Balder is a
godA deity is a postulated preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by believers....
in
Norse mythologyNorse, North Germanic, or Scandinavian mythology comprises the myths of North Germanic pre-Christian religion.Most of the written sources for Norse mythology were assembled in medieval Iceland in Old Norse, notably as the Edda....
associated with light and beauty.
In the 12th century, Danish accounts by
Saxo GrammaticusSaxo Grammaticus also known as Saxo cognomine Longus was a Danish historian, thought to have been a secular clerk or secretary to Absalon, Archbishop of Lund. He is the author of the first full history of Denmark.- Life :...
and other Danish Latin chroniclers recorded a
euhemerizedEuhemerus was a Greek mythographer at the court of Cassander, the king of Macedon. Euhemerus' birthplace is disputed, with Messina in Sicily or Messene in the Peloponnese as the most probable locations, while others champion Chios, or Tegea.He is chiefly known for a rationalizing method of...
account of his story. Compiled in
IcelandThe Republic of Iceland is a European island country located in the North Atlantic Ocean. It has a population of about 320,000 and a total area of 103,000 km². Its capital and largest city is Reykjavík, whose surrounding area is home to approximately two thirds of the national population...
in the 13th century, but based on much older
Old Norse poetryOld Norse poetry encompasses a range of verse forms written in Old Norse, during the period from the 8th century to as late as the far end of the 13th century...
, the
Poetic EddaThe Poetic Edda is a collection of Old Norse poems primarily preserved in the Icelandic mediaeval manuscript Codex Regius. Along with Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda, the Poetic Edda is the most important extant source on Norse mythology and Germanic heroic legends.Codex Regius was written in the...
and the
Prose EddaThe Prose Edda, also known as the Younger Edda, Snorri's Edda or simply Edda, is an Old Norse language Icelandic collection of four sections interspersed with excerpts from earlier skaldic and Eddic poetry containing tales from Norse mythology...
contain numerous references to the death of Baldr as both a great tragedy to the
ÆsirIn Old Norse, áss is the term denoting a member of the principal groups of gods of the pantheon of Norse paganism. They include many of the major figures, such as Odin, Frigg, Thor, Baldr and Tyr. They are one of the two groups of gods, the other being the Vanir...
and a harbinger of
RagnarökIn Norse mythology, Ragnarök is a series of major events, including a great battle foretold to ultimately result in the death of a number of major figures , the occurrence of various natural disasters, and the subsequent submersion of the world in water...
.
According to
GylfaginningGylfaginning, or the Tricking of Gylfi , is the first part of Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda after Prologue. The Gylfaginning deals with the creation and destruction of the world of the Norse gods, and many other aspects of Norse mythology...
, a book of
Snorri SturlusonSnorri Sturluson was an Icelandic historian, poet and politician. He was twice elected lawspeaker at the Icelandic parliament, the Althing...
's Prose Edda, Baldr's wife is
NannaNanna is a goddess in Norse mythology, the daughter of Nepr and wife of Baldr . She and Baldr are both Æsir and live together in the hall of Breidablik in Asgard...
and their son is
ForsetiForseti is the Æsir god of justice, peace and truth in Norse mythology. Fosite is a god of the Frisians often identified with Scandinavian Forseti...
.
Balder is a
godA deity is a postulated preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by believers....
in
Norse mythologyNorse, North Germanic, or Scandinavian mythology comprises the myths of North Germanic pre-Christian religion.Most of the written sources for Norse mythology were assembled in medieval Iceland in Old Norse, notably as the Edda....
associated with light and beauty.
In the 12th century, Danish accounts by
Saxo GrammaticusSaxo Grammaticus also known as Saxo cognomine Longus was a Danish historian, thought to have been a secular clerk or secretary to Absalon, Archbishop of Lund. He is the author of the first full history of Denmark.- Life :...
and other Danish Latin chroniclers recorded a
euhemerizedEuhemerus was a Greek mythographer at the court of Cassander, the king of Macedon. Euhemerus' birthplace is disputed, with Messina in Sicily or Messene in the Peloponnese as the most probable locations, while others champion Chios, or Tegea.He is chiefly known for a rationalizing method of...
account of his story. Compiled in
IcelandThe Republic of Iceland is a European island country located in the North Atlantic Ocean. It has a population of about 320,000 and a total area of 103,000 km². Its capital and largest city is Reykjavík, whose surrounding area is home to approximately two thirds of the national population...
in the 13th century, but based on much older
Old Norse poetryOld Norse poetry encompasses a range of verse forms written in Old Norse, during the period from the 8th century to as late as the far end of the 13th century...
, the
Poetic EddaThe Poetic Edda is a collection of Old Norse poems primarily preserved in the Icelandic mediaeval manuscript Codex Regius. Along with Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda, the Poetic Edda is the most important extant source on Norse mythology and Germanic heroic legends.Codex Regius was written in the...
and the
Prose EddaThe Prose Edda, also known as the Younger Edda, Snorri's Edda or simply Edda, is an Old Norse language Icelandic collection of four sections interspersed with excerpts from earlier skaldic and Eddic poetry containing tales from Norse mythology...
contain numerous references to the death of Baldr as both a great tragedy to the
ÆsirIn Old Norse, áss is the term denoting a member of the principal groups of gods of the pantheon of Norse paganism. They include many of the major figures, such as Odin, Frigg, Thor, Baldr and Tyr. They are one of the two groups of gods, the other being the Vanir...
and a harbinger of
RagnarökIn Norse mythology, Ragnarök is a series of major events, including a great battle foretold to ultimately result in the death of a number of major figures , the occurrence of various natural disasters, and the subsequent submersion of the world in water...
.
According to
GylfaginningGylfaginning, or the Tricking of Gylfi , is the first part of Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda after Prologue. The Gylfaginning deals with the creation and destruction of the world of the Norse gods, and many other aspects of Norse mythology...
, a book of
Snorri SturlusonSnorri Sturluson was an Icelandic historian, poet and politician. He was twice elected lawspeaker at the Icelandic parliament, the Althing...
's Prose Edda, Baldr's wife is
NannaNanna is a goddess in Norse mythology, the daughter of Nepr and wife of Baldr . She and Baldr are both Æsir and live together in the hall of Breidablik in Asgard...
and their son is
ForsetiForseti is the Æsir god of justice, peace and truth in Norse mythology. Fosite is a god of the Frisians often identified with Scandinavian Forseti...
. In
Gylfaginning, Snorri relates that Baldr had the greatest ship ever built, named
HringhorniIn Norse mythology, Hringhorni is the name of the ship of Baldr, described as the "greatest of all ships". According to Gylfaginning, following the murder of Baldr by Loki the other gods brought his body down to the sea and laid him to rest on the ship...
, and that there is no place more beautiful than his hall,
BreidablikIn Norse mythology, Breiðablik is the home of Baldr. It is briefly described in Snorri Sturluson's Gylfaginning as one of the places in heaven:...
.
Merseburg Incantation
One of the two
Merseburg IncantationsThe Merseburg Incantations are two medieval magic spells, charms or incantations, written in Old High German. They are the only known examples of Germanic pagan belief preserved in this language...
names Balder, and it also mentions a figure named
Phol. It has been theorized that Phol may therefore be another name for Baldr.
Poetic Edda
In the Poetic Edda the tale of Baldr's death is referred to rather than recounted at length. Among the visions which the
VölvaA Völva was a priestess in Norse paganism, and a recurring motif in Norse mythology.-Names and etymology:The Völvas and their male counterparts were referred to by many names...
sees and describes in the prophecy known as the
VöluspáVöluspá is the first and best known poem of the Poetic Edda. It tells the story of the creation of the world and its coming end related by a völva addressing Odin...
is one of the fatal mistletoe, the birth of
VáliIn Norse mythology, Váli is a son of the god Odin and the goddess Rindr. He was birthed for the sole purpose of killing Höðr as revenge for Höðr's accidental murder of his half-brother, Baldr. He grew to full adulthood within one day of his birth, and slew Höðr. Váli is fated to survive...
and the weeping of
FriggFrigg is a major goddess in Norse paganism, a subset of Germanic paganism. She is said to be the wife of Odin, and is the "foremost among the goddesses" and the queen of Asgard. Frigg appears primarily in Norse mythological stories as a wife and a mother. She is also described as having the power...
(stanzas 31-33). Yet looking far into the future the Völva sees a brighter vision of a new world, when both Höðr and Baldr will come back (stanza 62). The Eddic poem
Baldr's Dreams mentions that Baldr has bad dreams which the gods then discuss.
OdinOdin , is considered the chief god in Norse paganism and the ruler of Asgard. Homologous with the Anglo-Saxon Wōden and the Old High German Wotan, it is descended from Proto-Germanic *Wōđinaz or *Wōđanaz.The name Odin is generally accepted as the modern translation; although, in some cases, older...
rides to Hel and awakens a seeress, who tells him Höðr will kill Baldr but Vali will avenge him (stanzas 9, 11).
Prose Edda
In
Gylfaginning, Baldur is described as follows:
- Annar sonur Óðins er Baldur, og er frá honum gott að segja. Hann er svá fagr álitum ok bjartr svá at lýsir af honum, ok eitt gras er svá hvítt at jafnat er til Baldrs brár. Þat er allra grasa hvítast, ok þar eptir máttu marka fegrð hans bæði á hár og á líki. Hann er vitrastr ása ok fegrst talaðr ok líknsamastr. En sú náttúra fylgir honum at engi má haldask dómr hans. Hann býr þar sem heita Breiðablik, þat er á himni. Í þeim stað má ekki vera óhreint[.]
|
The second son of Odin is Baldur, and good things are to be said of him. He is best, and all praise him; he is so fair of feature, and so bright, that light shines from him. A certain herbTripleurospermum inodorum is the type species of Tripleurospermum.Historically included the genus Matricaria, Tripleurospermum inodorum has been the subject of some controversy, with many revisions in recent years. The Flora Europaea uses Matricaria perforata for this species...
is so white that it is likened to Baldr's brow; of all grasses it is whitest, and by it thou mayest judge his fairness, both in hair and in body. He is the wisest of the Æsir, and the fairest-spoken and most gracious; and that quality attends him, that none may gainsay his judgments. He dwells in the place called Breidablik, which is in heaven; in that place may nothing unclean be[.] — Brodeur's translation |
|
Apart from this description Baldr is known primarily for the story of his death. His death is seen as the first in the chain of events which will ultimately lead to the destruction of the gods at
RagnarokIn Norse mythology, Ragnarök is a series of major events, including a great battle foretold to ultimately result in the death of a number of major figures , the occurrence of various natural disasters, and the subsequent submersion of the world in water...
. Baldr will be reborn in the new world, according to
VöluspáVöluspá is the first and best known poem of the Poetic Edda. It tells the story of the creation of the world and its coming end related by a völva addressing Odin...
.
He had a dream of his own death and his mother had the same dreams. Since dreams were usually prophetic, this depressed him, so his mother
FriggFrigg is a major goddess in Norse paganism, a subset of Germanic paganism. She is said to be the wife of Odin, and is the "foremost among the goddesses" and the queen of Asgard. Frigg appears primarily in Norse mythological stories as a wife and a mother. She is also described as having the power...
made every object on earth
vowA vow is a promise or oath.-Vow with God:Within the world of monks and nuns, a vow is a transaction between a person and his/her deity whereby the former undertakes in the future to render some service or gift or devotes something valuable now and here to the deity's use...
never to hurt Baldr. All objects made this vow except
mistletoeMistletoe is the common name for a group of hemi-parasitic plants in the order Santalales that grow attached to and within the branches of a tree or shrub...
. Frigg had thought it too unimportant and nonthreatening to bother asking it to make the vow (alternatively, it seemed too young to swear).
When
LokiIn Norse mythology, Loki is a god or jötunn . Loki's relation with the gods varies by source. Loki assists the gods, and sometimes causes problems for them. Loki is a shape shifter and in separate incidents he appears in the form of a salmon and a mare. Loki's positive relations with the gods ends...
, the mischief-maker, heard of this, he made a magical spear from this plant (in some later versions, an arrow). He hurried to the place where the gods were indulging in their new pastime of hurling objects at Baldr, which would bounce off without harming him. Loki gave the spear to Baldr's brother, the blind god
HöðrHöðr is the brother of Baldr in Norse mythology. Guided by Loki he shot the mistletoe missile which was to slay the otherwise invulnerable Baldr....
, who then inadvertently killed his brother with it (other versions suggest that Loki guided the arrow himself). For this act, Odin and the giantess
RindrIn Norse mythology, Rindr is alternatively described as a giantess, a goddess or a human princess from the east . She was impregnated by Odin and gave birth to Váli....
gave birth to
VáliIn Norse mythology, Váli is a son of the god Odin and the goddess Rindr. He was birthed for the sole purpose of killing Höðr as revenge for Höðr's accidental murder of his half-brother, Baldr. He grew to full adulthood within one day of his birth, and slew Höðr. Váli is fated to survive...
who grew to adulthood within a day and slew Höðr.
Baldr was ceremonially burnt upon his ship, Hringhorni, the largest of all ships. As he was carried to the ship, Odin whispered in his ear. This was to be a key riddle asked by Odin (in disguise) of the giant Vafthrudnir (and which was, of course, unanswerable) in the poem
Vafthrudnismal. The riddle also appears in the riddles of
GestumblindiGestumblindi is a character in Norse mythology who appears in Hervarar saga and in Saxo Grammaticus' Gesta Danorum as Gestiblindus. Later, he also appears in several Scandinavian folk tales as Gest Blinde.-Hervarar saga:...
in
Hervarar sagaHervarar saga ok Heiðreks is a legendary saga from the 13th century combining matter from several older sagas. It is a valuable saga for several different reasons beside its literary qualities. It contains traditions of wars between Goths and Huns, from the 4th century, and the last part is used as...
.
The dwarf
LitrIn Norse mythology Litr , which means "colour", is a name borne by a dwarf and a giant.-A dwarf:...
was kicked by
ThorThor is the red-haired and bearded god of thunder in Germanic mythology and Germanic paganism, and its subsets: Norse paganism, Anglo-Saxon paganism and Continental Germanic paganism....
into the funeral fire and burnt alive. Nanna, Baldr's wife, also threw herself on the funeral fire to await Ragnarok when she would be reunited with her husband (alternatively, she died of grief). Baldr's horse with all its trappings was also burned on the pyre. The ship was set to sea by Hyrrokin, a
giantessA giantess is a female giant. The term may refer either a mythical being resembling a woman of superhuman size and strength or a human woman of exceptional stature, often the result of some medical or genetic abnormality .-Norse mythology:...
, who came riding on a wolf and gave the ship such a push that fire flashed from the rollers and all the earth shook.
Upon Frigg's entreaties, delivered through the messenger
HermodHermóðr the Brave is a figure in Norse mythology.-Prose Edda:Hermóðr appears distinctly in section 49 of the Prose Edda book Gylfaginning. There, it is described that the gods were speechless and devastated at the death of Baldr, unable to react due to their grief...
, Hel promised to release Baldr from the underworld if all objects alive and dead would weep for him. And all did, except a
giantessA giantess is a female giant. The term may refer either a mythical being resembling a woman of superhuman size and strength or a human woman of exceptional stature, often the result of some medical or genetic abnormality .-Norse mythology:...
, Þökk, who refused to mourn the slain god. And thus Baldr had to remain in the underworld, not to emerge until after Ragnarok, when he and his brother Höðr would be reconciled and rule the new earth together with Thor's sons.
When the gods discovered that the
giantessA giantess is a female giant. The term may refer either a mythical being resembling a woman of superhuman size and strength or a human woman of exceptional stature, often the result of some medical or genetic abnormality .-Norse mythology:...
Þökk had been
LokiIn Norse mythology, Loki is a god or jötunn . Loki's relation with the gods varies by source. Loki assists the gods, and sometimes causes problems for them. Loki is a shape shifter and in separate incidents he appears in the form of a salmon and a mare. Loki's positive relations with the gods ends...
in disguise, they hunted him down and bound him to three rocks. Then they tied a serpent above him, the venom of which dripped onto his face. His wife
SigynSigyn is a goddess and wife of Loki in Norse mythology. Sigyn is attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson...
gathered the venom in a bowl, but from time to time she had to turn away to empty it, at which point the poison would drip onto Loki, who writhed in pain, thus causing earthquakes. He would free himself, however, in time to attack the gods at Ragnarok.
Gesta Danorum
Writing at about the end of the 12th century, the
DanishDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe and the senior member of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries; southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and it is bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark borders both the Baltic and the North Sea...
historian
Saxo GrammaticusSaxo Grammaticus also known as Saxo cognomine Longus was a Danish historian, thought to have been a secular clerk or secretary to Absalon, Archbishop of Lund. He is the author of the first full history of Denmark.- Life :...
tells the story of Baldr (recorded as
Balderus) in a form which professes to be historical. According to him, Balderus and
Høtherus were rival suitors for the hand of Nanna, daughter of Gewar, King of
NorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a country in Northern Europe occupying the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, as well as Jan Mayen and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard under the Spitsbergen Treaty...
. Now Balderus was a demigod and common
steelSteel is an alloy consisting mostly of iron, with a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most cost-effective alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
could not wound his sacred body. The two rivals encountered each other in a terrific battle. Though Odin and Thor and the rest of the gods fought for Balderus, he was defeated and fled away, and Høtherus married the princess.
Nevertheless Balderus took heart of grace and again met Høtherus in a stricken field. But he fared even worse than before. Høtherus dealt him a deadly wound with a
magic swordThe term magic sword refers to any kind of mythological or fictional sword imbued with magical power to increase its strength or grant it other supernatural qualities. The archetype originated in myth and legend, and occurs regularly in modern fantasy fiction.Renowned swords appear in the folklore...
, named
MistletoeMistilteinn is Hrómundr Gripsson's sword in Hrómundar saga Gripssonar, a legendary saga from Iceland.Mistilteinn first belonged to Þráinn, who had been king in Valland before he retired in his burial mound with his wealth....
, which he had received from
MimingIn Norse mythology, Miming was a forest-dwelling troll, the son of Hothbrod and foster son of Gevar. In a Teutonic version of the myth of the death of Balder, Miming's sword is the weapon that Hodur uses to slay Balder; here, Hodur is not blind but is instead a physically potent figure. Miming's...
, the satyr of the woods; after lingering three days in pain Balderus died of his injury and was buried with royal honours in a barrow.
Chronicon Lethrense and Annales Lundenses
There are also two lesser known Danish Latin chronicles, the
Chronicon LethrenseChronicon Lethrense is a small Danish medieval work from the 12th century, written in Latin.-Themes:...
and the
Annales Lundenses of which the latter is included in the former. These two sources provide a second euhemerized account of Höðr's slaying of Baldr.
It relates that Hother was the king of the
SaxonsThe Saxons were a confederation of Old Germanic tribes. Their modern-day descendants in Lower Saxony and Westphalia and other German states are considered ethnic Germans ; those in the eastern Netherlands are considered to be ethnic Dutch; those in north...
and son of
HothbrodHothbrodd was a legendary Norse hero, details of whose life appear in several related variations.In the legends of the Ylfing Helgi Hundingsbane, he was the son of king Granmar of Södermanland, and he was killed by Helgi....
and the daughter of Hadding. Hother first slew Othen's (i.e. Odin) son Balder in battle and then chased Othen and Thor. Finally, Othen's son Both killed Hother. Hother, Balder, Othen and Thor were incorrectly considered to be gods.
Utrecht Inscription
A Latin votive inscription from Utrecht, from the 3rd or 4th century C.E., has been theorized as containing the dative form
Baldruo,, pointing to a Latin nominative singular *
Baldruus, which some have identified with the Norse/Germanic god, although both the reading and this interpretation have been questioned.
Plants
As referenced in Gylfaginning
, in SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
and NorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a country in Northern Europe occupying the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, as well as Jan Mayen and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard under the Spitsbergen Treaty...
, the Scentless MayweedTripleurospermum inodorum is the type species of Tripleurospermum.Historically included the genus Matricaria, Tripleurospermum inodorum has been the subject of some controversy, with many revisions in recent years. The Flora Europaea uses Matricaria perforata for this species...
(Matricaria perforata
) and the similar Sea Mayweed (Matricaria maritima
) are both called Balder's brow
. In IcelandThe Republic of Iceland is a European island country located in the North Atlantic Ocean. It has a population of about 320,000 and a total area of 103,000 km². Its capital and largest city is Reykjavík, whose surrounding area is home to approximately two thirds of the national population...
only the latter is found.
Toponyms
There are few old place names in Scandinavia that contain the name Baldr
. The most certain and notable one is the (former) parish name Balleshol in Hedmark county, Norway: "a Balldrshole" 1356 (where the last element is hóll
m "mound; small hill"). Others may be (in NorseThe North Germanic languages or Scandinavian languages make up one of the three branches of the Germanic languages, a sub-family of the Indo-European languages, along with the West Germanic languages and the extinct East Germanic languages...
forms) Baldrsberg
in Vestfold county, Baldrsheimr
in Hordaland county Baldrsnes
in Sør-Trøndelag county — and (very uncertain) the fjord and municipality BalsfjordBalsfjord is a municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Storsteinnes.The municipality was originally a part of the greater Tromsøysund municipality, but it was separated from this in 1860...
in Troms county.
In BelgiumThe Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters, as well as those of other major international organizations, including NATO...
, the name Balder
is also used in dialect for a village called BerlaarBerlaar is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the towns of Berlaar proper and Gestel . On January 1, 2006 Berlaar had a total population of 10,612. The total area is 24.57 km² which gives a population density of 432 inhabitants per km²....
and in another village (Tielen-Location:Tielen is a village in Belgium. It lies in the northern part of the country in the province of Antwerp. The nearest town is the neighbouring town of Turnhout...
), the Balderij
is a street and a swampy area next to it.
Further reading
Murder and Vengeance Among the Gods: Baldr in Scandinavian Mythology. Suomalainen Tiedeakatemia. ISBN 9514108094.
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