2. Baldr
Baldr is the pretty boy of the gods, the original poster child for the Vikings. Baldr is the son of Odin and Frigg and is considered to be the god of light, joy, purity, beauty, innocence, and reconciliation. With those credentials, it is no surprise to learn that he was considered the best of the gods and was loved by gods and men. His lack of power was compensated by his good character, described as friendly, wise and eloquent. Baldr’s wife was Nanna and their son was Foresti, the god of justice.
The majority of stories which surround Baldr are associated with his death. For some time Baldr had dreamed of his death. Hoping to calm her son, Frigg extracted an oath from every creature, object, and force in nature. The oath takers promised never to harm Baldr. The invincibility of Baldr led the gods to use him as a target practice for knife-throwing and archery. Unfortunately for Baldr, good looks and a winning personality come with their cost, most notably, jealousy.
The trickster Loki was jealous of Baldr, and he managed to extract information from Frigg about Baldr’s invincibility. The information stated that Frigg had decided not to ask the mistletoe plant to take the oath. Frigg believed the plant to be too small and insignificant to ask for an oath. Loki did not waste any time and rushed to the west, grabbed the mistletoe and tricked Baldr’s blind twin brother into throwing a mistletoe dart at Baldr. Guided by Loki, the dart pierced Baldr’s heart and he died.
Baldr’s wife died of a broken heart and was placed next to him on his funeral pyre. The pyre was placed on Ringhorn, the largest ship in the world, alongside Baldr’s horse and his treasure. The ship was set on fire and sent to sea by the giantess Hyrrokin. Baldr will return when a new world arises from the ashes of the battle between good and evil, known as Ragnarok.