Viscum album is one of the best known parasitic plants—essentially gaining both water and nutrients from the plant it has made its home. But its unique biology is not the only reason why it is so well known, famed for being both a life saver and a killer. One of the earliest mentions of mistletoe is in Norse mythology. It’s reputed that Balder (son of Odin) was killed with a spear made of mistletoe, which led to Balder’s mother, Frigg, banishing mistletoe to the tops of the trees.