When he arrived, he found his brother, pale and grim, sitting in the seat of honor next to Hel. Hermod, another one of Odin’s many sons, agreed to make this journey, and, mounting Odin’s steed, Sleipnir, he rode down the world-tree until he came to its dark and damp roots, wherein lies Hel’s abode. The anguished gods then ordained that one of them should go to the underworld to see if there was any way Baldur could be retrieved from the clutches of the death goddess, Hel. The projectile pierced the god, and he fell down dead. Loki straightaway made a spear from the mistletoe and convinced the blind god Hodr to throw it at Baldur. She casually answered that she had thought the mistletoe to be too small and harmless a thing to bother asking for such a promise. He inquired of Frigg whether she had overlooked anything whatsoever in her quest to obtain oaths. ![]() Loki, the guileful trickster of the gods, sensed an opportunity for mischief. Confident in Baldur’s invincibility, the gods amused themselves by throwing weapons and any random thing they could find at Baldur and watching them bounce off of him, leaving him utterly unscathed. When Baldur began to have dreams of his death, Frigg went around to everything in the world and secured from each of them an oath to not harm her son. This tale can be briefly summarized as follows: From this treatise on mythology and poetics comes the most complete account we have of the primary tale concerning Baldur, the story of his death and resurrection. This literary source is the Prose Edda of the medieval Icelandic scholar Snorri Sturluson. But as we’ll see below, Baldur may not have been as innocent and passive as he’s portrayed to be in the late Old Norse literary source that provides the most extensive description of the god and the tales in which he features. The most straightforward – and probably correct – explanation, however, is that his name comes from the Old Norse word baldr, “bold.” Scholars have been reluctant to accept this explanation due to its implication of a warlike character for Baldur. Numerous possibilities have been proposed, including a derivation from the Proto-Indo-European root *bhel- (“white”), Old Norse bál, “fire,” or a hypothesized word for “lord” common to various Germanic languages. The meaning and etymology of his name are uncertain and have been the topic of intense scholarly debate. So handsome, gracious, and cheerful is he that he actually gives off light. He’s loved by all the gods, goddesses, and beings of a more physical nature. ![]() He’s the son of Odin and Frigg, the husband of the obscure goddess Nanna, and the father of the god Forseti. “Each Arrow Overshot His Head” by Elmer Boyd Smith (1902)īaldur (pronounced “BALD-er ” Old Norse Baldr, Old English and Old High German Balder) is one of the Aesir gods. Book Review: Neil Price’s The Viking Way: Magic and Mind in Late Iron Age Scandinavia.Who Were the Indo-Europeans and Why Do They Matter?.The Swastika – Its Ancient Origins and Modern (Mis)use.The Old Norse Language and How to Learn It.The 10 Best Advanced Norse Mythology Books.The Vikings’ Conversion to Christianity.That then opens up the possibility of God of War games set in Egyptian, Chinese or Mayan cultures as teased by director Dory Barlog and shown in Tyr's vault. The events of that could see Kratos thrown back in time to eventually become Tyr in the past. And, not only does the world serpent mention someone looking familiar when they initially meet, but the true end of the game suggests Ragnarök is near. So how could this be possible? When Mimir talks about how the events of Ragnarök sent the world serpent back in time, Kratos scoffs very noticeably. Atreus also links the two gods at one point by saying that both Tyr and Kratos are good, unlike almost all the other gods. Tyr also helpfully leaves a puzzle behind for Kratos that only Mimir can solve, almost as if Tyr knew he'd be there. ![]() ![]() Instead, there are a lot of interesting clues: Tyr was a big friend of the giants, which you would be if your son was one. He's also suspiciously nowhere to be seen in the game. He's also meant to be wise, peaceful and is clearly presented as everything Kratos is trying to be. Tyr has a vase with Kratos on and some wine from his homeland, for example. The fact that Kratos might be the Norse god of war Tyr is something the game seems to suggest several times.
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