The tune of the French carol "Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella" started out as a courtly dance — possibly even a drinking song. But the holiday lyrics were allegedly inspired by paintings by Georges de La Tour titled "The Newborn Child" or maybe his "The Adoration of the Shepherds." It's just speculation.
But most of our traditional Christmas carols and our collective image of the Nativity were informed not by scripture, but rather by Medieval and Renaissance art, fashion, architecture and even the bleak midwinter weather of Europe.
Certainly St. Luke did not mention two female farmworkers or torches, but in the time of the Roman Empire, torches were used. They were made by dipping the dried flowerheads of tall plants in tallow or animal fat. This custom lasted long into Middle Ages.
The tall plant was mullein. By the Middle Ages, monks and healers grew mullein for a number of ailments, especially those associated with coughs and congestion.
Colonists brought the medicinal plant to America. Fibers were used as candlewicking and the leaves made warm liners for shoes and boots. The soft leaves were precursors to plastic wrap, and women would use them to keep food moist and fresh.
Even if you don't know the name, you probably know mullein. These non-native plants grow in sunny places everywhere soil is disturbed. As kids, we called the first year rosettes "bunny ears" because the leaves really do resemble the soft velvet-like ears of rabbits. In its second year, a tall plant shoots up from the rosette. The stalk is topped with a cluster of yellow flowers.
And this time of year, tiny beneficial insects and spiders hibernate. You will find them peacefully sleeping in mullein, swaddled in the soft leaves and flowers.
