Sublime

‘Odin’s second son is Baldr, and there is much good to tell about him. He is the best, and all praise him. He is so beautiful and so bright that light shines from him. One plant is so white that it is likened to Baldr’s brow.1 It is the whitest of all plants, and from this you can judge the beauty of both his hair and his body. He is the wisest of

He was a fearsome warrior with a giant club that could both kill—up to nine men in one blow—and restore life to the fallen in battle. For this he was also known as a god of life and death.

Odin’s hall, and Freyja’s, hold “all men who have fallen in battle since the beginning”, but they will be too few “when the wolf comes”, as Fenrir inevitably will at the Ragnarök. Kings and their retinues are therefore especially welcome, with the Valkyries serving wine for such a royal entrance.

Seeking balance and harmony, the All Mother created a mate, a mirrored reflection of herself. She called him the All Father. Every aspect or quality of the Goddess has a male counterpart referred to as the consort or God.

It is clear that in Valhöll are all the trappings of hall life in Midgard, but writ large. Servants gather kindling for the fires; there are pigs to be fed; horses graze outside; and hunting dogs are at the ready. The einherjar—the immortal warrior dead—drink, play board games, and fight. If they are killed, they rise again each evening in time for