Hello everyone, I hope you had a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I made a poll over on Instagram about a new series called “The history of…” that I’d like to write about. If you follow me on Instagram @aneclecticplace and voted it was a resounding YES, which I’m so happy about. I thought I might as well kick off this year with the history of… kissing under the mistletoe. As I am very intrigued to research and learn the origin of this Christmas tradition. I hope you enjoy this more research-based post about what a kiss under the mistletoe means!

What is mistletoe?

Considered a parasitic shrub, mistletoe grows off of trees and roots into their host, so that they can flourish year-round, while their host “dies” during the wintertime. As you can see in the picture below all of the mistletoe shrubs are growing out of the branches. Mistletoe also produces white berries that are poisonous. There are various species of mistletoe depending on the region of the world that they grow. Some certain species are used during Christmas time to be hung up and share a kiss under. As is the custom in England and the United States, some believe the tradition of sharing a kiss under the mistletoe will lead to marriage. Also, in some beliefs, people thought mistletoe held magical powers.

Norse Mythology and the god Baldur

According to historians the “why” we kiss under the mistletoe is uncertain, but there is a good idea of where the origin came from. It is often traced back to Norse mythology and the god Baldur. Now, if you’re asking yourself what Norse mythology is let me share. Stemming back to the Viking era, the Vikings had their own native pagan religion with Norse mythology as the centerpiece of their religion. Their myths included stories of gods and goddesses such as Thor, Freya, and Loki. I found a wonderful site called Norse Mythology for Smart People where I found all of my information. I found the paragraph below intriguing, so thought I would include it:

“For the Vikings, the world as they found it was enchanted – that is, they didn’t feel the need to seek salvation from the world, but instead delighted in, and marveled at, “the way things are,” including what we today would call both “nature” and “culture.” Their religion and myths didn’t sugarcoat the sordidness, strife, and unfairness of earthly life, but instead acknowledged it and praised the attempt to master it through the accomplishment of great deeds for the benefit of oneself and one’s people. A life full of such deeds was what “the good life” was for the Vikings.” –Norse Mythology for Smart People

Now back to the god Baldur. As the myth goes, the god of wisdom, Odin, and his wife Frigg had a son named Baldur who was prophesied to be killed. Frigg met with all living things, plants grown on earth, and animals alike and cast a spell on them so that they could not hurt her son. However, mistletoe stems out of a tree’s branches and not from the earth, so the spell did not reach it. Thus the god Loki learned of this and made a spear out of mistletoe, eventually killing Baldur.

You must be wondering how this story connects with what a kiss under the mistletoe means. It is believed that the tears Frigg cried became the berries on mistletoe and that she vowed it would be a symbol of love, not of hatred. Now, back to the Vikings, they used to stand under the mistletoe to reconcile after an argument. However, the actual kissing part of the tradition is still unknown. According to a few sites, some believe that the above story and kissing under the mistletoe do not connect, but I’d like to hope they do.

Where a kiss under the mistletoe began

Up until 1720, there was no research done on mistletoe, so you would think kissing under the mistletoe would not exist until this point. An English apothecary, John Colbatch wrote two books about mistletoe, including a whole section about customs and superstitions with mistletoe, but nowhere in his books did it mention kissing under the mistletoe. However, the earliest mention of actually kissing under the mistletoe is writing in some song lyrics in 1784. Some historians believe that this is where the tradition began with the simple line in a song, “And kiss beneath the mistletoe.”

During the 18th and 19th centuries, this idea of kissing under the mistletoe was expanded through literature, such as Charles Dickens’ The Pickwick Papers in 1837 and with an art print from 1794 depicting servants poised for a kiss under the mistletoe. In both of these pieces, the women were seen as running away, screaming, and struggling to resist kisses from the gentlemen, until they could no longer resist their kisses after being caught under the mistletoe. It was also thought if you were caught under the mistletoe with someone and didn’t kiss them it was bad luck or risked bad fortune. The seriousness of the resistance of the women is uncertain, but some historians believed women used the mistletoe as an excuse to escape possessive husbands.

My take on everything

So after reading various sources and compiling everything. I believe the “origin” of what a kiss under the mistletoe means is whatever you’d like to believe. If anyone asks me I think I will say mistletoe stems from Norse mythology and the Vikings, but the actual kissing part stems from literature and art from the 18th century and that a kiss under the mistletoe will lead to marriage. It is crazy to me that a parasitic shrub with poisonous berries is thought of as a “romantic” Christmas tradition!

That’s all I have for you and I hope you enjoyed reading about what a kiss under the mistletoe means. Make sure to give me a follow on Instagram @aneclecticplace where I post about what I’m writing for the week and any other updates! If you would like to read about more Christmas traditions, make sure to check out my post from a few weeks ago here.

Take care and stay safe,

Renée

Feature image: Photo by Matt Seymour on Unsplash

Sources:
https://www.britannica.com/plant/mistletoe
https://norse-mythology.org/
https://www.countryliving.com/life/a25319139/mistletoe-meaning-history/
https://time.com/5471873/mistletoe-kiss-christmas/
https://www.thespruce.com/kissing-under-the-mistletoe-2131215