[Footnote 3: _Hel_ or _"his grave"_; the terms were once synonymous.]

According to the Edda, gifts from the gods and goddesses were laid on
Balder's bier and he, in turn, sent gifts back from the realm of
darkness into which he had fallen. However, it probably is from the
Roman Saturnalia that the free exchange of presents and the spirit of
revelry have been derived.

The Druids held the mistletoe in great reverence because of its
mysterious birth. When the first new growth was discovered it was
gathered by the white-robed priests, who cut it from the main bough
with a golden sickle never used for any other purpose.

The food peculiar to this season of rejoicing has retained many
features of the feasting recorded among the earlier people. The boar
made his appearance in mythological circles when one was offered as a
gift to Frey, god of rain, sunshine, and the fruits of the earth. This
boar was a remarkable animal; he could run faster than a horse,
through the air and over water. Darkness could not overtake him, for
he was symbolical of the sun, his golden bristles typifying the sun's
rays.

At one time the boar was believed to be emblematical of golden grain,
as he was the first to teach mankind the art of plowing. Because of
this service he was most revered by our mythological ancestors.

In an account of a feast given in Valhalla to the dead heroes of many
battles, Saehrimnir, a sacred boar, was served. Huge pieces were
apportioned to the deceased heroes and the meat had such a revivifying