Why do we kiss under mistletoe? - Carlos Reif

校对人员: Gia Hwang

The sight of mistletoe may either send you scurrying

一看到槲寄生，你要么快步跑开，

or if you have your eye on someone,

要么如果你倾情于某人， 就会在这些雪白果子下静候良机。

awaiting an opportunity beneath its snow white berries.

But how did the festive Christmas tradition of kissing under mistletoe

但“在槲寄生下亲吻” 这个圣诞节日传统

come about?

是如何由来的呢？

The long lived custom intertwines the mythology and biology

这种由来已久习俗背后，充满了 该迷人植物的神话和生物特性.

of this intriguing plant.

There are more than 1,000 species of mistletoe which grows the world over.

槲寄生总共有 1,000 多个品种,

生长在世界各地。

In fact, the ancient Europeans were so captivated

事实上，古欧洲人着迷于 槲寄生奇特的生长习性，

by the plant’s unusual growth habits that they included it in their legends

甚至把它编进他们的神话传说里。

and myths.

In ancient Rome, Pliny the Elder described how

古罗马的大普林尼曾描述，

the Druid priesthood in ancient England believed that mistletoe

古英格兰的德鲁伊教的教士们认为，

槲寄生是上帝从天上抛下的植物，

was a plant dropped down from heaven by the gods;

that explained its unlikely position amongst the high branches

这就解释了为何槲寄生不走寻常路，

长在某些树木高处的枝头上；

of certain trees.

They also believed it had powers of healing and bestowing fertility.

他们还相信槲寄生有治愈能力，

而且寓意着多子多孙。

Meanwhile, Scandinavian legends told of the plant’s mystical qualities

同时，北欧关于光明神巴德尔 和他美丽母亲费丽嘉的传说中，

in the story of the god Baldur and his adoring mother, Frigg,

也提到了这一植物的神秘性 ——

goddess of love, marriage and fertility.

费丽嘉是爱情、婚姻和生育之神。

Frigg loved her son so much that she commanded every plant,

弗丽嘉深爱着儿子，

她强令一切万物生灵立下誓言，

animal and inanimate object to vow they’d never harm him.

发誓绝不伤巴德尔分毫。

In her fervor, however, she overlooked the mistletoe.

但百密一疏，她漏掉了槲寄生。

The mischievous god Loki realized this oversight,

恶神洛基发现了这个漏洞，

and pierced Baldur’s heart with an arrow carved from a mistletoe branch.

用一根槲寄生枝条刻成的剑，

刺穿了巴德尔的心脏。

Frigg cried tears of such sadness that they formed

弗丽嘉泪如泉涌，

泪珠化成了槲寄生珍珠般的果实，

the mistletoe’s pearly berries,

making the other gods pity her and agree to resurrect Baldur.

其他诸神深感同情， 同意将巴德尔复活。

Hearing the news, Frigg became so overjoyed that she transformed

弗丽嘉听到消息后欣喜若狂，

于是将槲寄生从死亡的象征

the mistletoe from a symbol of death into one of peace and love.

变成了爱与和平的象征。

She mandated a one day truce for all fights

她下令，这天停止一切战斗，

and that everyone embraced beneath its branches when they passed

并让每个从槲寄生枝条下 经过的人都拥抱彼此，

to spread more love into the world.

来向世界传递更多的爱。

In the 17th century, British colonists arriving in the New World

十七世纪英国殖民者来美洲，

found a different but very similar looking species of mistletoe.

发现了一种不同但很像的槲寄生，

They applied it to these tales of magic, fertility and love,

于是，他们也赋予它那些魔法、 爱与生育传说中的象征，

spreading the mistletoe hanging tradition from Europe into America.

把槲寄生下亲吻的传统 从欧洲传到了美洲。

By the 18th century, people in Britain had turned this

到了十八世纪，

英国人将它变成圣诞传统，

into a Christmas tradition.

But this custom comes down to more than just human imagination.

但这个传统不只是人们的想象，

All of it was inspired by the plant’s intriguing biology.

灵感都来自于这种植物 耐人寻味的生物学特性。

We see mistletoe as a festive decoration, but draped on tree boughs in the wild,

我们把槲寄生当作 充满节日气息的装饰，

但在野外，它是一种 披挂在树枝上的寄生植物。

it’s known as a partly parasitic plant.

Mistletoe relies on modified roots called haustoria

槲寄生有特殊的根，称为吸器，

that penetrate the tree bark and siphon off the water and minerals

吸器穿透树皮，

吸收树干输送上来的水分和矿物质。

trees carry up their trunks.

To colonize nearby trees with its seeds,

为在附近树木上凭借种子繁殖，

mistletoe depends on birds and other creatures

槲寄生仰赖鸟类和其它生物

to do the dispersing.

来传播种子。

Birds that eat the mistletoe’s sticky white berries

吃了槲寄生粘粘白果的鸟儿，

sometimes get rid of the gluey seeds by wiping them off onto tree bark,

有时会用树皮蹭掉黏糊糊的种子；

or with a bit of luck,

如果幸运的话，它们会将 无法消化的种子排泄到树上，

they excrete the indigestible seed onto a tree where it germinates

然后种子便发芽，开始生长。

and starts to grow.

With its resilience and foliage that stays lush

凭借顽强和持续繁茂的树叶——

even while the surrounding trees lose their leaves,

即使是身边的树木都不断落叶——

you can see why mistletoe captivated our superstitious ancestors.

你就能理解为什么槲寄生 能迷倒我们迷信的老祖宗了，

They saw these as signs of the plant’s magical qualities and fertility.

他们认为这是其魔力和繁殖力象征。

Even today, the mistletoe inspires wonder

即便在今天，槲寄生帮助 保护野生生物多样性的作用

with the diversity of wildlife it supports.

激发了人们的思考，

More than just a parasite, it’s also known as a keystone species.

它不单单是寄生植物， 还是一种关键物种，

It's eaten by a diversity of animals, including deer, elk, squirrels, chipmunks,

多种动物以它为食，

包括鹿、

麋鹿、松鼠、

花栗鼠、豪猪、

porcupines, robins, bluebirds, mourning doves,

知更鸟、蓝鸟、

哀鸽、

and the butterfly genus Delius.

以及蝴蝶科的红带斑粉蝶。

Some mistletoe species produce dense bushes,

某些槲寄生品种 长成茂密的灌木，

which are excellent nesting locations for a variety of birds.

对许多鸟儿来说是绝佳筑巢地。

And despite their parasitic relationship with trees,

而且，尽管槲寄生寄生于树木，

mistletoes can also help other plants.

它也能够帮助其它植物。

For instance, juniper sprouts near mistletoe to benefit

比如，杜松会在槲寄生附近涌现，

from the visiting berry-eating birds.

这得益于前来吃浆果的鸟儿。

Through the many benefits it provides,

槲寄生通过它所带来许多益处， 影响了生物多样性，

mistletoe influences diversity and allows ecosystems to flourish.

使生态系统得以蓬勃发展。

You might even say, that for this iconic plant,

甚至可以说， 对这种标志性植物而言，

life imitates legend.

生命是依传说而造的。

In the wild, mistletoe has the power to bring things together.

在野外，槲寄生拥有 将事物汇集一处的力量，

And in our own traditions we see that happening too.

而在我们自己的传统中， 也见证着这种凝聚的发生。