Baldur was the son of Odin and Frigga; he was the most gentle and lovely

of all the gods. His beautiful palace in Asgard was bright and spotless;

no evil creature could enter there; no one who had wrong thoughts could

stay in that palace of love and truth.



At last, after the bright summer was over, for many days Baldur had

looked sad and troubled. Some of the Aesir saw it, but most of all, his

loving, watchful mother, Frigga. Baldur could not bear to worry his

mother, so he kept his sorrow to himself, saying nothing about it; but

at last Frigga drew his secret from him, and then his friends knew that

Baldur had had dreams which told of coming trouble, dreams of his

leaving all his friends and going away from Asgard, to dwell in another

land.



Odin and Frigga, fearing the dreams might come true and they must lose

their beloved son, began to think what they could do to prevent it.



Then the loving mother said, "I will make all things in the world

promise not to hurt our son." And so Queen Frigga sent out for

everything in the whole world, and everything came trooping to Asgard,

to her palace. All living creatures came from the land, from the water,

and from the air. All plants and trees came; all rocks, stones, and even

the metals under the earth, where the busy dwarfs worked. Fire came, and

water, as well as all poisons, and sickness. Everything promised not to

harm the good Baldur, except one little plant called mistletoe, which

was so small that Frigga did not send for it, feeling sure it could not

do any harm.



"Now I am happy once more," said the queen, "for our Baldur is safe!"

And she sat at peace in her beautiful palace, rejoicing that her dear

son was free from all danger.



But Odin, the wise Allfather, still felt uneasy, even after all these

promises, fearing what might happen. So he took his eight-footed steed,

Sleipnir, and rode forth from Asgard to the underworld to find Hela, the

wise woman who ruled over that far-off land. She could tell everything

that was going to happen, and she knew the names of all those who were

coming to dwell with her. Odin was the only one wise enough to speak

with Hela, for no one else knew the words that would call her forth from

her dwelling; but when Odin called, she came to answer.



"Tell me," said he, "for whom are you making ready this costly room?"



"We make ready for Baldur, the god of light," replied Hela.



"Who, then, will slay Baldur, and bring such darkness and sorrow to

Asgard?"



Again said the wise woman, "It is Hodur, Baldur's twin brother, who will

slay the sun-god." And with these words she vanished.



Sadly Father Odin returned to Asgard, and told his wife the words of

Hela; but Frigga was not troubled in her heart, for she felt sure that

nothing would hurt her dear son.





II.



One beautiful sunny day at the end of summer the gods had all gone out

to an open field beyond Asgard to have some sports. As they all knew

that nothing could hurt Baldur, they placed him at the end of the field

for a target, and then took turns throwing their darts at him, just for

the fun of seeing them fall off without hurting him. They thought this

was showing great honor to Baldur, and he was pleased to join in the

sport.



Loki happened to be away when they began to play, and when he came was

angry in his heart that nothing could hurt Baldur.



"Why should he be so favored? I hate him!" said Loki to himself, and

began at once to plan some evil.



All this while Queen Frigga sat in her palace, thinking of all her dear

sons, and of how much good they did to men. As she sat thus, thinking,

and spinning with her hands, there came a knock at the door. The queen

called, "Come in!" and an old woman stood before her.



Frigga spoke kindly to her, and soon the old woman said she had passed

by the field where the gods were playing, and throwing sharp weapons at

Baldur.



"Oh, yes," said Frigga; "neither metal nor wood can hurt him, for all

things in the world have given me their promise."



"What!" said the old woman; "do you mean that all things have really

vowed to spare Baldur?"



"All," replied the queen, "except one little plant that grows on the

eastern side of Asgard; it is called mistletoe, and I thought it too

small and soft to do any harm."



Before long the old woman went away, and when she was quite out of sight

of Frigga's palace, threw off her woman's clothes, and who do you

suppose it was? Why, no woman at all, but that wicked Loki, of course,

who hurried away out of Asgard, to find the poor little plant that did

not know about Baldur's danger. When he came to the place where the

plant grew, Loki cutting off a branch, quickly made a sharp arrow, which

he carried back to the playground, where the Aesir were still at their

game, all but one, Hodur, the god of darkness, Baldur's blind twin

brother.



Then Loki went up to Hodur, and said to him in a low voice, "Why do you

not join with the others in doing honor to Baldur?"



"I cannot see to take aim, you know, and besides, I have no weapon,"

said Hodur.



"Come, then, here is a fine new dart for you, and I will guide your

hand," whispered wicked Loki; then he slipped the arrow of mistletoe

wood into Hodur's hand and aimed it himself at Baldur, who stood there

so bright and smiling.



Then poor blind Hodur heard a dreadful cry from all the gods: Baldur

the Beautiful had fallen, struck by the arrow; he would now be taken

away from them, to live with Hela in the underworld.



Every heart was filled with sorrow for this dreadful loss; but no one

tried to punish him who had done the wicked deed, for they stood upon

sacred ground, and the field was named the Peace-stead, or Place of

Peace, where no one might hurt another. Besides, the gods did not know

it was the false Loki who hated Baldur, that had struck him down.



When Frigga heard the sad news, she asked who would win her love by

going to the underworld and begging Hela to let Baldur come back to

them.



Hermod, the swift messenger-god, ready to do his mother's bidding, set

forth at once on the long journey. Nine days and nights he traveled

without resting, until he came to Hela's underworld. There he found

Baldur, who was glad to see him, and sent messages to his friends in

Asgard. Hela said Baldur might return to them on one condition: that

every living creature, and everything in the world must weep for him.



So Hermod hastened back to Asgard, and when the Aesir heard Hela's

answer, they sent out messengers over the world to bid all things weep

for Baldur, their bright sun-god. Then did the beasts, the birds, the

fishes, the flowers and trees, even stones and metals weep; as indeed we

can see the teardrops come to all things when they are changed from heat

to cold.



As the messengers were coming back to Asgard they met an old woman, whom

they bade weep, but she replied, "Let Hela keep Baldur down below; why

should I care?" When the Aesir heard of this, they thought it must have

been the same old woman who went before to Frigga's palace, and we know

who that was.



And so Baldur the beautiful, Baldur the bright, did not come back, and

all the dwellers in Asgard were sad and sorrowful without him.