page_title: Nanna (Norse deity)
section_title: Gesta Danorum
hierarchical_section_title: Nanna (Norse deity) / Attestations / Gesta Danorum
caption_attribution_description: English: Balder belurer Nanna. The scene is described in Gesta Danorum in the following way: "Now it befell that Balder the son of Odin was troubled at the sight of Nanna bathing, and was seized with boundless love. He was kindled by her fair and lustrous body, and his heart was set on fire by her manifest beauty; for nothing exciteth passion like comeliness."Elton's translation
context_page_description: In Norse mythology, Nanna Nepsdóttir or simply Nanna is a goddess associated with the god Baldr. Accounts of Nanna vary greatly by source. In the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson, Nanna is the wife of Baldr and the couple produced a son, the god Forseti. After Baldr's death, Nanna dies of grief. Nanna is placed on Baldr's ship with his corpse and the two are set aflame and pushed out to sea. In Hel, Baldr and Nanna are united again. In an attempt to bring back Baldr from the dead, the god Hermóðr rides to Hel and, upon receiving the hope of resurrection from the being Hel, Nanna gives Hermóðr gifts to give to the goddess Frigg, the goddess Fulla, and others. Nanna is frequently mentioned in the poetry of skalds and a Nanna, who may or may not be the same figure, is mentioned once in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources.
  An account provided by Saxo Grammaticus in his 12th century work Gesta Danorum records Nanna as a human female, the daughter of King Gevar, and the love interest of both the demi-god Baldr and the human Höðr. Spurred by their mutual attraction to Nanna, Baldr and Höðr repeatedly do battle.
context_section_description: In book III of Gesta Danorum, Nanna is not a goddess but rather a daughter of the mortal King Gevar. Nanna is attracted to her foster-brother Höðr (also here a human), son of Hothbrodd,  and "seeks his embraces". One day, Baldr, who Saxo describes as the son of the god Odin, witnesses Nanna bathing and lusts for her; "the sheen of her graceful body inflamed him and her manifest charms seared his heart, for there is no stronger incitement to lust than beauty." Fearing that Höðr will serve as an obstacle for his conquest of Nanna, Baldr resolves to slay Höðr.
  While out hunting, Höðr loses his path in a mist and a group of forest maidens greet him by name. The maidens tell him that they are able to guide fate, and that they appear invisibly on battlefields, where they award victory or defeat at their whim. They inform Höðr that Baldr witnessed Nanna bathing, yet warn Höðr not to challenge Baldr to combat—no matter what he may do—for Baldr sprang from divine seed and is therefore a demi-god. The maidens and their dwelling vanish and Höðr finds himself standing in a wide open plain. Saxo explains that Höðr had been tricked by means of magic.
  Höðr returns home, recounts to King Gevar that he had lost his path and been tricked by the forest maidens, and immediately asks King Gevar for his daughter Nanna's hand in wedlock. Gevar tells Höðr that he would most certainly approve of the marriage, but that Baldr has already requested Nanna's hand. Gevar says that he fears Baldr's wrath, for Baldr's body is infused with a holy strength and cannot be harmed by steel. Gevar is, however, aware of a sword that will kill Baldr, and he explains that it is very well protected, and tells him how to retrieve the sword.
  After Höðr retrieves the loot, a series of events occur unrelated to Baldr and Nanna. Meanwhile, Baldr takes arms and goes into Gevar's kingdom to claim Nanna as his own. Gevar tells Baldr to reason with Nanna, and this Baldr does with care. However, Baldr makes no progress; Nanna dodges his advances by arguing that the offspring of a deity cannot marry a mortal due to the differences in their nature. Höðr learns of Baldr's actions. Helgi and Höðr battle Baldr and other gods (who are unnamed outside of Thor and Odin), resulting in a victory for Höðr's forces. After the victory, Höðr again asks Gevar for Nanna's hand and so wins Nanna's embraces. Höðr and Nanna go to Sweden and there Höðr becomes ruler.
  In Sweden, Höðr is attacked by Baldr and defeated. Höðr flees back to Denmark with Nanna. Despite the victory, Baldr is tormented at night by visions of Nanna, resulting in his deterioration:
  [Baldr] was incessantly tormented at night by phantoms which mimicked the shape of Nanna and caused him to fall into such an unhealthy condition that he could not even walk properly. For this reason he took to travelling in a chariot or carriage. The violent passion that soaked his heart brought him almost to the verge of collapse. He judged that victory had yielded him nothing if it had not given him Nanna as a prize.
caption: Baldr secretly watches Nanna bathing (1898) by Louis Moe
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