The Golden Bough: Mistletoe History and Lore
Thursday December 6, 2007
Mistletoe's standing as an icon of the winter holiday stems from very ancient beliefs. How did this rather ugly, poisonous plant became so popular? The answer lies in ancient sun worship, particularly of the Celtic Druids.
The mistletoe has several qualities that made it attractive to these tree revering ancient Celts. The Celtic Druids were skilled in herbal medicine and magic; mistletoe was by far the most sacred of their magical plants. It grew amongst the branches of the sacred trees, seemingly without sustenance. Having no roots, and thus no connection to the earth, it was considered the sacred plant of the sun.
Comments
Interesting quote: “The name Druid is believed to be a compound of two words, Dru and Vid, strength and wisdom- oak and mistletoe!” Strength and wisdom - very qabalistic!
And speaking of “The Golden Bough” which I assume refers to James Frazer’s masterpiece, it is high time to re-print the original unannotated version for mass market production!
Yes, that is a biyt overdue!