Uploaded August 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
The Death of Baldr is one of the most famous in all of Norse Mythology, but it is also one of the most controversial. There are two full accounts of the myth, however both are late works written by Christians and they seem to disagree on nearly everything. Is Baldr a beloved victim unfairly killed or a lustful bully who is finally put down? Was he killed by mistletoe or a sword? Did his brother kill him or did Loki bring about his death? In order to understand Baldr, we’re going to looking at skaldic poetry, eddic poems, gold bracteates, Norse sagas, Beowulf, and well over a dozen academic papers. Through this scholarly investigation, we’ll hopefully gain a better understanding into Baldr.
The Death of Baldr is one of the most famous in all of Norse Mythology, but it is also one of the most controversial. There are two full accounts of the myth, however both are late works written by Christians and they seem to disagree on nearly everything. Is Baldr a beloved victim unfairly killed or a lustful bully who is finally put down? Was he killed by mistletoe or a sword? Did his brother kill him or did Loki bring about his death? In order to understand Baldr, we’re going to looking at skaldic poetry, eddic poems, gold bracteates, Norse sagas, Beowulf, and well over a dozen academic papers. Through this scholarly investigation, we’ll hopefully gain a better understanding into Baldr.
