Description

Mistletoe is one of the evergreen plants that are often used as decoration at Christmas time. Reference is often made to Celtic customs. But what do we actually know?

The passage that is repeatedly referred to is in the 16th book of Pliny the Elder's Natural History (23/24-79 AD). There it is described that in Gaul, Druids that were dressed in white cut the mistletoe from oak trees. Also mentioned is its use as a remedy for poisoning and in veterinary medicine. Even if Pliny was not a contemporary of the Celts that we associate with the archaeological La Tène culture, this tradition is still considered to have a core of truth. The leaf cap of the Glauberg stone figures is interesting in this context. The remains of such a leaf cap found in grave 1 prove that a real headdress was depicted here. What is striking about the statue is that the two bent-up leaves are different sizes, just like the mistletoe. There is therefore a theory that the model could have been mistletoe. However, even if this could mean mistletoe, this does not make the Glauberg man from the 5th century BC a "druid", as they are mentioned in writing for Gaul in the 1st century BC.

To read the Pliny text and further information (external link): Andrew. Hofeneder, Pliny and the Druids. Reflections on naturalis historia 16, 249–251. In: H. Birkhan/H. Tauber (ed.), Celtic invasions on the Danube. Austrian Academy of Sciences, Philosophical-Historical Class. Memoranda 345 (Vienna 2007) 307–324.