Hodr is a blind god in Norse mythology, described as a son of Odin. He is best known for killing the god Baldr, the most beautiful of the gods, after being tricked by Loki: the mother of Baldr, Frigg, had secured oaths from all things not to harm her son except from the mistletoe, which she had overlooked, and Loki fashioned a dart from mistletoe and guided the hand of Hodr in throwing it, killing Baldr instantly. In revenge, Odin fathered a son, Vali, with the goddess Rindr; Vali grew to adulthood within a single day and killed Hodr. Norse eschatology holds that after Ragnarok, Hodr and Baldr will be reconciled and return together from the realm of the dead. A separate account by the medieval writer Saxo Grammaticus instead tells of a mortal hero named Hotherus who rivals and kills the demigod Balderus. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Attestation
Era of Attestation Veneration TodayVenerated in a modern revival tradition 2 HistoricityNot a historical person: a divine or other-than-human being 1 Belief
TheologyPolytheistic: many gods 1 Function
Domain / Function Sources
1. The Facts on File Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend
Anthony S. Mercatante, revised and expanded by James R. Dow, Facts on File
2. Norse Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs
John Lindow, Oxford University Press, 2001Hodr, Poetic Edda (Voluspa)View the Source Hodr (Wikipedia)
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