Mistletoe

Mistletoe was a type of small plant in the Realms.

Habitats

 * In interior Faerûn, mistletoe was common in Chondalwood.
 * In north Faerûn, mistletoe was extremely prevalent in Druid's Grove of Shadowdale.
 * In northeast Faerûn, mistletoe could be found growing in the land of Aglarond.
 * In the Moonshae Isles region, mistletoe grew on the isle of Gwynneth.
 * In the region of the Sea of Moving Ice, Frozenfar, a tough parasitic species of mistletoe, known as frozenfar mistletoe, could be found. It was known for thriving in harsh cold climate.

Usages

 * Mistletoe was believed to protect one against spirits.
 * Frozenfar mistletoe in was often used in various purification rituals and was known to protect against rot.

Creatures

 * Mistletoe was one of the plants that asperii and feystags were known to graze on.

Magic

 * Mistletoe was required as a material component for casting a variety of spells in the Realms, including Briartangle, mold touch, and smoke ghost.
 * Many of the oldest versions of druidic spells used mistletoe as a material component. These included animal friendship, animal summoning I, animal summoning II, antiplant shell, barkskin, chariot of Sustarre, control weather, cure disease, cure critical wounds, cure light wounds, cure serious wounds, detect magic, detect snares and pits, entangle, feign death, hallucinatory forest, insect plague, locate animals or plants, pass without trace, plant door, plant growth, predict weather, pyrotechnics, repel insects, shillelagh, snare, speak with plants, stone shape, summon insects, Tree, turn wood, wall of fire, warp wood, and weather summoning.
 * Runesticks were typically bound in mistletoe and holly.

Religion

 * Mistletoe was considered holy to most druids. They typically felt that the proper way to harvest this plant was with a sickle made of either silver or gold and catching it in a bowl before it touched the ground. Not harvesting in this manner was believed to reduce the potency of mistletoe.
 * Whenever worshippers of Silvanus performed a vigil they would anoint themselves with a powder made of crushed mistletoe leaves and acorns, mixed with water from either rain or a spring.

Trivia

 * A cluster of mistletoe was one of the symbols of the Earthmother.

Appearances

 * Novels
 * Darkwalker on Moonshae
 * Video Games
 * Neverwinter