The Death of Baldur
Classical Stories · No. 44 — Everything in the world promised not to harm him — almost everything.
- Classical Stories
- 45 min
- Ages 8–13
- 8 chapters
About this audiobook
Baldur, shining and gentle, the most beloved of the gods, begins to have dreams of his own death. His mother Frigg, desperate to protect him, travels across all the worlds and extracts a promise from every element, creature, plant, and force that none will ever harm her son — all but one, the mistletoe, which she thought too young and small to bother with. Soon the gods make a game of it, hurling weapons at the invulnerable Baldur and laughing as everything bounces off. But Loki has learned of the one thing that was missed, and he guides a blind hand to throw the single dart that can pierce the unpierceable — and the whole world weeps.
Why it's worth a listen
The best-loved of all the Norse gods dreams of his own death, so his mother travels the whole world making every single thing — fire, water, iron, stone, sickness, every beast and plant — swear never to hurt him. She misses one small, harmless-looking plant. And Loki notices. The most moving story in Norse myth, about love, one overlooked detail, and grief that even the gods must face.
A question to keep
Can you keep someone you love safe from everything — and what does it cost to try?
Chapters
- The Brightest Star in Asgard
- The Mother's Great Journey
- The Game of Weapons
- The Smallest Thing in the Forest
- The Shadow at the Edge of the Meadow
- The Falling of the Light
- The Ride to the Land of the Dead
- A Question to Keep