The Myths of the Norsemen: From the Eddas and Sagas on Balder

Contents > Chapter Xxi: Balder

• attestation: Balder and Hodur were twin sons of Odin and Frigga; Hodur was blind and embodied darkness, while Balder the Beautiful embodied innocence and light.

  "To Odin and Frigga, we are told, were born twin sons as dissimilar in character and physical appearance as it was possible for two children to be. Hodur, god of darkness, was sombre, taciturn, and blind, like the obscurity of sin, which he was supposed to symbolise, while his brother Balder, the beautiful, was worshipped as the pure and radiant god of innocence and light."

• attestation: Balder dwelt in the palace Breidablik with a silver roof on golden pillars; he lived there with his wife Nanna, daughter of Nip.

  "He took up his abode in the palace of Breidablik, whose silver roof rested upon golden pillars, and whose purity was such that nothing common or unclean was ever allowed within its precincts, and here he lived in perfect unity with his young wife Nanna (blossom), the daughter of Nip (bud), a beautiful and charming goddess."

• attestation: Balder was skilled in runes and knowledge of medicinal herbs; the camomile plant was called 'Balder's brow' because its flower resembled his immaculate forehead.

  "The god of light was well versed in the science of runes, which were carved on his tongue; he knew the various virtues of simples, one of which, the camomile, was called "Balder's brow," because its flower was as immaculately pure as his forehead."

• attestation: Balder began experiencing dark and oppressive dreams that left him with vague fear upon waking; Odin and Frigga were troubled by these premonitions.

  "Balder, yielding at last to their anxious entreaties, confessed that his slumbers, instead of being peaceful and restful as of yore, had been strangely troubled of late by dark and oppressive dreams, which, although he could not clearly remember them when he awoke, constantly haunted him with a vague feeling of fear."

• attestation: The Vala prophesied that Balder was destined to be slain by his blind brother Hodur, and that Vali — a son Odin would have with Rinda — would avenge him.

  "the prophetess confirmed all his fears by telling him that the expected guest was Balder, who was destined to be slain by Hodur, his brother, the blind god of darkness... Rinda, the earth-goddess, would bear a son to Odin, and that Vali, as this child would be named, would neither wash his face nor comb his hair until he had avenged upon Hodur the death of Balder."

• attestation: The gods built Balder's funeral pyre on his dragon-ship Ringhorn, decorated with tapestry, flowers, weapons, golden rings, and his most precious possessions.

  "the gods hewed and carried down to the shore a vast amount of fuel, which they piled upon the deck of Balder's dragon-ship, Ringhorn, constructing an elaborate funeral pyre. According to custom, this was decorated with tapestry hangings, garlands of flowers, vessels and weapons of all kinds, golden rings, and countless objects of value"

• attestation: The gods could not launch Balder's ship Ringhorn until the giantess Hyrrokin arrived from Jotunheim mounted on a wolf bridled with writhing snakes.

  "they knew of a giantess called Hyrrokin, who dwelt in Jótun-heim, and was strong enough to launch the vessel without any other aid... she soon appeared, mounted upon a gigantic wolf, which she guided by a bridle made of writhing snakes."

• attestation: Balder's funeral ship burned as it drifted out to sea, lighting up sky and waves; when it finally sank beyond the horizon the world fell into darkness in mourning.

  "The great ship now drifted out to sea, and the flames from the pyre presented a magnificent spectacle, which assumed a greater glory with every passing moment, until, when the vessel neared the western horizon, it seemed as if sea and sky were on fire."

• attestation: After Balder's death the gods entered Asgard in sorrow, filled with dread of the coming Fimbul-winter and the end of all things; only Frigga retained hope.

  "Sadly the gods entered Asgard, where no sounds of merriment or feasting greeted the ear, for all hearts were filled with anxious concern for the end of all things which was felt to be imminent. And truly the thought of the terrible Fimbul-winter, which was to herald their death, was one well calculated to disquiet the gods."

• attestation: Balder told Hermod he must remain in Hel's realm until the last day; Nanna refused to leave and vowed to stay with her husband even in Niflheim.

  "Balder shook his head sadly, saying that he knew he must remain in his cheerless abode until the last day should come... But when Nanna heard this request she clung more closely to her husband's side, vowing that nothing would ever induce her to part from him, and that she would stay with him for ever, even in Nifl-heim."

• attestation: Balder was condemned to remain in Hel's realm, betrayed by Loki, until the day of Ragnarok.

  ""Balder, the Beautiful, shall ne'er From Hel return to upper air! Betrayed by Loki, twice betrayed, The prisoner of Death is made; Ne'er shall he 'scape the place of doom Till fatal Ragnarok be come!""

• attestation: The myth of Balder's death is explained as representing either the daily setting of the sun driven away by darkness, or the ending of the short Norse summer by winter.

  "The physical explanation of this myth is to be found either in the daily setting of the sun (Balder), which sinks beneath the western waves, driven away by darkness (Hodur), or in the ending of the short Northern summer and the long reign of the winter season."

• attestation: Balder and Hodur symbolize good and evil respectively, with Loki as the tempter who guides the blind Hodur's murderous hand.

  "The ethical signification of the myth is no less beautiful, for Balder and Hodur are symbols of the conflicting forces of good and evil, while Loki impersonates the tempter."

• attestation: The midsummer festival held in Balder's honor was later transferred to the Christian feast of St. John's Day, with bonfires lit on the summer solstice.

  "One of the most important festivals was held at the summer solstice, or midsummer's eve, in honour of Balder the good, for it was considered the anniversary of his death and of his descent into the lower world. On that day, the longest in the year, the people congregated out of doors, made great bonfires."

• attestation: After midsummer (Balder's death day), the days gradually grew shorter until the winter solstice, called 'Mother Night' as the longest night of the year.

  "From midsummer, the days gradually grow shorter, and the sun's rays less warm, until the winter solstice, which was called the "Mother night," as it was the longest night in the year."

Contents > Chapter Xxvii: The Story Of Frithiof

• attestation: After accidentally burning Balder's temple, Frithiof exiled himself as a viking, distributing all booty to his men; he visited many lands including Greece.

  "After thus parting from his native land, Frithiof roved the sea as a pirate, or viking. His code was never to settle anywhere, to sleep on his shield, to fight and neither give nor take quarter, to protect the ships which paid him tribute and to plunder the others, and to distribute all the booty to his men, reserving for himself nothing but the glory of the enterprise."

• attestation: Frithiof found Balder's image prone in flames; horror-stricken at the sacrilege he had inadvertently caused, he tried but failed to extinguish the blaze and then escaped to his ship.

  "Frithiof, horror-stricken at the sacrilege which he had involuntarily occasioned, vainly tried to extinguish the flames and save the costly sanctuary, but finding his efforts unavailing he escaped to his ship and resolved upon the weary life of an outcast and exile."

• attestation: In Tegner's version, Frithiof built a splendid new temple for Balder as atonement for accidentally burning the old one; the new temple surpassed the old in splendor.

  "he grudged neither wealth nor pains until a glorious temple and grove, which far exceeded the splendour of the old shrine, rose out of the ruins."

• attestation: While Frithiof's temple was being built, King Helge was killed on a raid when a stone idol fell on him after he tried to pull open its gate.

  "King Helgé was absent upon a foray amongst the Finnish mountains. One day it chanced that his band passed by a crag where stood the lonely shrine of some forgotten god... Heavily he fell upon the head of the intruder, and Helgé stretched his length upon the rocky floor, nor stirred again."

• attestation: Frithiof and Halfdan were reconciled at Balder's new temple; Halfdan gave Frithiof Ingeborg's hand as his bride, ending their enmity.

  "But Halfdan first crossed the threshold, his faltering gait showing plainly that he feared an unfriendly reception. Seeing this, Frithiof unbuckled his sword and strode frankly to Halfdan with hand outstretched, whereupon the king, blushing deeply, grasped heartily the proffered hand, and from that moment all their differences were forgotten. The next moment Ingeborg approached and the renewed amity of the long-sundered friends was ratified with the hand of the bride"