Baldur’s curse originated in Norse mythology, where Baldur was the son of the All-Father Odin and the goddess Frigg. As he was beloved by all the gods, Frigg wished to protect him from any harm, and so she made an oath with all of the elements of nature to never harm him.
Unbeknownst to Frigg, there was one plant that she had failed to consider when making her oath – a small, obscure plant known as mistletoe. Loki, the Trickster, heard of this and decided he ought to take advantage of Baldur’s vulnerability.
He fashioned an arrow from mistletoe and gifted it to the blind god Hod, who then aimed it and fired at Baldur, killing him instantly. The gods were grief-stricken and attempted to reverse the curse, but were unable to revive Baldur, marking this tragic event as the end of Baldur’s life.
Who gave Baldur immortality?
Baldur was given his immortality by his father Odin, the AllFather God in the Norse Mythology. He was granted the gift after his mother Frigga, the goddess of love, begged Odin to give Baldur the gift of immortality so he may never suffer harm.
From a young age, Baldur was known as the most beloved of the gods, often being referred to as the “shining god” due to his beauty and graceful nature. Although Baldur was eventually killed despite his immortality, his death brought a great sadness to all the Gods, but also served as a reminder of why it is important to cherish things while we can.
His death is ultimately what brought about Ragnarok, the battle of the gods, which would eventually bring about the death of Odin and all the gods in Norse mythology.
Who made Baldur invulnerable?
Baldur was made invulnerable by the gods of Asgard. The gods were worried that something would happen to him, so they each blessed him with a protective charm. The goddess Frigg was the one who proposed the plan and the other gods agreed.
Frigg went around to each of them and asked them to bless an item and place it on Baldur so that he could not be hurt. Some of the items included a linen garment from the goddess of silver, iron gloves from the god of war, and a bracelet made of plants from the goddess of eternal youth.
Finally, Odin used his magical breath to make every single item charmed so that nothing could harm Baldur.
Who was really responsible for the death of Balder?
The death of the Norse God, Balder, is attributed to Loki, the trickster and mischief maker of the Norse pantheon. Although Loki had a hand in the death of the beloved Balder, he did not actually cause it.
The story begins when Frigg, Balder’s mother, who was the queen of the Aesir gods, has a vision of his death. She was distressed so she goes about asking all living creatures and even nonliving objects to swear not to harm her son.
The gods, who feel invincible in their immortality, think this is a great game. Loki, who was not included in this game and feels overlooked, decides to make it more interesting. He makes an oversight by not asking one living thing to swear an oath, a mistletoe, for he thinks it is too insignificant and harmless to cause harm to Balder.
Loki, with the help of Balder’s blind brother, contributes to his death by finding a loophole. He takes a branch of mistletoe and carves it into a dart and instructs Hod, Balder’s blind brother, to throw it at Balder.
Hod agrees, thinking the branch that Loki provided him with was harmless, unaware that this branch was what caused Balder’s death. Balder dies, pierced by the dart that was supposed to be harmless. Thus, instead of Balder’s death being solely caused by Loki, it was a combination of Frigg’s visions, the gods’ complacency, and Loki’s trickery.
How did Baldur become invincible in Norse mythology?
In Norse mythology, Baldur became invincible when all the gods made a promise never to harm him. Every god, giant, and being in the nine worlds of Norse mythology took an oath not to attempt any harm upon the Norse god of joy and innocence.
The gods accomplished this by using an unbreakable spell created by Odin, the father of all Norse gods. To cast this spell, Odin asked Frigg, Baldur’s mother, to go to each living thing and swear not to harm her son.
Every living thing took the oath except the mistletoe, which the goddess of love overlooked.
After this, Baldur was immune from most harm, although Loki, the god of mischief, was not convinced that Baldur truly was indestructible. To test this, Loki took the form of an old woman and gave Hod, Baldur’s blind brother, a sprig of mistletoe as a weapon.
Hod threw the mistletoe and it pierced Baldur’s chest and killed him instantly.
Although Baldur was made invincible by the gods, his accidental death created a rift between the Norse gods and giants. This ultimately lead to the apocalyptic ending known as Ragnarök, where betrayal, deception, death, and destruction reigned over the nine worlds of the Norse gods.
Why did mistletoe hurt Baldur?
Mistletoe hurt Baldur because of a prophecy that Loki heard. The prophecy stated that Baldur would die if a branch of mistletoe ever touched him. Loki felt jealous of Baldur’s immaculate and beloved nature and wanted to bring death to him.
So Loki tricked Baldur’s blind brother, Hod, into throwing a sprig of mistletoe at Baldur, and it struck him in the chest, proving the prophecy correct. Baldur died from the sprig hitting him, thus fulfilling the prophecy.
How did Baldur become immortal?
Baldur, also known as Balder, was the Norse god of joy, beauty, purity, and sunlight. He was the son of Odin, the chief god of the Norse pantheon, and the giantess, Frigg. He was renowned for his good looks, kindness, and gentleness, and was beloved by both gods and mortals alike.
When Baldur was a child, his mother Frigg made all the plants and animals on Earth to swear an oath that they would spare him from harm, making him immune to all harm by natural means. This made him invincible and immortal.
However, one of the living creatures that Frigg had forgotten to ask was mistletoe, which was so young and seemingly harmless that she didn’t think it was worth asking. Loki, the sly god of mischief, enchanted a sprig of mistletoe into a dart and convinced Baldur’s blind brother, Hod, to throw it at him.
Blinded by his lack of vision, Hod unknowingly followed Loki’s instructions, and the mistletoe struck Baldur’s chest, killing him instantly.
The death of Baldur was a great tragedy for the gods, and after much lamenting, Frigg asked all the living creatures to weep for Baldur to bring him back to life. The gods agreed to this suggestion and even the cold rocks wept for Baldur, and his life was restored.
Frigg then declared that Baldur should have an extra layer of protection and declared him truly immortal. From that day on, Baldur was not only invulnerable to his enemies and nature, but he also could not die.
What was Baldur’s weakness?
Baldur was a major figure in Norse mythology and his defining characteristic was his invulnerability to all weapons, making it impossible for him to be harmed or killed. However, his weakness was ultimately revealed to be mistletoe due to a malicious plot by the tricksy god Loki.
According to the story, all the gods had taken an oath to never use any weapons or harm Baldur in any way, as a demonstration of their love for him, but Loki managed to manipulate Baldur’s mother, Frigg, to extract a promise from all plants, animals, and stones not to harm Baldur in any way.
They all agreed, except for mistletoe, which the gods deemed too sickly and insubstantial to pose any threat. In a moment of spiteful cunning, Loki crafted a spear out of mistletoe and gave it to the blind god Hodr to use against Baldur in a game.
What Loki had not counted on was that Hodr was a devoted brother to Baldur and, when he was told of the plot, agreed to do it anyway, having faith that the mistletoe would be harmless. Sadly, this was not the case, and the spear struck Baldur, killing him instantly.
Thus Mistletoe became his ultimate weakness, the one thing that could break through his invulnerability and harm him.
What did Freya do to Baldur?
Freya tricked Baldur into a game of “test my courage”, and dared him to stand in a certain spot while Huginn and Muninn (the two ravens of Odin) flew around him in circles. This was an insidious trick; the spot was in fact the entrance to Hel, and when Baldur stepped in, he was trapped.
Eventually, Frey and Odin were able to negotiate Baldur’s release, but the plan was a success and Baldur never emerged from the Underworld.
Why was Balder killed?
Balder was killed because of a tragic misunderstanding between the gods. Balder had a premonition that he was doomed to die and asked all the beings in the universe to swear to never hurt him. All, except one, complied to the request.
Loki was given permission to never swear an oath of loyalty as he was told that he would never break it.
In secret, Loki found a magical mistletoe branch and created a dart from it. He tricked the god Hodur into throwing it at Balder and eventually killing him. Balder was killed, not out of intentional malice or revenge, but due to a misunderstanding.
Hodur did not know Loki had tricked him and Thor had no oppurtunity to stop his brother from killing Balder. Balder’s death deeply impacted the gods and lead to internal strife from which the gods were unable to reconcile.
What did Odin do to Loki for killing Baldr?
Odin punished Loki for killing Baldr by binding him in a cave with the entrails of his son Nari and placing a serpent above his head that dripped venom onto his face. He was denied food and drink and had to stay there until Ragnarok.
Additionally, Odin’s wife, Frigg, placed a special spell on Loki that ensured he would suffer from the venom dripping onto his face. Some gods also threw a rock at Loki, emphasizing their disdain for the heinous deed.
Ultimately, Loki’s punishment for killing Baldr helped illustrate the severity of the crime and the importance of justice and morality in Norse culture.
Why is the death of Balder so famous?
The death of Balder is one of the most famous myths in Norse mythology. Balder was the favorite son of Odin and Frigg, the god and goddess of Norse mythology. He was the god of light, joy, and innocence, but was destined to die a tragic death.
Balder’s death was seen as a great tragedy because he represented good and innocence in Norse mythology, and his untimely demise was seen as a symbol of how fragile and short life can be.
The story of Balder’s death is both compelling and heart-breaking. According to the myth, Balder had been blessed with invulnerability due to a spell cast by his mother Frigg. This spell made him immune from all weapons and vice, but was not complete as Frigg had forgotten to ask the mistletoe plant for protection.
The god Loki, knowing about this flaw, tricked the blind god Hod into throwing a mistletoe dart at Balder, killing him instantly.
After Balder’s death, the other gods in Asgard mourned his loss, as did all the people who celebrated him. He had been a beacon of innocence and goodness, and his death was seen as a great tragedy. The death of Balder became an important part of Norse mythology and was a reminder to everyone of the fragility of life.
Balder’s death is still remembered today and is often used to illustrate how deeply sorrow and sadness can be felt when a loved one passes away.
How did Freya make Baldur invincible?
In Norse mythology, Freya used her power of magic to make Baldur Invincible. She used a magical charm which caused a spell to be cast upon him that made him immune to all weapons, including stone, metal, fire, and water.
Freya travelled to all four corners of the world and collected a piece of every element and mixed them together in a great cauldron. Once the mix was prepared, she poured the liquid over Baldur. This magical potion made him impervious to all forms of harm, and thus making him invincible.
Freya also asked every living thing in the land not to harm Baldur with any weapon or object, so that he could be safe from anything that could harm him.
Why didn’t Freya remove Baldur’s curse?
Freya was unable to remove Baldur’s curse as it was put in place by Loki with the assistance of the other Norse Gods. He purchased the assistance of the blind god, Hodr, by promising him his own godly status should the curse be successful.
This was the only way Loki was able to gain permission to carry out the curse. When Freya offered Loki gold and other treasures in exchange for lifting the curse off of Baldur, Loki refused. Knowing that trying to beat Loki in a battle of wits or strength was futile, Freya was forced to accept the gods’ decision and thus Baldur was never freed from the curse.
How did Loki trick god into killing Baldr?
Loki tricked the blind god, Höðr, into killing Baldr by giving him a magical spear made of mistletoe. This spear was the only weapon that could cause harm to Baldr, as all other objects had sworn an oath not to harm him.
Loki then convinced the unsuspecting Höðr to throw the spear at Baldr by offering to guide his aim, knowing that it would result in Baldr’s death. The plan worked and Baldr was killed. This trick angered the gods and put Loki in an awkward position with the other gods, resulting in him becoming an outcast from Asgard.
