This is an authentic
mistletoe. I took the picture in Brittany when I went there back in April. I wouldn't have noticed it had it not been from my mother in law. As mistletoe is of course associated with Christmas, I wanted to publish the picture here for Christmastime. But you might not know why it is associated with it. There are a few reasons dating back from Pagan times, but this one is my favourite: mistletoe was used by the evil Norse God
Loki to murder the god
Balder, an event that was an omen for the
Ragnarok. Another of the many reasons why I find Norse mythology
so fitting for Christmastime. Anyway, so this small plant committed deicide. Ironic isn't it?
i love fresh mistletoe but have trouble finding it here. isn't it a parasitic plant? i'm pretty sure it is.
ReplyDeleteMistletoe doesn't grow around here. I remember, when I lived in Somerset, though, seeing it in the trees on my long Winter walks in the countryside around Taunton. It is a magical plant indeed.
ReplyDeleteI have never seen real mistletoe in the wild. In fact, I'm not even sure if I've ever seen real mistletoe at all, only plastic! And not only did Loki use mistletoe to kill Baldr, he conned Baldr's brother into doing the actual killing. Sweet.
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