Baldr (modern Icelandic and Faroese Baldur. Icelandic ( is a North Germanic language, the language of Iceland. Faroese ( føroyskt ˈføːɹɪst or) often also spelled Faeroese (cf Balder is the name in modern Norwegian, Swedish and Danish and sometimes an anglicized form) is, in Norse Mythology, a god in Germanic paganism and is Odin's second son. Norwegian ( norsk) is a North Germanic Language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is an official language Swedish ( is a North Germanic language spoken by more than nine million people predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along the Danish ( d̥ænsɡ̊ is one of the North Germanic languages (also called Scandinavian languages a sub-group of the Germanic branch of the The Orthography of the Old Norse language since the introduction of the Latin alphabet in Iceland was varied historically Norse mythology comprises the indigenous pre-Christian religion, beliefs and Legends of the Scandinavian peoples including those who settled on Iceland Germanic paganism refers to the religious beliefs of the Germanic peoples preceding Christianization. Odin (ˈoʊdɪn from Old Norse Óðinn) is considered the chief god in Norse paganism.
In the 12th century, Danish accounts by Saxo Grammaticus and other Danish Latin chroniclers recorded a euhemerized account of the story. "Saxo" redirects here For the car see Citroën Saxo and for the bank see Saxo Bank Saxo Grammaticus (c Euhemerus (Εὐήμερος (working late fourth century BC was a Greek mythographer at the court of Cassander, the king of Macedon. Compiled in Iceland in the 13th century but based on much older Old Norse poetry, the Poetic Edda and, based largely on it, the Prose Edda were compiled and contain numerous references the death of Baldr as both a great tragedy to the Æsir but also a harbinger of Ragnarök. Old Norse poetry encompasses a range of verse forms written in Old Norse, during the period from the 8th century (see Eggjum stone) to as late as the far The Poetic Edda is a collection of Old Norse poems primarily preserved in the Icelandic mediaeval Manuscript Codex Regius. The Prose Edda, also known as the Younger Edda, Snorri's Edda ( Snorra Edda) or simply Edda, is an In Old Norse, áss (or ǫ́ss ás, plural æsir, feminine ásynja, feminine plural ásynjur) is the term denoting one of the principal In Norse mythology, Ragnarök (rɑgnɑrɔk Old Norse "Final destiny of the gods" refers to a series of major events including a great battle foretold
According to Gylfaginning, a book of Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda, Baldr's wife is Nanna and their son is Forseti. Gylfaginning, or the Tricking of Gylfi (c 20000 words is the first part of Snorri Sturluson 's Prose Edda after Snorri Sturluson (1178 – September 23, 1241) was an Icelandic historian poet and politician Nanna is a Goddess in Norse mythology, the daughter of Nepr and wife of Baldr (Balder For the folk music band see Forseti (band. Forseti ( Old Norse "the presiding one" actually " President In Gylfanning, Snorri also relates that Baldr had the greatest ship ever built, named Hringhorni, and that there is no place more beautiful than his hall, Breidablik. In Norse mythology, Hringhorni is the name of the ship of Baldr, described as the "greatest of all ships" In Norse mythology, Breiðablik ( Broad-gleaming) is the home of Baldr.
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Merseburg Incantations
One of the two Merseburg Incantations names Balder, and it also features mention of a figure named Phol. The Merseburg Incantations (die Merseburger Zaubersprüche are two medieval magic spells charms or Incantations written in Old High German. It has been theorized that Phol may therefore be another name for Baldr. [1]
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 Völva sees and describes in the prophecy known as the Völuspá is one of the fatal mistletoe. A Völva (also Vala, Spákona) is a priestess in Norse paganism, and a recurring motif in Norse mythology. Völuspá ( Prophecy of the Völva) is the first and best known poem of the Poetic Edda. Yet looking far into the future the Völva sees a brighter vision of a new world.
Prose Edda
In Gylfaginning, Baldr is described as follows.
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Apart from this description Baldr is known primarily for the myth surrounding 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 Ragnarok. In Norse mythology, Ragnarök (rɑgnɑrɔk Old Norse "Final destiny of the gods" refers to a series of major events including a great battle foretold Baldr will be reborn in the new world, according to Völuspá. Völuspá ( Prophecy of the Völva) is the first and best known poem of the Poetic Edda.
He had a dream of his own death (or his mother had the same dreams). Since dreams were usually prophetic, this depressed him, and his mother Frigg made every object on earth vow never to hurt Baldr. Frigg (or Frigga) is a major goddess in Norse paganism, a subset of Germanic paganism. A vow ( Lat votum, vow promise see Vote) is a promise or Oath. All objects made this vow except mistletoe. Mistletoe is the common name for a group of hemi-parasitic Plants in the order Santalales that grow attached to and within the [4] Frigg had thought it too unimportant and nonthreatening to bother asking it to make the vow (alternatively, it seemed too young to swear).
When Loki, the mischief-maker, heard of this, he made a magical spear from this plant (in some later versions, an arrow). In Cryptography, LOKI89 and LOKI91 are Block ciphers designed as possible replacements for the Data Encryption Standard (DES 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 Höðr, who then inadvertently killed his brother with it (other versions suggest that Loki guided the arrow himself). Höðr (often anglicized as Hod) is the brother of Baldr in Norse mythology. For this act, Odin and the giantess Rindr gave birth to Váli who grew to adulthood within a day and slew Höðr. In Norse mythology, Váli is a son of the god Odin and the giantess Rindr. [5]
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. Vafþrúðnir ( Old Norse "mighty weaver" is a wise Jötunn in Norse mythology. In Norse mythology, Vafþrúðnismál ( Vafþrúðnir 's sayings) is the third poem in the Poetic Edda. The riddle also appears in the riddles of Gestumblindi in Hervarar saga. Gestumblindi was a character in Norse mythology who appears in both Hervarar saga and in Saxo Grammaticus ( Gestiblindus) Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks is a Legendary saga from the 13th century combining matter from several older sagas [6]
The dwarf Litr was kicked by Thor into the funeral fire and burnt alive. In Norse mythology Litr (often anglicized as Lit, confer Icelandic litur) which means "colour" is a name borne by a Thor ( Old Norse: Þórr) is the red-haired and bearded God of Thunder in Germanic paganism and its subset Norse paganism Nanna, Baldr's wife, also threw herself on the funeral fire to await the end of 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 giantess, who came riding on a wolf and gave the ship such a push that fire flashed from the rollers and all the earth shook. In Norse mythology, Hyrrokkin ("Fire-Smoked" possibly referring to a dark shrivelled appearance
Upon Frigg's entreaties, delivered through the messenger Hermod, Hel promised to release Baldr from the underworld if all objects alive and dead would weep for him. Hermóðr the Brave ( Old Norse "war-spirit" is a figure in Norse mythology. See also Death in Norse paganism In Norse mythology, Hel (sometimes Anglicized or Latinized as Hela) is the ruler of Hel, the Norse And all did, except a giantess, Þökk, who refused to mourn the slain god. Þökk ( Old Norse "Thanks" is a giantess in Norse mythology, presumed to be Loki in disguise who refuses to weep for the slain 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 giantess had been Loki in disguise, they hunted him down and bound him to three rocks. In Cryptography, LOKI89 and LOKI91 are Block ciphers designed as possible replacements for the Data Encryption Standard (DES Then they tied a serpent above him, the venom of which dripped onto his face. His wife Sigyn 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. Sigyn ( Old Norse "victorious girl-friend" is a goddess and wife of Loki in Norse mythology. He would free himself, however, in time to attack the gods at Ragnarok.
Gesta Danorum
Writing about the end of the 12th century, the Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus tells the story of Baldr (recorded as Balderus) in a form which professes to be historical. "Saxo" redirects here For the car see Citroën Saxo and for the bank see Saxo Bank Saxo Grammaticus (c According to him, Balderus and Høtherus were rival suitors for the hand of Nanna, daughter of Gewar, King of Norway. Now Balderus was a demigod and common steel 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 sword, named Mistletoe[7], which he had received from Miming, the satyr of the woods; and after lingering three days in pain Balderus died of his injury and was buried with royal honours in a barrow. The term magic sword refers to any kind of mythological or Fictional Sword imbued with magical power to increase its strength or grant it other Mistletoe is the common name for a group of hemi-parasitic Plants in the order Santalales that grow attached to and within the
Chronicon Lethrense and Annales Lundenses
There are also two less known Danish Latin chronicles, the Chronicon Lethrense and the Annales Lundenses of which the latter is included in the former. Chronicon Lethrense ( Danish: Lejrekrøniken English: Chronicle of Lejre /Leire) is a small Danish medieval work from the These two sources provide a second euhemerized account of Höðr's slaying of Baldr.
It relates that Hother was the king of the Saxons and son of Hothbrod and the daughter of Hadding. The Saxons or Saxon people were a Confederation of Old Germanic tribes. Hothbrodd was a legendary Norse hero details of whose life appear in several related variations The Haddingjar refers on the one hand to legends about two brothers by this name and on the other hand to possibly related legends based on the Hasdingi, the royal dynasty 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. , apparently contains the dative form Baldruo,[8], pointing to a Latin nominative singular *Baldruus, which some have identified with the Norse/Germanic god,[9] although both the reading and this interpretation have been questioned. [10][11]
Eponyms
Plants
As referenced in Gylfaginning, in Sweden and Norway, the Scentless Mayweed (Matricaria perforata) and the similar Sea Mayweed (Matricaria maritima) are both called Balder's brow. Tripleurospermum inodorum is the Type species of Tripleurospermum. Tripleurospermum inodorum is the Type species of Tripleurospermum. "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional Tripleurospermum inodorum is the Type species of Tripleurospermum. [12] In Iceland only the latter is found. Iceland, officially the Republic of Iceland ( ( Ísland or Lýðveldið Ísland ( [12]
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 Norse forms) Baldrsberg in Vestfold county, Baldrsheimr in Hordaland county Baldrsnes in Sør-Trøndelag county — and (very uncertain) the fjord and municipality Balsfjord in Troms county. The 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 Balsfjord is a municipality in the county of Troms, Norway. The municipality was originally a part of the greater Tromsøysund
In Belgium, the name Balder is also used in dialect for a village called Berlaar and in another village (Tielen), the Balderij is a street and a swampy area next to it. The 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 Berlaar is a Municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. For Tielen in Germany see Tielen Germany Location Tielen is a village in Belgium.
Geology
The Balder Formation is a prominent marker within the North Sea Sedimentary Basin. It is a layer of volcanic tuff of Early Eocene Age, and is present throughout the Northern and Central North Sea. Tuff (from the Italian "tufo" is a type of rock consisting of consolidated volcanic ash ejected from vents during a volcanic eruption The Eocene epoch (558 ± 02 - 339 ± 01 Ma) is a major division of the Geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Palaeogene period in [Ref].
The Balder Oil Field is a small field in the Norwegian North Sea discovered in 1967 which started production n 1999. Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional North Sea oil refers to oil and Natural gas ( Hydrocarbons produced from Oil reservoirs beneath the North Sea. It is operated by Exxon Mobil Ref
Analogues
The legendary death of Baldr resembles the legendary death of the Persian hero Esfandyar in the epic Shahnameh. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. Esfandiar (also known as Esfandyar or Asfandyar and in اسفنديار) is a legendary Iranian hero Shāhnāmé, or Shāhnāma ((alternative spellings are Shahnama Shahnameh Shahname Shah-Nama, etc In Finnish mythology, Lemminkäinen shares just the same kind of fate as Baldr: to be killed by a blind one at the feast of gods. Lemminkäinen or Lemminki is a prominent figure in Finnish mythology. Baldr has also been likened to Jesus, as C. S. Lewis did when he said he "loved Balder before Christ" (Surprised by Joy). Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963 Baldr, a god of light, shares some of Jesus' traits as a youthful "dying and rising" god, who returns after Ragnarok, the end of the world (comparable to the Christian Apocalypse) to usher in a new era of peace. The category life-death-rebirth deity also known as a "dying-and-rising" or "Resurrection" Deity is a convenient means of classifying the many divinities In Norse mythology, Ragnarök (rɑgnɑrɔk Old Norse "Final destiny of the gods" refers to a series of major events including a great battle foretold It may also be compared, at a stretch, to the murder of Osiris by Set in Egyptian mythology. Osiris ( Greek language, also Usiris; the Egyptian language name is variously transliterated Asar, Aser, Ausar, Ausir Ancient Egyptian religion encompasses the various religious beliefs and rituals practiced in Ancient Egypt from the predynastic period until the adoption of Christianity Parallels with Mithras have also been proposed. The Mithraic Mysteries or Mysteries of Mithras (also Mithraism) was a Roman mystery religion which became popular among the military in the late [13]
References
- ^ Calvin, Thomas. 'An Anthology of German Literature', D. C. Heath & co. ASIN: B0008BTK3E,B00089RS3K. P5-6.
- ^ An online edition of the Old Norse text.
- ^ Gylfaginning, XXII
- ^ Colum, Padraic (1920). The Children of Odin. Aladdin Paperbacks. ISBN 0689868855.
- ^ Gylfaginning, XLIX
- ^ According to Carolyne Larrington in her translation of the Poetic Edda it is assumed that what Odin whispered in Baldr's ear was a promise of resurrection.
- ^ Davidson, H. R. Ellis, Gods and Myths of Northern Europe, Pelican Books 1964
- ^ Gutenbrunner, Siegfried (1936). Die germanischen Götternamen der antiken Inschriften. Max Niemeyer Verlag. , p. 210 & pp. 218-20.
- ^ North, Richard (1997). Heathen Gods in Old English Literature. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521551838. , p. 126.
- ^ Vermeyden, Pamela & Quak, Arend (2000). Van Ægir tot Ymir: personages en thema's uit de Germaanse en Noordse mythologie. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 906168661X. , p. 43.
- ^ Helm, Karl (1976). Balder, in Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde. Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. , p. 2.
- ^ a b Den virtuella floran (in Swedish)
- ^ Iran Culture and Information Center
Further reading
- Lindow, John (1997). Murder and Vengeance Among the Gods: Baldr in Scandinavian Mythology. Suomalainen Tiedeakatemia. See also Finnish Society of Sciences and Letters The Finnish Academy of Science and Letters ( Finnish Suomalainen Tiedeakatemia; Latin ISBN 9514108094.
External links
- Viktor Rydberg, "Teutonic Mythology: Gods and Goddesses of the Northland"
- W. Wagner, "Asgard and the Home of the Gods"
- H. A. Guerber, "Myths of Northern Lands"
- Peter Andreas Munch, "Norse Mythology: Legends of Gods and Heroes"
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