# XL: The Death of Baldur—The Elves—Runic Letters—Iceland—Teutonic Mythology—Nibelungen Lied explained — Bulfinch’s Mythology

> Chapter companion for Bulfinch’s Mythology by Thomas Bulfinch.

## What happens

This chapter recounts the death of Baldur the Good, tricked by Loki into being killed by a mistletoe dart thrown by the blind Hodur, and Hermod's journey to Hel to seek Baldur's return. It also covers Teutonic mythology, including the Nibelungen Lied and Wagner's Nibelungen Ring, focusing on Siegfried's acquisition of the Nibelungen hoard, his betrayal and murder by Hagan, and the eventual downfall of the gods.

## Themes in this chapter

### Fate and Free Will

Baldur's death is foretold by dreams, and despite Frigga's efforts to protect him, Loki's manipulation and Hodur's unwitting act fulfill the prophecy, illustrating the tension between fate and attempts to alter it.

### Jealousy and Revenge

Loki's jealousy of Baldur's invulnerability drives him to orchestrate Baldur's murder. In the Nibelungen Lied, Kriemhild's revenge for Siegfried's death leads to the slaughter of the Burgundians.

### Mortality and Immortality

Baldur, a god, is killed, highlighting the mortality of even divine beings. The Nibelungen Ring ends with the gods perishing, making way for a new era of love and truth.

## Character check-ins

### Baldur

Baldur the Good is killed by a mistletoe dart thrown by Hodur under Loki's guidance, after Frigga had secured oaths from all things except the mistletoe.

### Odin

Odin, father of Baldur, consults the prophetess Angerbode and later sends Hermod to Hel to ransom Baldur.

### Loki

Loki, disguised as a woman, learns from Frigga that the mistletoe was not sworn to spare Baldur, then tricks Hodur into throwing it at Baldur, causing his death.

### Hodur

Hodur, blind, is deceived by Loki into throwing the mistletoe at Baldur, which kills him.

### Frigga

Frigga, wife of Odin, exacts oaths from all things to protect Baldur, but overlooks the mistletoe, which Loki exploits.

### Hermod

Hermod the Nimble, son of Odin, rides to Hel on Sleipnir to offer a ransom for Baldur's return.

### Siegfried

Siegfried, hero of the Nibelungen Lied, obtains the Nibelungen hoard, marries Kriemhild, is later murdered by Hagan, and appears in Wagner's Ring as a central figure.

### Hagan

Hagan, liegeman of Günther, murders Siegfried by stabbing him in the back during a hunt, and later buries the Nibelungen hoard in the Rhine.

## Key lines

> Baldur the Good, having been tormented with terrible dreams indicating that his life was in peril, told them to the assembled gods, who resolved to conjure all things to avert from him the threatened danger.

Baldur the Good was troubled by dreams that warned his life was in danger, so he shared them with the gods, who decided to use magic to protect him.

_This sets up the central conflict of Baldur's vulnerability and the gods' efforts to save him._

> Then Frigga, the wife of Odin, exacted an oath from fire and water, from iron and all other metals, from stones, trees, diseases, beasts, birds, poisons, and creeping things, that none of them would do any harm to Baldur.

Frigga, Odin's wife, made all elements and creatures swear an oath not to harm Baldur.

_Frigga's oath is a key plot point, as it makes Baldur seemingly invulnerable except for the mistletoe._

> But when Loki beheld the scene he was sorely vexed that Baldur was not hurt. Assuming, therefore, the shape of a woman, he went to Fensalir, the mansion of Frigga.

Loki, angry that Baldur remained unharmed, disguised himself as a woman and went to Frigga's home.

_Loki's jealousy and deceit drive the tragic outcome._

> Hodur then took the mistletoe, and under the guidance of Loki, darted it at Baldur, who, pierced through and through, fell down lifeless.

Hodur, guided by Loki, threw the mistletoe at Baldur, killing him instantly.

_This is the climax of Baldur's death, a pivotal event in Norse mythology._

> The Dusk of the Gods portrays at the opening the three norns or fates weaving and measuring the thread of destiny. It is the beginning of the end.

The Twilight of the Gods begins with the three Norns weaving the thread of fate, signaling the approaching end.

_This introduces the theme of fate and the downfall of the gods in Wagner's Ring._

## Links

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