the death of balder

The Death of Balder

The background

This background image is

of Balder burning on his funeral boat after being killed by Loki. This was one of the only relevant images of Balder.

Pop Culture Reference

Retelling

Point of the story

"The Death of Balder" doesn't appear to have a lesson in the traditional sense, such as teaching people not to be jealous. The tale appears to exist simply for the continuity of the tales of the gods and for the entertainment of the people. Though one could say that it is actually telling the reader that we all make mistakes even the gods.

The death of Balder is a Nordic myth that relates to the end of the world. it begins when Balder has a dream of his impending death. Alarmed, his mother Frigga proceeds to make everything in the world swear an oath that they would not harm Balder. At that point Balder was indestructible as there was nothing in the world that would harm him. when the other gods figured this out they made a game out of throwing stones and other potentially dangerous objects at him and laughing hysterically as they did no harm to him. Balder's new found fame attracted the attention of the god of mischief, Loki. Loki quickly grew jealous of Balder's fame and devised a plan to get back at him. he begins by disguising himself as a woman and befriending Frigga, after talking to Frigga for some time he is able to get her to admit that there is actually one thing that can kill Balder. It is a bush of mistletoe that grows just outside her palace. armed with this knowledge Loki retrieves the bush and sharpens one of the branches and gives it to Balder's blind brother Hodor who has nothing to throw at Balder. overjoyed at the prospect of being able to participate in the gods game he promptly throws his sharpened twig at Balder. the twig goes right through Balder's heart and kills him. Despairing over the death of their beloved friend, the gods begin to plot against Loki. shortly after Balder's death the gods ride down to Nifelheim to bargain for the soul of their Friend. Once there they are promised Balder's soul if they can get everything in the world to weep for Balder. The gods send out messengers and are able to get everything in the world to weep except for one female giant. The giant turns out to be Loki in disguise. After discovering Loki the gods proceed to chase him to a river where he attempts to flee by turning himself into a trout and swimming up stream. Unfortunately for him Thor was able to catch him and transform him back into a god. once captured Loki was locked in a cell far bellow the surface of the world where he was restrained and has snake venom dripped onto his eyes until Ragnarok.

Works Cited

"10 Most Powerful Norse Gods." Top Ten Lists Atom. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2013.

"The Death of Balder." About.com Ancient / Classical History. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2013.

"Norse Mythology." Norse Mythology. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2013.