Baldr: The Beautiful God of Norse Mythology
Explore Baldr, the Norse god of light and beauty, his prophesied death, the mistletoe dart, Hermodr's ride to Hel, and his return after Ragnarok.
Baldr is the most beautiful of the Norse gods, the son of Odin and Frigg, and the central figure in the principal tragedy of Norse mythology. He is the god of light, beauty, eloquence, and mercy, and he is the husband of Nanna, the father of Forseti, and the brother of Höðr and the doomed Váli (not to be confused with the Váli of another lineage). His death, brought about by the trickery of Loki and the unwitting hand of his blind brother Höðr, is the central event of the Norse mythology of fate, and the first stroke of the chain of events leading to Ragnarok. His mythology is preserved in the Prose Edda of Snorri Sturluson, in the Poetic Edda, in the Gesta Danorum of Saxo Grammaticus, and in the place-names and folklore of Scandinavia.
Baldr in the Prose Edda
In the Gylfaginning of Snorri Sturluson, Baldr is described as the second son of Odin and Frigg. He is “the best of the gods,” the brightest and the most eloquent, the most merciful, and the one whose judgement is the most reliable. His hall is Breiðablik, “wide-blink,” and into it nothing impure may come. His wife is Nanna, daughter of a minor god named Nep (or, in some sources, of the minor god Pórr), and their son is Forseti, the god of reconciliation and the just settlement of disputes.
The Gylfaginning describes Baldr as the subject of ominous dreams that foretell his death. The gods are troubled, and Frigg, his mother, sets out to secure his safety. She extracts oaths from every thing in the world — fire and water, iron and all metals, stones, trees, sicknesses, beasts, birds, poison, and serpents — that they will not harm him. The gods amuse themselves by hurling weapons at him and watching them turn aside, since none of them can hurt him. Only the mistletoe is overlooked, growing on a tree west of Valhalla.
Loki, learning of the oversight, plucks the mistletoe and fashions a dart from it. He places the dart in the hand of the blind god Höðr, Baldr’s brother, and guides his aim. Höðr throws the dart, and Baldr falls dead. The world of the gods is shattered by the event, and the gods weep and lament.
Baldr’s Dreams and the Oaths of Frigg
The myth of Baldr’s death is preceded by his ominous dreams, described in the Baldrs draumar of the Poetic Edda and the Gylfaginning. In the Baldrs draumar, Odin rides down to Hel to consult a völva (a seeress) about the meaning of Baldr’s dreams. The völva is uncooperative, but Odin, by force and magic, draws from her the prophecy that Baldr will die, and that Höðr will be his slayer, and that Rindr, a daughter of a king of the Russ, will give birth to a son who will avenge him. The völva also predicts that a beautiful woman will weep for Baldr, and that a great sacrifice will be made. The episode is one of the most extraordinary in the Eddas, and it is the source of much of the later mythology of Baldr.
The oaths of Frigg, the mother of Baldr, are a tour de force of mythological narrative. Frigg travels the world in disguise, securing oaths from every object, every animal, every disease, every natural force, that they will not harm her son. The episode is reminiscent of the Greek myth of Thetis dipping the infant Achilles in the river Styx, and the parallels between the two are often noted by scholars. The motif of the invulnerability granted by a parent’s care is a standard one in Indo-European mythology, and Baldr’s invulnerability is a particularly elaborate version of it.
The Death of Baldr
The death of Baldr is the central tragedy of the Norse divine world. The episode is preserved in the Baldrs draumar and the Gylfaginning, and it is one of the most often retold of the Eddic myths.
The basic outline is as follows. Loki, having learned from Frigg (in disguise, as a woman) that the mistletoe is the only thing that has not sworn not to harm Baldr, plucks it and fashions a dart. He places the dart in the hand of the blind god Höðr, who is standing at the edge of the gathering. Loki guides Höðr’s aim, and the dart strikes Baldr in the breast. Baldr falls dead, and the world is plunged into grief.
The death is described in the Gylfaginning with vivid detail:
“The dart struck Baldr, and he fell dead, and this was the greatest misfortune ever wrought against gods and men. When Baldr was dead, the gods stood about his body, and they wept, and they cried, and the tears ran down their cheeks. The earth was the worse for the death of the son of Odin, and the tears of the gods fell like rain.”
The death of Baldr is the first great catastrophe of the divine world, and the gods’ reaction is universal grief. The death of Nanna, Baldr’s wife, follows: she dies of grief at his side, and her body is placed on the funeral pyre with him. The gods then dispatch Hermóðr the Bold to ride to Hel to beg for Baldr’s return.
Hermóðr’s Ride to Hel
In the Gylfaginning, the gods send Hermóðr the Bold, the son of Odin, to ride to Hel and beg for Baldr’s return. Hermóðr rides for nine nights through valleys so deep that he sees no sky, and he crosses the Gjöll bridge (which spans the river that separates the living from the dead) on a golden-roofed hall. The maiden who guards the bridge is Móðguðr, and the bridge itself trembles beneath him. He reaches the gates of Hel, and he rides through them, and the way opens before him.
Hermóðr finds Baldr in the hall of Hel, and he pleads with Hel (the ruler of the realm) for his return. Hel agrees to release Baldr if every thing in the world, alive or dead, will weep for him. Hermóðr returns to Asgard with the message, and the gods dispatch messengers throughout the world to ask for the weeping.
The messengers return with the news that everything in the world weeps for Baldr — except for one giantess (or, in some sources, a giantess named Þökk, who refuses to weep). The giantess is sometimes identified with Loki in disguise, and the failure of the weeping means that Baldr must remain in Hel. The episode is the source of the Old Norse expression þökk, “thanks,” and it is the basis of the well-known image of the refused grief.
The Funeral of Baldr
The funeral of Baldr is described in the Gylfaginning as the most splendid of the Norse divine world. The body is placed on the ship Hringhorni, the largest of all ships, and the gods gather to push it into the sea. The ship will not move, and the gods must summon the giantess Hyrrokkin, who comes riding on a wolf with snakes for reins. Hyrrokkin pushes the ship off the rollers with a single hand, and the ship leaps into the sea, and the rollers catch fire and the earth trembles.
Baldr’s body is cremated on the ship, and the funeral pyre is lit by Thor with his hammer. Nanna dies of grief and is placed on the pyre with Baldr, and the gods add many treasures: weapons, clothing, and the bodies of Baldr’s horse and several servants. The ship sails out to sea, and the funeral is over.
The funeral of Baldr is one of the most famous scenes in Norse mythology, and it has been the subject of extensive scholarly interpretation. The episode is the source of the image of the ship-funeral, which is well attested in the archaeology of the Viking Age (the Oseberg ship burial, the Sutton Hoo ship burial, and many other examples).
The Avenger: Váli
The third central figure in the Baldr myth is the god Váli, son of Odin and the giantess Rindr. The Gylfaginning and the Baldrs draumar describe Váli as having been conceived and born for the specific purpose of avenging Baldr’s death. He grows to full manhood in a single day, and he slays Höðr without combing his hair or washing himself until the deed is done.
The myth of Váli is also a myth of the god’s entrance into the divine order: he is born already grown, already armed, already capable of vengeance, and he is the first of the new generation of gods who will continue the divine order after the death of Baldr. The motif of the divine child born for vengeance is one of the older Indo-European patterns, and it is found in many Indo-European mythologies.
Forseti, Son of Baldr
Baldr’s son by Nanna is Forseti, the god of reconciliation and the just settlement of disputes. He is described in the Gylfaginning as a god whose judgement is the most reliable of all, and whose hall is Glitnir, with pillars of silver and a roof of gold. In Glitnir, Forseti settles every quarrel that is brought to him, and his judgements are final.
The cult of Forseti is attested in a few place-names in the North Atlantic, most notably Forsætuvík in Iceland, and the figure is a popular one in the modern reconstruction of the Norse pantheon. The cult of reconciliation and justice is a fitting inheritance for the son of Baldr, the most merciful of the gods.
The Cult of Baldr
The cult of Baldr is attested in a few specific instances in the historical record. The Gesta Danorum of Saxo Grammaticus (early thirteenth century) describes a Danish prince who dedicated a temple to a god he calls Baldr, although the description is contaminated with Christian hagiography. The place-name Balderstorp in Sweden is sometimes read as a name of the cult, although the etymology is debated.
The most significant attestation of the cult of Baldr is in the context of the mystery religions of the North. The Gylfaginning describes Baldr as a “mystery” that the gods cannot understand: his death is the central mystery of the divine order, and his return is the central promise. The mystery is sometimes compared to the mystery religions of the ancient Mediterranean, although the comparison is contested.
Baldr and the Christian Tradition
The figure of Baldr was used by medieval Christian writers as a model for their own understanding of the pagan gods. The Icelandic monk Gunnlaugr Leifsson wrote a Latin life of St. Thorlak in which he compared the death of Baldr to the death of Christ, and the Gesta Danorum of Saxo Grammaticus describes a Danish saint who is sometimes identified with a Christianized Baldr. The comparison was not always flattering to Baldr: the medieval Christian writers tended to present Baldr as a demon in disguise, a pagan god who was really a fallen angel.
The cult of Baldr has been revived in the modern neopagan movement of Ásatrú, and the god is a frequent figure in modern fantasy and fiction. The image of the beautiful god, the god of light and mercy, the god whose death is the central tragedy of the Norse mythology, has been a powerful one in the modern reception of the Norse pantheon.
Baldr in the Heroic Tradition
In the heroic sagas, Baldr is sometimes a model for the perfect king, and the motif of the king’s invulnerability, his death, and the lamentation of the world is a standard one. The Old English poem The Battle of Maldon (c. 1000 CE) describes the death of the English king Byrhtnoth at the hands of the Vikings, and the poem is sometimes read as a Christian version of the Baldr myth. The comparison was noted by the medieval commentators, and the image of the doomed king, the lamentation of the world, and the promise of return is a standard one in the medieval heroic tradition.
The Return of Baldr after Ragnarok
In the Völuspá, the closing poem of the Poetic Edda, Baldr is described as returning to the world after Ragnarok. The völva sees the radiant new Asgard rising green from the sea, and in it she sees Baldr and Höðr reconciled and returned, sitting together in the halls of the gods, telling of the great events of the old world. The Larrington translation renders the closing image as the völva seeing “Baldr come back” and “Höðr come back” to the dwelling of the victorious gods.
The return of Baldr is the central promise of the Norse mythology of the end of the world. The new Asgard, described in the Völuspá, is populated by the surviving gods and the reborn dead, and the central figures are Baldr and Höðr, reconciled and reborn. The motif is a central one in the Norse eschatology, and it is the basis of the modern reconstruction of the cult of Baldr in the neopagan movement.
Conclusion
Baldr is the most beautiful and the most merciful of the Norse gods, the central figure in the principal tragedy of Norse mythology. His death, brought about by the trickery of Loki and the unwitting hand of his blind brother Höðr, is the first stroke of the chain of events leading to Ragnarok. His mythology is preserved in the Prose Edda, the Poetic Edda, the Gesta Danorum of Saxo Grammaticus, and the place-names of Scandinavia. To read the Baldrs draumar is to read the prophecy of his death; to read the Völuspá is to read the promise of his return. Baldr is the god of light, the god of beauty, the god whose death is the central mystery of the Norse divine order, and whose return is the central promise of the Norse mythology of the end of the world.
The Norna-Gests þáttr and the Return of Baldr
The Norna-Gests þáttr (“the tale of Norna-Gest”) is a short tale preserved in the Flateyjarbók and other late manuscripts, and it is one of the sources for the medieval Icelandic reception of the Baldr myth. The tale describes the life of the hero Norna-Gest, who is born with a thread of fate woven by the three Norns, and who lives for three hundred years before he finally dies. In the course of the tale, the hero is taken to the court of the Danish king, where he encounters the god Odin in disguise. The god tests the hero, and the hero demonstrates his wisdom and his loyalty. The tale ends with the death of the hero, and the revelation that he has been a witness of the ancient gods.
The Norna-Gests þáttr is also a source for the medieval Icelandic reception of the Baldr myth, and it is a vivid example of the way in which the older mythological themes were preserved in the late Norse tradition. The image of the god of light as a kind of Christian saint is a major theme in the late Norse tradition, and the image of Baldr as the god whose death is the central mystery of the divine order is a major theme in the medieval Icelandic reception of the Norse mythology.
The Gesta Danorum and the Danish Tradition of Baldr
The Gesta Danorum of Saxo Grammaticus (early thirteenth century) is one of the most important Latin sources for the Norse mythology of Baldr. In the Gesta Danorum, the god is identified with a Danish prince named Baldr, who is described as a kind of divine king. The prince is a great hero, and he is the subject of many adventures, but he is eventually killed in a battle with a rival prince, and his death is the subject of a great lamentation.
The identification of the Norse Baldr with the Danish prince is a feature of the euhemeristic tradition of the medieval Latin sources, and it follows the broader pattern of the medieval Christian writers’ treatment of the Norse gods as historical figures. The identification of Baldr with a Christian saint is also a feature of the medieval Latin sources, and the image of Baldr as a kind of Christ-figure is a major theme in the late Norse tradition.
The Ship-Funeral of Baldr in the Archaeological Record
The ship-funeral of Baldr is one of the most famous scenes in the Norse mythology, and it is also a feature of the archaeological record of the Viking Age. The image of the ship-funeral is well attested in the burial customs of the Viking Age, and the most famous example is the Oseberg ship burial (c. 834 CE), in which a high-status woman was buried in a ship with many grave-goods. The Sutton Hoo ship burial (c. 625 CE) in England is another famous example, and the Ladby ship (c. 925 CE) in Denmark is another.
The image of the ship-funeral in the mythology of Baldr matches the archaeological evidence, and the funeral of Baldr in the Gylfaginning is a vivid picture of the cult of the dead in the Norse world. The image of the dead god carried on the ship, with the body of his wife and many grave-goods, is a major theme in the Norse mythology of death, and it is the basis of the modern reconstruction of the cult of Baldr in the neopagan movement of Ásatrú.
The Mysterious Death of Baldr as a Cultic Mystery
The death of Baldr has been interpreted in a number of ways in the modern study of Norse religion. One prominent interpretation reads the death as a reflection of an older Indo-European myth of the dying and reviving god, a myth found in the cult of the Greek Dionysos, the Egyptian Osiris, and the Mesopotamian Tammuz. According to this reading, Baldr is a divine figure who dies and is reborn, and the death is part of the annual cycle of the seasons.
A second interpretation reads the death of Baldr as a reflection of an older Nordic cult of the sacred king, a cult in which the king is killed and replaced at intervals, and the death is part of the ritual cycle of the cult. According to this reading, Baldr is a sacred king, and his death is the ritual murder that precedes the installation of a new king.
A third interpretation reads the death of Baldr as a mythological statement of the limits of divine power, and as a reflection of the Norse theology of fate. According to this reading, Baldr is a divine figure whose death is fated, and the death is a statement of the fact that even the gods are subject to the will of the Norns.
The three interpretations are not mutually exclusive, and the death of Baldr can be read in all three ways. The myth is rich enough to support multiple interpretations, and the modern study of the Norse mythology has not yet reached a consensus on the meaning of the death of Baldr.