Baldr

"*The second son of Odin is Baldur, and good things are to be said of him. He is best, and all praise him; he is so fair of feature, and so bright, that light shines from him. A Certain herb is so white that it is likened to Baldr's brow; of all grasses it is whitest, and by it thou mayest judge his fairness, both in hair and in body. He is the wisest of the Æsir, and the fairest-spoken and most gracious; and that quality attends him, that none may gainsay his judgments. He dwells in the place called Breidablik, which is in heaven; in that place may nothing unclean be.*" - Prose Edda

**Baldr** is the Norse god of light, joy, purity, and the summer sun.

## History

   Baldr is the son of Odin and Frigg. He was beloved of the gods for his beauty, his kindness, and his light. One of the gods, the giant Loki, envied him and tricked his brother Hodr into killing him with a mistletoe arrow.

He sits on a throne in the feasting-halls of Helheim. Although Hermodr rode his horse to the bleak woods of Helheim, he was unable to get Baldr back, as the goddess Hel answered that she would let him return once every being has mourned for him -- and only one creature, the giantess witch Thokk (who was Loki in disguise) refused to mourn for him.

For orchestrating the murder of Baldr and bringing Ragnarok, the gods hunted Loki down and tied him against a rock, where he drank drops of venom from a serpent's mouth until the end of the world. However, after Ragnarok ends and the world is renewed, Baldr will emerge to the reborn universe to guide its first inhabitants.

## Personality

Aside from his benevolence, Baldr was also brave and courageous.

## Relationships

Baldr's wife is Nanna, and their son is Forseti, the god of justice.

His brothers include Thor, Heimdall, and Bragi.

## In the Rabydosverse

Due to his popularity in ancient times, people also added and made up stories where Baldr fights and defeats various monsters and evildoers. They also added that Queen Hel (the ruler of the underworld) welcomed him when he appeared in Helheim, and led him to a golden hall. There, hundreds of men and women raised their goblets and mead in honour of him, to thank him for saving them from their enemies.

In the Eighth Age, a Rannarisk warrior declared himself as a descendant of Baldr, and led an army to defeat the Aspuruk aliens that invaded his homeworld. In honour of him saving the world, many people on Palkyras venerated Baldr to learn to become heroes like his god, and formed knightly orders to honour him, his son, and his wife.

As Baldr is worshipped by some Gauvajuts and Vozonids, some artists depict him relaxing at a lounge chair with Zoval by a swimming pool, drinking cocktails and coconuts. Also, as Baldr's day at Midsummer also happens to coincide with the Igarin new year, the spacefaring Freyrgardian humans also syncretised him with the Igarin new year celebrations.

One of the most prominent works of the Lysandrean civilisation was the Grand Saga of Baldr, which depicted various legends about Baldr's defeat of various evil creatures and tyrants. They also believed that Baldr and Nanna take fire from their hearts, and Queen Hel gives that fire into mortals to make them brave enough to stop evil, saving more lives from destruction.

Baldr is also popular among many Epadwaranai, as his radiant light makes him relatable to this race of blonde humanoids. When the Freyrgardians added that Baldr is in the underworld, some Epadwaranai worshipped his son Forseti.

Many Besotroskar -- the people who fled from the defeat of their republic in southern Baesorja -- venerate Baldr as their ancestor and symbol. The chamomile, a similar flower to the mayweed, is another popular symbol among worshippers of Baldr and Besotroskar, to the point that they drink chamomile tea (or any tea) on festivals or offer brewed chamomile tea to their patron god to honour him. He, his wife, and his son are also popular among the devout knights of eastern Marnos.

Among the Norse peoples of that world, the *bjarkan* rune has become a popular symbol for that god.

Oskar, a Besotrosk farmer boy from southern Siangwaan, worships Baldr as his patron god, as he wanted to be more like a gentleman. It is also because he and his family, like may Besotrosk in Siangwaan, consider Baldr as their ancestor.

Baldr later became the patron deity of many Nordic Lampguards: their lanterns used against Wraiths were a tribute to him by one of the Lampguard's founders in Ardesch.

## Trivia

* Baldr's symbol is the mayweed flower.
* Baldr's sacred day is Midsummer.
* His rune is dagaz (ᛞ), which symbolises hope and happiness.
	+ Heronoi and Rannarisk instead use bjarkan (ᛒ), which represents growth.

## See also

* Heimdall, his brighter brother
* Tarhunz, another god invoked for his light
* Freyr
* Svarog, another bright god