebrations. From Getafix’s sickle which is used for its ritual gathering to the kiss that is exchanged below, the mistletoe is the subject of sympathetic legends. But what do we really know about this plant that will settle high in the trees? Is it a remedy? A poison ?
To better understand this winter plant, let’s first dive into its legend, which dates back both to the ancient Scandinavians and to our ancestors the Gauls, before landing in the romantic comedies of Hollywood and elsewhere.
The story’s unwitting hero is Thor’s little brother, the one whose “Avengers” version shows off his biceps and big hammer. This one’s called Baldur, and he’s pretty well made, being a god of beauty as well as love. Son of Odin and Frigg, a goddess who is more or less the equivalent of our Latin Venus – and who, incidentally, gave her name to Friday, the Anglo-Saxon Friday – he was the subject of great concern from his mother. Frigg has indeed dreamed that Baldur was killed, which puts her in all her states. Traveling the Earth, she makes every object, plant or animal swear that they will never harm her young. All swear. But since there’s always a flaw in miracles (remember the Achilles heel), Frigg forgets to take his oath from a seemingly insignificant and harmless plant. You guessed it, this is the g
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