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Druids Cutting of the Mistletoe

The Most Sacred of Ancient Druid Rites

Article by Patty Hall

2004

What is so special about the green leaves with the little white berries that the ancient and modern day Druids consider it the most sacred of all plants? (  )  What does it have to do with religion anyway?  And who are the Druids?

Who are the Druids?

The Druids are an ancient Celtic mystical order of highly educated intellectuals  and spiritual leaders who worshipped and drew their own power from nature.  Some historians believe the Druids were around as early as 400 BC. They were open minded and their views on religion seem to include and even embrace all others.  Very few Celts were Druids, but all Druids were Celtic. (Ohio University, 2004)

       During the first century AD, the Roman Empire burned and pillaged one Celtic village after another targeting the feared Druids. All Druid knowledge was part of an oral tradition and as a result, little is really known about the truth of their ways or religion.  Current day Druids passionately look for bits and pieces of Druid history. 

The Cutting of the Mistletoe 

      Ironically, it is the Roman procurator, naval officer and author Pliny the Elder who wrote some of the Druid’s only written history as he described in his book Naturalis Historia a fascinating ritual in which the Druids cut mistletoe high in the tree tops.  Pliny describes it as follows:

    

 

      Modern day Druids tell us that there is  a procession into the forest until the mistletoe was found growing  on an oak tree.  After cutting the mistletoe, there would be a procession to the temple  where they would lay down the mistletoe for three days.  This day corresponds to   our Christmas Day.  Early on the fourth day, the mistletoe was chopped into pieces and handed out for its medicinal purposes. (Day, 2004) Steve Tatler (2003), a modern day Druid beautifully explains some of the symbolism of the ceremony in current Druid thinking as follows:

       Whether or not the ancient Druids thought of this symbolism, we will never know but this type of union of male and female energies, the crescent quarter moon both mesh with Celtic beliefs. The ceremony itself was a solemn one in  which the mistletoe was chopped into smaller pieces and then handed out for healing purposes. (Lady of the Earth, 2004)

What is so unique about Mistletoe?

       Mistletoe is unique in that it does not grow from the ground. In fact it NEVER touches the ground. It is a parasitic evergreen that was believed to embody the living spirit (Clark, 1974) with its pearlescent translucency hovering high above the earth ~ reaching ever closer to the heavens, seeming to communicate with the gods and being of divine origin.  It thus became a symbol for regeneration. (Locksley, 2004)

      Tapping into the sap of its host it can be found in the tree tops of many trees including poplar, hawthorn, lime and especially apple.  But to find it on the top of the oak….aaaahhh!   (Druid’s Path, 2004)  For mistletoe and oak were considered the most sacred plants by the Druids. Mistletoe was held sacred for not only its magical and mystical properties but also for its medicinal and healing value.

      The ancient word for Mistletoe is ‘uile’ or “all-healing”  for its ability to remedy many maladies such as heart, gastrointestinal problems, epilepsy and more. (Day, 2004)  Due to mistletoe’s healing properties, it has been thought that Christ’s Cross was made out of mistletoe.  Mistletoe was used in wedding ceremonies as well. (learnenglish 2004 )  Due to the Christian fear of  the Druids, that idea regarding mistletoe was never accepted . 

     Legend has it that Mistletoe was born of lightning, placing it at the top of tall oak trees since lightning is attracted to oak ~ hence the white berries. (Cashel, 2004)  Another myth is that the white berries symbolize the “sperm of the gods” and therefore has tremendous propogation properties and became a symbol of regeneration. (Druid Network, 2004) and sacred symbol of universal virtues. (Geri-Freki, 2004)  Thus it became a symbol of protection and of life. (Clark, 1974)

     Really the result of bird droppings high in the trees, Mistletoe offers powers of protection, love, hunting, fertility, health and exorcism. Sprigs hung in Celtic homes were used to ward off evil and protect infants from theft. (D'Cruz, 1998)  The tradition of cutting the Mistletoe from the trees is largely based in Britain where modern day Druids have revived the ancient tradition. By and large, the general population might find this rather silly or "hokey", with members dressed in white robes, climbing to the top of trees to cut a sprig or berries. But those in close connection with nature may find this tradition delightful.

Generally speaking, Americans and Europeans have long enjoyed the "post" cutting of the mistletoe at Christmas time. The tradition of kissing going back as far as the Romans and the Norse, plucking a berry with every kiss until all the berries are gone.

      As a ritual, predominantly Christian Americans may have a problem accepting what might be called a "pagan" ritual with the word "pagan" meaning "uncivilized or godless".  Nothing could be further from the truth with the Druids. Fear out of lack of knowledge may shadow their willingness to open to the Druidic faith and religion.  They are peaceable people who above all honored life and all forms and aspects of it. 

       When  I first discovered the history of the Mistletoe, I was enamored with the beauty of something so simple made into something so profound. The Druids come from an intuitive healing tradition that worked closely with the power of the earth. For them to revere most of all the "all-healing" plat was a bit of serendipity for me in that when I started researching this, I was not aware of either the nature of the ceremony or the healing focus of the Druids as a primary tenet.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Artmagick. (2004). Druids Cutting the Mistletoe From the Oak Tree.  Painting by ___.  Retrieved March   

3, 2004 from the World Wide Web:  http://artmagick.com

Clark, Kenneth. (1974). The Dictionary of Subjects and Symbols In Art. New York. Harper & Row

Day, Harvey. (2004). Lady of the Earth.Christmas Customs. Retrieved March 2, 2004  from the World

Wide Web:  http://ladyoftheearth.com/sabbats/smas-customs.txt

Druid’s Path. (2004). Sunday Times. Style Supplement. (December 17, 1995). “Tradition Takes a Bough”.

Retrieved March 2, 2004 from the World Wide Web:

http://moneycentral.groups.msn.com/DruidsPath/ritual.msnw?action+get_message&mview

Ellis, Peter Berresford. (1994). The Druids. Grand Rapids, Michigan. William B. Eerdmans Publishing

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http://jassmine.com/druid.html

Learn English. (2004). British Culture. Mistletoe. Retrieved March 2, 2004 from the World Wide

Web:http://learnenglish.de/Temp/December/DecemberDates.htm

Locksley. (2004). Pagan Claus: the Real History of Christmas Customs. Retrieved March 2, 2004 from the

World Wide Web: http://www.locksley.com/6696/xmas.htm

Mistletoe Foundation, (2004) . Traditions & Legends: Druids. Retrieved March 3, 2004 from the World

Wide Web http://mistletoe.org.United Kingdom/mtoenewweb2003/tradlegemdDruids2003/htm

Ohio University. (2004). Druids. Retreived March 2, 2004 from the World Wide Web:

http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~pg259799/druid.html

Ragan, Willow. (2000). Danaan. Mythletoe;Romancing the Mistletoe. Retrieved March 2, 2004 from the

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Click.For they believe that whatever grows on these trees is sent from heaven, and is a sign hat the tree has been chosen by the gods themselves. The mistletoe is very rarely to be met with; but when it is found, they gather it with solemn ceremony.  This they do above all on the sixth day of the moon…

     After due preparations have been made for a sacrifice and a feast under the tree, they hail it as the universal healer and bring to the spot two white bulls, whose horns have never been bound before. A priest clad in white robe climbs the tree and with a golden sickle cuts the mistletoe, which is caught in a white cloth. Then they sacrifice the victims, praying that the gods will make their gifts propitious to those to whom they have given it.  (from Naturalis Historia (XVI, 95) by Pliny the Elder)

ClickThe golden sickle used to cut the mistletoe represents both the sun and the moon – a union of male and female energies. The gold symbolizing the sun and the shape of the crescent blade resembling the quarter moon.