Baldr

Name: Baldr
God of: Light, Radiance, Beauty, Joy, Purity, Peace, Forgiveness
Aliases: Berhta, Herebeald, Phol
Aliases:
Race: Aesir
Gender: Male
Alignment: Lawful Good
Age: Ancient, but appears to be in his late twenties
Sexuality: Straight
Halls: Breiðablik
Magical Items:

Extravert or Introvert: Extravert
Optimist or Pessimist: Optimist
General Traits: Warm, Charismatic, Strong desire to help others, Empathetic, Confident, Energetic, Easy-going, Agreeable, Accommodating, Conflict-averse, Receptive, Reliable, Loyal, Passionate, Altruistic, Unrealistic, Overly Idealistic, Condescending, Intense
Mannerisms: Warm and inviting smile, Engaging eye contact, Expressive gestures when speaking, Approachable and open body language, Attentive and nods in agreement, Mirrors others’ body language, Well-groomed and presentable appearance, Soothing and modulated voice
Habits: Stands close to others when speaking with them, running his hand through his hair, smiles a lot
Pet Peeves: Lack of appreciation, Lack of engagement, Superficial interactions, Rude behavior, Selfishness, Intentional cruelty, Disloyalty
Ruled by Heart or Mind: Heart
Motivated by: Being at peace with himself and others, A desire to connect with and positively impact others
Life Motto: A man who procrastinates in his choosing will inevitably have his choice made for him by circumstance.

Baldr was the most beloved of the Gods, as he was the first legitimate son and heir to his father, Odin, the chief of the gods. Baldur was a generous, joyful, and courageous young man who gladdened the hearts of all who spent time with him. Any positive adjective you can think of is what Baldr embodies: he is beautiful, kind, charming, comforting, charismatic – the list goes on. If Baldr were to walk into a room, everybody would suddenly light up. And indeed, he was so handsome and attractive that light shone around him.

When Baldr asked the beautiful Nanna to marry him, she was so overwhelmed with happiness that she cried tears of pure joy. The two were wed, and she immediately became with child. Although Baldr loved his wife, when she stopped sleeping with him due to her condition he turned to Hnoss for comfort one night. His brother Hodr immediately confronted him about it, chastising him by saying that Nanna deserved better than that. Baldr woefully agreed, and promised it would never happen again.

When he began to have ominous dreams of some grave misfortune befalling him, he confided in his sorceress mother, Frigg. Distraught, she told her husband. Odin wasted no time in mounting his steed, Sleipnir, and riding to the underworld to consult a dead Volva whom he knew to be especially wise in such matters. When, in one of his countless disguises, he reached the cold and misty underworld, he found the halls arrayed in splendor, as if some magnificent feast were about to occur. Odin woke the Volva and questioned her concerning this festivity, and she responded that the guest of honor was to be none other than Baldr. She merrily recounted how the god would meet his doom, stopping only when she realized, from the desperate nature of Odin’s entreaties, who this disguised wanderer truly was.

Frigg, yearning for any chance of saving her treasured son, however remote, went to every entity in the cosmos, living or nonliving, and obtained oaths to not harm Baldr. Only she didn’t deem the tiny mistletoe significant enough to cause her son harm, and therefore did not take an oath from the plant.

After these oaths were secured, the gods made a sport out of the situation. They threw sticks, rocks, and anything else on hand at Baldur, and everyone laughed as these things bounced off and left the shining god unharmed. The Gods threw more dangerous things at Baldr then… knives, axes… even Thor’s hammer could not harm Baldr in the slightest. And they all laughed with delight.

Then suddenly Baldr felt a pain in his chest. He looked down to see an arrow protruding out of his chest. Falling to his knees he looked up to see that none other than his own brother, Hodr, had fired it. It all went black then.

The next thing he knew, he was standing in front of the gates of Helheim. Soon he was joined by his beloved wife, Nanna. Not long after, Hodr appeared. Hodr apologized profusely, claiming that he just wanted to join in the fun everyone else was having, and that Loki had given him the arrow. Had he known what would have happened he never would have fired it. Baldr forgave his brother.

Soon the three were invited into a great and festive feast at Hel’s table where Baldr was given the seat of honor. He remembered Hel from when they were children… he had seen her a couple times and had been friendly with her before Odin took her away and gave her this domain to rule over. As such, she treated Baldr with great respect.

However, when Hermodr came to try to win Baldr back, she was not so eager to let him go. She gave Hermodr the instruction that if every living thing wept for Baldr’s death she would relinquish her hold on him and let him return to Asgard. It was an impossible task… as there was one who knew his daughter’s feelings for the shining god, and that one would not weep for Baldr simply so Hel could keep him.

And so Baldur was condemned to remain in Hel’s domain. Never again would he grace the lands of the living with his gladdening light and exuberance…

At least, until Ragnarok.

Parents: Odin and Frigg
Siblings: Tyr(foster-brother by Odin), Heimdall(half-brother by Odin), Thor(half-brother by Odin), Víðar(half-brother by Odin), Bragi(half-brother by Odin), Hnoss and Gersemi(half-sisters by Odin), Höðr(brother), Hermóðr(half-brother by Odin)
Spouse: Nanna
Children: Forseti(by Nanna)
Pets:

Njord, Freyr, Freyja, Zisa, Saga, Idunn, Skadi, Eir, Hermodr, Sif, Fulla, Sigyn, Gerdr, Ullr, Magni, Modi, Thrud, Loki, Hel, Jord, Ran, Nott, Sol, Mani

Followers: Heathen, Norse

Story by Asa, heavily inspired by Norse Mythology
Background by Asa
Image AI art by Pinterest

Part 1

Part 2