Balder in Hel

 Of all the dastardly things Loki could have done, this was to become the beginning of his downfall.

 The playground of the gods was situated on the green plain of Ida, and was called Idavold. Here the gods would play games when they were in sportive mood, and their favorite game was to throw their golden disks, which they could cast with great skill. They had returned to this pastime with added zest since the cloud which had oppressed their spirits had been dispersed by the precautions of Frigg. Finally bored with their old games, they sought out a new game to play. They had learned that Balder could not be harmed by any missile, and so they amused themselves by casting all manner of weapons, stones, etc., at him. They need not have feared because they were certain that no matter how cleverly they tried and how accurately they aimed, the objects having sworn not to injure him would either miss him or fall short. This new amusement proved to be so fascinating that soon all the gods gathered around Balder, greeting each new failure to hurt him with prolonged shouts of laughter. 

These bursts of merriment excited the curiosity of Frigg, who sat spinning in Fensalir, and seeing an old woman pass by her dwelling, she asked her to tell her what the gods were doing to cause so much fun and laughter. Little did she know that the old woman was none other than Loki in disguise. He answered Frigg that the gods were throwing stones and other missiles, blunt and sharp at Balder who stood smiling and unharmed in their midst challenging them to touch him.

The goddess smiled and resumed her work, saying that it was quite natural that nothing should harm Balder. After all, there was not a thing that loved the light of Balder that would injure him. Loki was greatly vexed upon hearing this. He was jealous of Balder who like the sun, entirely outshone him and was generally loved by all. Loki on the other hand was feared and avoided as much as possible. He cleverly concealed his vexation, and inquired of Frigg whether she was quite sure that all objects had joined the league to protect Balder. Frigg proudly answered that she had received the solemn oath of all things except a harmless little parasite called mistletoe, which grew on the oak near Valhalla’s gate. Mistletoe was too small and weak to be feared so Frigg assured the “old woman” that this was no threat.

This information was all that Loki wanted so bidding adieu to Frigg he hobbled off. As soon as he was safely out of sight he resumed his true form and hastened to Valhalla. At the gate he found the oak and mistletoe as indicated by Frigg, then using his knowledge of the magic arts he imparted to the parasite a size and hardness quite unnatural to it. From the wooden stem Loki fashioned a sharpened spear and then he hastened back to Idavold where the gods were still playing and hurling missiles at Balder.

Balders twin Hodur stood alone leaning mournfully against a tree taking no part in the games. Carelessly Loki approached the blind god, and inquired the cause of his melancholy. Hodur answered that only his blindness deterred him from taking part in the new game so Loki put the mistletoe-shaft in his hand and led him into the midst of the circle. He indicated the direction of the target and Hodur threw his shaft boldly, but to his dismay instead of the loud laughter which he expected a shuddering cry of horror fell upon his ears. Balder the beautiful had fallen to the ground, pierced by the fatal mistletoe.

“So on the floor lay Balder dead; and round

Lay thickly strewn swords, axes, darts, and spears,

Which all the Gods in sport had idly thrown

At Balder, whom no weapon pierced or clove;

But in his breast stood fixed the fatal bough

Of mistletoe, which Loki, the Accuser, gave

To Hoder, and unwitting Hoder threw—

’Gainst that alone had Balder’s life no charm.”

Balder Dead (Matthew Arnold).

In dire anxiety the gods crowded around their beloved friend, but Balder lay lifeless before them. All their efforts to revive the fallen sun-god were to no avail. Inconsolable at their loss they turned angrily upon Hodur, whom they would have slain had they not been restrained by the law of the gods that no willful act of violence should desecrate their grounds of peace. The sound of their loud lamentation brought the goddesses in haste to the dreadful scene. When Frigg saw that her darling son was dead she implored the gods to go to Nifl-heim and enter Hel to release her victim, for the earth could not exist happily without him.

As the road was rough and painful in the extreme, none of the gods would volunteer at first to go. Frigg then promised that she and Odin would reward the messenger by loving him above all in the Æsir. Hermod then volunteered to complete the dangerous mission to return their beloved Baldir from Hel. To enable him to travel Odin lent him Sleipnir, and the noble steed who usually would not allow any but Odin upon his back, set off without a second thought upon the dark road.

Will Hermond succeed? Read the final part tomorrow…

Balder: Norse God of Peace.

The story of Balder is a rather sad one and it is quite long so I will be telling this story in 3 parts. There are some interesting comparisons in the story of Balder and it has been said that after Ragnarok it will be Balder who returns to rule the world. Once you have read all three parts of this story, let me know what you think, and who Balder reminds you of.

Balder was a champion of goodness, innocence and forgiveness, he was loved by everybody. 

To Odin and Frigg were born twin sons as dissimilar in character and physical appearance as it was possible for two children to be. Hodur the god of darkness was somber, taciturn, and blind like the obscurity of sin which he was supposed to symbolize. His brother Balder “the beautiful” was worshipped as the pure and radiant god of innocence and light. From his snowy brow and golden locks seemed to radiate beams of sunshine which gladdened the hearts of gods and men by whom he was equally loved.

“Of all the twelve round Odin’s throne,

Balder, the Beautiful, alone,

The Sun-god, good, and pure, and bright,

Was loved by all, as all love light.”

Valhalla (J. C. Jones).

The youthful Balder attained his full growth with amazing speed and was early admitted to the council of the gods. He lived in the palace of Breidablik, whose silver roof rested upon golden pillars, and whose purity was such that nothing common or unclean was ever allowed within its boundries. Here he lived in perfect unity with his young wife Nanna. 

The god of light was well versed in the science of runes, which were carved on his tongue. He also knew the various virtues of plants and herbs. Chamomile, was called “Balder’s brow,” because its flower was as immaculately pure as his forehead. The only thing hidden from Balder’s radiant eyes was the perception of his own ultimate fate.

As it was so natural for Balder to be smiling and happy, the gods were greatly troubled when they began to notice a change in his bearing. Gradually the light died out of his blue eyes, a careworn look came into his face, and his brow grew heavy. Odin and Frigg, seeing their beloved son’s depression implored him to reveal the cause of his silent grief. Balder confessed that his sleep instead of being peaceful and restful as it usually was had been strangely troubled by dark and oppressive dreams. Although he could not clearly remember the dreams when he awoke, he was constantly haunted with a vague feeling of fear.

When Odin and Frigg heard this they were very uneasy, but declared that nothing would harm their beloved son. When the anxious parents further talked the matter over they confessed that they also were plagued by strange forebodings. They came at last to believe that Balder’s life was really threatened so they proceeded to take measures to avert the danger. 

Frigg sent her servants in every direction with strict charge to prevail upon all living creatures, all plants, metals, stones, every animate and inanimate thing to register a solemn vow not to harm Balder. All creation readily took the oath, for there was nothing on earth which did not love the radiant god. So the servants returned to Frigg, telling her that all had been duly sworn save the mistletoe, growing upon the oak stem at the gate of Valhalla. This they said was such a puny inoffensive thing that no harm could be feared from it.

Frigg now resumed her spinning in great content; for she felt assured that no harm could come to the child she loved above all. No one thought further of the Mistletoe, save one.

The fate of Balder continues tomorrow…

Frigg: The Queen of the Gods

Frigg, was the daughter of Fiorgyn and the sister of Jörd. She was also the wife of Odin. Friggs wedding to Odin caused great rejoicing in Åsgard, where the goddess was dearly loved. After her wedding it was customary to celebrate all anniversaries with feast and song, and Frigg was declared the patroness of marriage as well as motherhood. Her health was always proposed with that of Odin and Thor at wedding or birthing feasts.

Frigg was also goddess of the clouds, and as such was represented as wearing snow-white garments. She was queen of the gods, and she alone had the privilege of sitting on the throne Hlidskialf, beside her husband Odin. From there she too could look over the entire world and see what was happening. She possessed the knowledge of the future, which no one could ever prevail upon her to reveal. She was good at keeping secrets.

Frigg was as a tall beautiful woman, crowned with heron plumes, and clothed in pure white robes which were secured at the waist by a golden girdle. On this girdle hung a bunch of keys, the distinctive sign of the Northern housewife. 

Although she often appeared beside her husband, Frigg preferred to remain in her own palace called Fensalir. This was the hall of mists or of the sea, where she plied her wheel spinning golden thread or weaving long webs of bright colored clouds. In   order to perform this work she made use of a marvelous jeweled spinning wheel which at night shone brightly in the sky as a constellation. This was known in the North as Friggas Spinning Wheel, while the inhabitants of the South called the same stars Orion’s Belt.

Movie Review: THOR

As an avid reader of Norse Mythology , the Gods and Goddesses of this world totally fascinate me. Yet I must admit that I have never in my life read a comic book.

I have however been introduced to  Spiderman, Batman and Superman through TV and films. The legends of superheroes continue to spin our dreams, fill us with hope and throw us into a world of fantasy, action and adventure. Now that’s entertainment. Unfortunately in my opinion this movie fell short. I realize that I have not read the marvel comic books and for those of you that have, this movie might very well have been entertaining enough. But for those of us that prefer our superheroes which are based on mythological fact, this movie is more than disappointing. The irritating costumes in the movie reminded me of Battlestar Galactica meets The Jetsons. The characters were false, the storyline ridiculous and watered down. What could have been a fantastic movie was turned into nothing but a chapter from a cheap animated cartoon comic book with nothing more substantial than the film it was printed on.  If I were one of those Gods I would have sued the responsible parties for misrepresentation. 

On the plus side, ladies you will certainly enjoy some of the exposure to male beauty. Chris Hemsworth who  played Thor might have been good to look at but Tom Hiddleston as Loki definitely stole the show. His portrayal as a betrayed son with a secret heritage was memorable. As to the rest, there is none. Big names like Antony Hopkins, Renee Russo and Natalie Portman couldn’t even save this movie. My recommendations, stick to the comics or better yet, buy a good book.

A few facts:

• ·        Loki was not a frost Giant. According to Norse Mythology Laufey was Lokis Mother. Marvil Comics depicted Laufey as Lokis father and a  frost giant. Lokis father is Fárbauti who is a Jøtunn Giant.

• ·        Loki is not Thors brother. Lokis brothers are: Helblindi and Býleistr. Thor and Loki were merely at times just friends in crime.

• ·        Heimdall was not black. Heimdall was referred to as "the whitest of the gods" and a golden boy.

• ·        Sif was born with golden hair. Hers, however, was turned black after Loki jealously cut it and replaced it with enchanted hair made by dwarves. This is Marvel fiction.

• ·        Sif is the wife of the god Thor and is known for her golden hair. The Prose Edda also recounts that Sif once had her hair shorn by Loki, and that Thor forced Loki to have a golden headpiece made for Sif, resulting in not only Sif's golden tresses but also five other objects for other gods. Her hair was never black.

• ·        Hogun, a Japanese God complete with accent, Fandral and Volstagg have no basis in Norse Mythology and are complete creations of Marvel Comics. 

•  

Thors Missing Hammer

You have heard a  part of this tale from me before. Today I thought I would tell you the whole tale.

One day Thor woke up to find that his hammer Mjøllnir was missing. In a panic Thor turned to his friend Loki, and told him about the stolen hammer. Thor suspected the giants in Jøtunheimr, so devising a plan the two then went to Freyja. They asked her if they could borrow her feather cloak in order to find Mjøllnir. Freyja, still mourning the loss of her beloved agreed, and Loki flew off in Freyjas feather cloak in search of Mjøllnir.

Minnie-ism for today: 

 "Give me Thor with a hammer in a dress any day!"

In Jøtunheimr, theJøtunn king Thrymr sat on a burial mound, plaiting golden collars for his female dogs. Thrymr seeing Loki asked him why Loki was traveling alone in the Jøtunheimr. Suspecting that he would get an answer, Loki told him about Thor's missing hammer. Thrymr said to Loki that he should return to the Gods with the following message, that he had hidden Mjøllnir eight leagues beneath the earth, and that it would be returned only if Freyja was brought before him to become his wife.

When Loki returned he found Thor and gave him Thrymrs message. The two then went to Freyja, and told her to dress herself in a bridal head dress, so they could drive her to Jøtunheimr and collect Mjøllnir. Freyja, indignant and angry, went into a rage, causing all of the halls of the Æsir to tremble in her anger, she refused which should not have come as any surprise.

As a result, the gods held a meeting to discuss and debate the matter. The god Heimdallr came up with a genius suggestion putting forth the idea that, in place of Freyja, Thor could be dressed as the bride, complete with jewels, women's clothing, a bridal head-dress, and the necklace Brísingamen. Thor rejected the idea, but Loki reminded him that this would be the only way to get back Mjøllnir, and pointed out that without Mjøllnir, the jøtnar would be able to invade and settle in Åsgard. The gods dressed Thor as a bride, and Loki went with Thor as his maid to Jøtunheimr.

The two disguised bandits arrive in Jøtunheimr. Thrymr commanded the jøtnar in his hall to spread straw on the benches, for Freyja had arrived to be his wife. Thrymr recounted his treasured animals and objects, stating that Freyja was all that he was missing in his wealth.

Early in the evening, the disguised Loki and Thor met in the hall with Thrymr and the assembled jøtnar. Thor ate and drank ferociously, he consumed entire animals and three casks of mead. Thrymr thought the behavior was at odds with his impression of Freyja, and Loki, sitting before Thrymr and appearing as a "very shrewd maid", made the excuse that "Freyja's" behaviour was due to the fact that she had not eaten anything for the eight days before arriving due to her eagerness. Thrymr then lifted "Freyja's" veil to kiss  "her" until he caught the terrifyed eyes that stared back at him, burning with fire. Loki stated that this was because "Freyja" had not slept for eight nights in her eagerness.

The sister of the jøtnar appeared,  and asked for   "Freyjas" bridal gift, and then the jøtnar brought out Mjøllnir to "sanctify the bride."  Thor laughed inside when he saw the hammer, he took hold of it, striked Thrymr down, and killed all of the jøtnar. Taking his mighty hammer in hand he returned home in his chariot. It was quite a site to see him as he rode back into Åsgard still dressed as Freyja and by his side Loki as his maid. 

Norwegian National Day

Hurrah…Hurrah…Hurrah!

 All the children dress up in their fancy clothes . If they are lucky, and many are, they dress up in their national costumes. Shoes are shined, hair slicked back, ribbons in place and most important a small Norwegian flag to carry. The marching bands have been practicing all year for this event and their shiny instruments and drums are ready to set the streets alive with music.

All over Norway, bells chime, guns sound of several solutes and children line up behind the music to start the parade. In Oslo the Royal family stands on the terrace of the palace and greets the thousands of children that pass below them. For Norwegians there is a special meaning behind this day, one that is separate from a declaration of independence. During WW2 Norwegians were not allowed by the Germans which occupied this country to celebrate their national holiday or to honor their flag. Norwegians would have to celebrate in secret among friends and family. Today on the 17^th of May this beautiful country and its people celebrate in extra glory knowing full well what it is like not being able to do so.

For all my Norwegian friends and family around the world, may your day be full of laughter, love and pride for who you are.

Loki and Freyja

One day Freyja was out walking along the border of the kingdom of the Black Dwarfs. 

As she walked she noticed some of the dwarfs making a beautiful necklace. It glistened as golden as the bright sun and Freyja just had to stop and admire it. "Oh, you must sell me the necklace. I will give a treasure of silver for I cannot live without it. I have never seen one as beautiful." 

The dwarfs told her that all the silver in the world could not purchase the Brisingamen. Believing she could not endure without owning the necklace she asked, "Is there any treasure in the world for which you would sell me the necklace?"

The dwarfs talked among themselves and answered "Yes, you must buy it from each of us, for it is the treasure of your love. If you sleep with each one of us for a day and a night, Brisingamen shall be yours."

Special Guest Appearance, yes you guessed it Minnie has something to say
Minnieism for today:

 

"Whats a girl gotta do to get a little sparkle in her life, sleep with a dwarf ?"

Bewitched by the sparkle of the beautiful necklace, Freyja was overcome with desire. She forgot her husband Odur, and she agreed to the pact. No one in Aesir knew about this arrangement except the mischief-maker Loki, who seemed to always be around when trouble was brewing.

After four days and nights of these unions, Freyja returned home wearing the necklace as if nothing had happened. Loki seeking favor from Odur informed him of what had taken place in the land of the dwarfs and furiously Odur demanded proof of Freyjas adventures. To provide evidence, Loki set out to steal the necklace. Turning himself into a flea, he flew into Freya's chambers and bit her on the cheek while she slept. The bite caused Freya to turn so he was able to remove the necklace.

Loki went to Odur and showed him the evidence of her infidelity with dwarfs. Odur tossed the necklace aside, left the kingdom of Åsgard, and traveled to far distant lands so that he could cool off. Sleeping with dwarfs was the one thing he could not forgive her. Freyja woke the next morning to find both her necklace and husband gone. 

Weeping, she went to Valhalla to confess to Odin that she had slept with dwarfs in order to gain the beautiful necklace of Brisingamen. The kindly Odin forgave Freyja for her once again proven wicked ways, but demanded a penance. Taking the Brisingamen from Loki, he commanded Freyja to wear the necklace for eternity and sometimes Freyja can be seen wandering the world in her golden chariot searchng for Odur. As Freyja weeps, the teardrops that land on soil turn to gold in the rocks, those that fall in the sea turn to amber.