Loki , the guileful trickster of the gods, sensed an opportunity for mischief. He inquired of Frigg whether she had overlooked anything whatsoever in her quest to obtain oaths. She casually answered that she had thought the mistletoe to be too small and harmless a thing to bother asking for such a promise. Loki straightaway made a spear from the mistletoe and convinced the blind god Hodr to throw it at Baldur.
The projectile pierced the god, and he fell down dead. The anguished gods then ordained that one of them should go to the underworld to see if there was any way Baldur could be retrieved from the clutches of the death goddess, Hel. When he arrived, he found his brother, pale and grim, sitting in the seat of honor next to Hel. Hermod implored the dreadful goddess to release Baldur, and after much persuasion, she replied that she would give him up if and only if everything in the world would weep for Baldur — to prove, in other words, that he was as universally beloved as Hermod claimed.
What harm could it do to my son? It pierced the god straight through, and he fell down dead on the spot. The gods found themselves unable to speak as they trembled with anguish and fear.
They knew that this event was the first presage of Ragnarok , the downfall and death, not just of themselves, but of the very cosmos they maintained. Hermod , an obscure son of Odin, offered to undertake this mission. Odin instructed Sleipnir to bear Hermod to the underworld, and off he went.
The gods arranged a lavish funeral for their fallen friend. When the time came to launch the ship out to sea, however, the gods found the ship stuck in the sand and themselves unable to force it to budge. Hyrrokkin arrived in Asgard riding a wolf and using poisonous snakes for reins.
She dismounted, walked to the prow of the ship, and gave it such a mighty push that the land quaked as Hringhorni was freed from the strand. The fire was kindled, and Thor hallowed the flames by holding his hammer over them. All kinds of beings from throughout the Nine Worlds attended this ceremony: gods, giants, elves , dwarves , valkyries , and others. They approached humans and animals, trees and plants, and even inanimate objects such as rocks and stones.
All wept for Baldur. They set it ablaze and let the ship drift away until it disappeared from sight. Meanwhile, Odin pursued vengeance of his own. In comparison to his counterparts, Baldur has not figured prominently in popular modern representations of Norse mythology.
His name has been used in several video game series, including God of War ; in the eighth installment of the series, Baldur served as the chief antagonist. Translated by Henry Adams Bellows. Internet Sacred Text Archive. McCoy, Daniel. Norse Mythology for Smart People. Sturluson, Snorri. Translated by Arthur Gilchrist Brodeur. Apel, Thomas.
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