Mistletoe is a parasitic plant that grows in trees. I've only ever seen it growing in the south west of England where it is very widespread. It's easy to see in the winter when the trees are bare.
In the UK mistletoe is sold at Christmas and people kiss under it. Or at least they do at the moment. The practice is due to be banned in 2010 under Health and Safety rules - and about time too.
Mistletoe was supposed to have been venerated by the druids, a priestly caste who lived in pre-Roman Britain. They may have thought it sacred because it fruits in mid-winter and never touches the ground. I've heard they cut it with a golden sickle and caught it in sheets.
I don't know how people know this because, as far as I know, the druids were all killed by the Romans in A.D. 61. They left no written records themselves and what we know of them is from Roman sources.
The Romans didn't like the druids and were determined to wipe them out. They pursued them to the Ynys Mon (Angelsey) where they massacred them and destroyed their sacred groves.
A.D. 61 was an eventful year because the revolt of the Iceni in East Anglia also kicked off then. They were led by Boudicca (a.k.a Boaedicea), the Queen of the Iceni who had been very badly treated by the Romans.
The rebels attacked and burnt down Camulodunum (modern Colchester), a Roman garrison town, still an army town to this day, Londinium (modern London) and Verulamium (St. Albans), committing terrible atrocities - according to Roman writers anyway.
They certainly did burn down St. Albans. Apparently you can still find a black layer of ash if you dig into the soil there.
After doing all that, the rebels headed north-west to confront Suetonius Paulinus
, the Roman general who was busy slaughtering the druids.
The Romans were vastly outnumbered by the Britons. They sent for help to Caerleon (a garrison town in south Wales where many Roman ruins still remain), but help never came. In desperation they formed themselves into a "testudo", a tortoise formation where their shields covered their heads and fought themselves out. Once they had secured victory they didn't show any mercy and went about killing anyone who had fought against them. Archaeologists can find no trace of life in East Anglia for many years after that, which suggests wholesale ethnic cleansing.
People still call themselves druids today and meet at Stonehenge on the solstice. Among them is Bill Roach, who plays Ken Barlow in Coronation Street, a very long-running British soap opera. Ken Barlow appeared in the first episode in Nineteen Sixty something and has been in it ever since.
About ten years ago he successfully sued a newspaper that had called him boring, so I'd just like to say that I find him very interesting.
I took these photos on Ashton Court estate on the outskirts of Bristol. Here are some more photos from there.
These trees are riddled with mistletoe.
Sunset and bare trees. Photo-wise you can't go wrong.
Long Ashton parish church in the fading light.
That's all folks!
