Summary

Pages 229 – 248: The story entitled “The Death of Balder” begins with a description of Balder as the kindest and most beautiful of the Aesir. Balder begins to have nightmares, and Odin visits the grave of a wise dead woman who may be able to shed light on the meaning of these dreams. Odin animates the woman’s dead body and asks questions of the body. She says that Balder is in imminent danger of death. Odin tells this to his wife, Frigg, and she walks the earth to procure a promise from every being and object that they will not harm Balder. The only thing from which she does not bother to extract this promise is the mistletoe plant, as she deems it harmless. Loki, discovering this information, sets out to use the information to cause mischief. In Asgard, the Aesir amuse themselves by attacking...