|
In Norse mythology, Baldur is the beautiful son of Odin, and very beautiful. He is the father of Forseti, God of justice, and wife of Nanna. The most famous story of Baldur is of his death, caused by Loki's tricks. As the story goes, the young Baldur was troubled by dreams and premonitions of his own death.
After Odin discovered from a seer that Baldur was destined to die by his brother's hand, His mother Frigg travelled the worlds, convincing every living thing to swear an oath not to harm Baldur. Loki, much annoyed by Baldur's invulnerability, disguised himself as an old woman, and learned from Frigg that she had not bothered to collect an oath from the lowly mistletoe, believing it too harmless to bother with. When he returned to the hall, he found the others amusing themselves by hurling stones and weapons at Baldur, testing his new invulnerability.
Loki passed the mistletoe twig to Hodr, Baldur's blind brother, under the pretense of encouraging him to join in the fun. Hodr threw the twig, which killed Baldur on the spot. Baldur is expected to return after Ragnarok to rule the new world.
The Death of Baldur-
click for more images.
Pronunciation: Ball-derr • (noun)
Alternate Spellings: Balder
Related Resources:
Asatru symbols
Emblems of Norse religion illustrated and explained.Runes- The Alphabet of Odin
Discover the ancient oracular alphabet of the Norse, the meanings of the Runic characters, and learn how to do a basic divination with Runes.
Elsewhere on the Web:
Balder's Death
Illustrated story from Bullfinch's mythology.
Can't find what you're looking for? Something missing, broken, or incorrect? Have an idea or a question? Let us know in the Discussion Forum
Need to ask me a question? I make every attempt to reply to all email. Click here to send me an email.
