Once, in Norway, there was a handsome young god called Baldur. So good
and universally beloved was he that his mother, Freya, terrified lest
something dreadful should happen to him, determined to take an oath from
all things created that they would do no harm to her son. She asked
fire, water, earth, iron, stones, trees, beasts, birds, insects,
poisons, and diseases, and each promised it would never hurt Baldur.
There was only one thing Freya passed over, and that was a bunch of
mistletoe growing on an old gnarled oak, near the palace of the gods; it
looked so soft and innocent and powerless, with its clinging green and
white berries, that she thought it could harm no one.
[Illustration: A minimal black and white line-art sketch of a single
small mistletoe sprig with narrow leaves and clusters of round white
berries.]
Now there was a very bad spirit in Norway, called Loki, who was always
trying to do mischief and make others unhappy. Loki hated Baldur on
account of his goodness and beauty, for he himself was wicked and ugly.
One day Baldur and the other gods were playing at their favourite game;
Baldur stood as a target, and the others threw darts and stones at him,
and hacked at him with swords and axes, for they knew nothing could hurt
him, and they delighted to show how wonderful he was. When Loki saw
this, he longed that Baldur might be hurt, and he determined to find out
the secret of his safety. Then Loki changed himself into a lovely
maiden, and went to the house of Freya, Baldur’s mother, who received
him very kindly and asked whence he came. “From the place where the gods
make a target of Baldur the good without harming him,” answered the
false Loki.
[Illustration: Color illustration of classical Norse figures testing
Baldur's invulnerability in a forest, while the trickster Loki watches
from a tree above a sprig of mistletoe.]
“Ah,” said Freya, “neither metal nor wood can hurt Baldur, for all
created things have promised that they will not touch him with evil.”
“What,” exclaimed Loki, astonished and dismayed, “have all things sworn
to spare Baldur?” “All things,” replied Freya, “except one little plant
called mistletoe. I thought it so tender and feeble that I did not ask a
promise from it.”
Loki smiled to himself with secret joy, and leaving Freya as quickly as
he could, he flew to the oak whereon grew the fatal mistletoe, and made
a sharp dart of it. Then he hurried back to where the gods were still
playing their odd game. There was a blind god among them called Hodur,
who was standing apart, and to him Loki went and said: “Why do you not
also throw something at Baldur?” “Because I am blind, and besides, I
have nothing to throw,” replied he. “Come on,” said Loki, “and do as the
rest do, and show honour to Baldur by throwing this twig at him.”
[Illustration: A horizontal decorative divider line consisting of a
sparse repeating pattern of small, curled mistletoe leaf fragments.]
So saying, Loki put the dart of mistletoe into Hodur’s hand, and,
directing his aim, flung it at Baldur, who, hit by the fatal plant, fell
lifeless at once.
All the gods were in despair at first, for the love which they bore to
Baldur, and nearly killed Loki in their rage. Then together they
resolved to bring back Baldur to life; and having done this, to prevent
the mistletoe ever doing so much harm again, they dedicated it to his
mother Freya, and the mistletoe was made to promise never to do any evil
again as long as it did not touch the earth.
That is why at Christmas, the time of joy and peace, mistletoe is hung
up, and people kiss each other as they pass beneath it, for as long,
they say, as it does not touch the ground, mistletoe brings happiness to
those who pass under its leaves.
[Illustration: A horizontal decorative divider line featuring three
small pen-and-ink sketches of curled mistletoe leaf fragments arranged
in an alternate sequence.]
[Illustration: Color illustration of a classical man and woman on a
grassy riverbank interacting with a group of four white swans near water
lilies.]
[Illustration: Story header layout titled 'SWEET NARCISSUS' on a small
scroll banner wrapped around a tall bundle of blooming narcissus flowers
and long, blade-like leaves.]