John the Baptist and Mistletoe

 A seasonal preview of my forthcoming book, John the Baptist: a life and afterlife. A short extract:

The link between John the Baptist and mistletoe is particularly fascinating when the many uses of this plant are taken into account. Principally, it is seen as a cure for epilepsy, a malady against which John is invoked in France and Belgium. In Sweden, people would protect themselves from epilepsy by carrying a knife, the handle of which was made of oak mistletoe. German children were protected from the illness by the placing of pieces of mistletoe about their necks. As noted in the discussion of basil, the connection between John and convulsions is appropriate. Moreover, the Celts believed that mistletoe was efficacious against barrenness^. Once again we find a connection with John’s birth, to elderly parents and a barren mother (Lk. 1.1.7).

   Mistletoe has strong and fascinating associations with John the Baptist because of the illnesses it cures and the association of these illnesses with John. However, it would appear that John’s connection with this plant ultimately derives from ancient customs relating to Midsummer. Druids would honour the annual sacrifice of the Oak King at Midsummer. According to the second century philosopher Maximus of Tyre, the ancient Celts worshipped Zeus, who is represented as a tall oak in Celtic imagery.

The Oak King is a variant of this deity. The fire, which formed part of the celebration, was built of oak wood. Oak is sacred to Druids, and mistletoe grows mainly upon oak. When Midsummer was taken over by the church and turned into St John’s Day, the martyred Baptist replaced the sacrificed Oak King, with the ancient associations and qualities attached to mistletoe and the Oak King transferring to John. Appropriately, oak was regarded as special because its roots go so deep into the earth that they are believed to reach the underworld. This is especially significant for the church, wherein John’s mission is to preach the salvation of Christ to the people in that lower region. Also significant is the belief, prevalent in Sweden, that mistletoe is a safeguard against fire. Once again, there is a connection with the Baptist. Finally, mistletoe is also known as the ‘Golden Bough’, because of the golden tints in its berries and leaves. Golden plants, as previously noted, are dedicated to John.

The book is due for publication in May 2022.

The Iron Mask and the Storming of the Bastille

14 July 1789 marks the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille. The following week saw the publication of a broadsheet relating the story of a lucky prisoner, the comte de Lorges, who had been rescued by the rioters.

However, news quickly emerged of another prisoner who was not so lucky. This was the infamous Man in the Iron Mask, who was said to have been 'found by the Nation this 22 July 1789'. Rioters claimed to have discovered a skeleton lying on the floor of one of the cells. An iron mask lay by its side, and the prisoner was identified by an inscription which:

'gave his name as the Surintentant Foucquet, who was taken from the Isles Sainte-Marguerite and conducted with an iron mask into the fort[ress] of the Bastille in the time of the reign of Louis XIV and died under the reign of Louis XV and found in the reign of Louis XVI the 22 July 1789.'

As it was, Nicolas Foucquet was not the Man in the Iron Mask, although he did have some connection with that mysterious prisoner. Foucquet was never held on the Isles Sainte-Marguerite nor did he live long enough to go with the marquis de Saint-Mars when he took his famous prisoner with him upon his transfer to the Bastille. Foucquet's death at Pignerol on 23 March 1680 is well attested, but, by the time of the Revolution, his story had become a useful piece of propaganda to be used against tyrannical monarchy, and it inspired the account written in the broadsheet.

Liebig trading cards

This is a trading card produced by the German company, Liebig. Established in 1860s, Liebig produced meat products, including a meat extract similar to the later Oxo. The trading cards first appeared as a marketing tool in 1872, and are now highly collectable. This one, showing the Man in the Iron Mask, with his gaoler, Saint-Mars and a servant, is one of six to depict scenes from the reign of Louis XIV.