December 13, 2011

Children's Story about Mistletoe

I was very excited when I first saw a children's story about a Druid collecting mistletoe in a magickal way.  I forgave the notion that the mistletoe was being collected during the full moon for the sake of literary convention. Then the mistletoe falls to the ground and felt a sadness, for mistletoe is too sacred to be allowed to touch the ground.  I then began thinking about children who hear the story and learn its lessons will also carry incorrect bits of knowledge about mistletoe.  Will the children later argue with their parents in the same way that children argue saying their teacher told them so.  Of course, their teacher (or storyteller) always knows more than their parents - or so kids think.

It is a good story, told with feeling and compassion but could be made better by including known facts.  Mistletoe was collected on the sixth night of the moon and was caught in a white cloth never to touch the ground.

Tell Me a Story: The Mistletoe (a Celtic tale) | recordonline.com
By -- Adapted by Amy Friedman and illustrated by Jillian Gilliland
(This story was first published Dec. 24, 2000.)

Long ago, in the darkest days of winter, a blanket of snow lay softly on the ground. A full moon rose. The men and women of the village watched the moon rise, and they knew that soon their priest, the sacred druid....
....
As the mistletoe fell to the ground, the snow began to fall harder....

1 comment:

6th pandav said...

Great children's story it is. I invite you to read this Children's story about a fox.