Why do we kiss under mistletoe? - Carlos Reif

譯者: Helen Chang 審譯者: Mingyu Cui

The sight of mistletoe may either send you scurrying

看見槲寄生的當下你可能會匆忙避開

or if you have your eye on someone,

或者，倘若你正愛慕著某人

awaiting an opportunity beneath its snow white berries.

就會在它雪白的漿果下 等待著親吻的機會

But how did the festive Christmas tradition of kissing under mistletoe

節日時在槲寄生下接吻的傳統

come about?

是怎麼來的？

The long lived custom intertwines the mythology and biology

長久以來，這傳統 交織著關於這迷人的植物的

of this intriguing plant.

神話與生物學特徵

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

世界上長著超過一千種的槲寄生

In fact, the ancient Europeans were so captivated

事實上，古老的歐洲人

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

對槲寄生的生長習性是如此地著迷

把它包含在他們的傳說和神話中

and myths.

In ancient Rome, Pliny the Elder described how

古羅馬的

老普尼長老描述在古英國 的德魯伊祭司如何

the Druid priesthood in ancient England believed that mistletoe

認為槲寄生是神祗 從天而降的一種植物

was a plant dropped down from heaven by the gods;

that explained its unlikely position amongst the high branches

這解釋了它何以能 高高掛在某些樹木的高枝上

of certain trees.

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

他們還認為它能使人痊癒

並賦予生育力

同時，它的神秘特性 流傳在北歐的傳說裡

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

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

故事有關光明之神巴德爾 和鍾愛他的母親弗麗嘉

goddess of love, marriage and fertility.

掌管愛、婚姻和生育的女神

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

弗麗嘉如此珍愛她的兒子， 她命令所有的植物

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

動物

和無生命之物發誓永不傷害巴德爾

In her fervor, however, she overlooked the mistletoe.

但在熱切中，她忘了槲寄生

The mischievous god Loki realized this oversight,

惡作劇之神洛基得知這疏失

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

用一支以槲寄生製成的箭 射穿了巴德爾的心臟

Frigg cried tears of such sadness that they formed

弗麗嘉哀傷流淚

淚水成了槲寄生的珠粒漿果

the mistletoe’s pearly berries,

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

其他的神祗同情她， 同意讓巴德爾復活

Hearing the news, Frigg became so overjoyed that she transformed

這好消息使得弗麗嘉欣喜若狂

把槲寄生從死亡的象徵

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

改為和平與愛的象徵

She mandated a one day truce for all fights

她下令所有的戰事休戰一天

and that everyone embraced beneath its branches when they passed

每個經過槲寄生下的人互相擁抱

to spread more love into the world.

將更多的愛傳播到世界上

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

十七世紀

英國殖民者來到新大陸

found a different but very similar looking species of mistletoe.

發現一種相似但不同的槲寄生品種

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

他們用上這魔法、生育和愛的故事

spreading the mistletoe hanging tradition from Europe into America.

將懸掛槲寄生的傳統從歐洲傳到美國

十八世紀

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

英國人把它變成聖誕節的傳統

into a Christmas tradition.

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

但這習俗不僅是人類的想像

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

全都受到這植物本身生物特性的啟發

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

槲寄生被看作是節日的裝飾

但野生的它，事實上 是從樹上垂下來的寄生植物

it’s known as a partly parasitic plant.

Mistletoe relies on modified roots called haustoria

槲寄生倚賴演化的「吸根」

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

穿過宿主的樹皮

虹吸樹木向上輸送的水分和礦物質

trees carry up their trunks.

To colonize nearby trees with its seeds,

為把種子移植到鄰近的樹上

mistletoe depends on birds and other creatures

槲寄生靠鳥類和其他的動物散播

to do the dispersing.

Birds that eat the mistletoe’s sticky white berries

鳥吃了槲寄生黏稠的白色莓果

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

有時在樹皮上擦拭黏上的種子

or with a bit of luck,

或是把不能被消化的種子排泄在樹上

they excrete the indigestible seed onto a tree where it germinates

種子幸運地發芽、成長

and starts to grow.

With its resilience and foliage that stays lush

因它的韌性和常綠的葉片

even while the surrounding trees lose their leaves,

儘管它周遭的樹木都落了葉

you can see why mistletoe captivated our superstitious ancestors.

不難看出人類迷信的祖先 何以會為它著迷

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

他們把這些當作它神奇和豐饒的特質

即使在今天，槲寄生也啟發了奇蹟

Even today, the mistletoe inspires wonder

with the diversity of wildlife it supports.

養育著多樣的野生動物

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

它不僅是寄生植物，還是個基石物種

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

以它為食的動物

包括鹿

麋鹿

松鼠

花栗鼠

porcupines, robins, bluebirds, mourning doves,

豪豬

知更鳥

藍鶇

哀鴿

and the butterfly genus Delius.

和斑粉蝶

Some mistletoe species produce dense bushes,

有些槲寄生的物種生長叢密

which are excellent nesting locations for a variety of birds.

是許多鳥類大好的築巢地點

And despite their parasitic relationship with trees,

雖然寄生於樹木

mistletoes can also help other plants.

槲寄生也幫助其他的植物

For instance, juniper sprouts near mistletoe to benefit

例如，杜松鄰近槲寄生發芽

因吃來漿果的鳥類而受益

from the visiting berry-eating birds.

Through the many benefits it provides,

通過它提供的許多好處 槲寄生影響多樣性

mistletoe influences diversity and allows ecosystems to flourish.

使生態系統蓬勃發展

You might even say, that for this iconic plant,

甚至可以說，這標誌性的 植物的生命彷彿傳說

life imitates legend.

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

在野外，槲寄生有結合物種的力量

And in our own traditions we see that happening too.

而我們也在我們的傳統中 看到了這種情況