Murderous Mistletoe

Balder in his mighty hall soothed all his townsmen. But lately, Balder’s mind had been plagued by gory visions of his imminent death. Determined to free her son from all his misery Queen Frigg set of. She traveled all the nine realms begging everything not to harm her son. With her soft touch, every sword shunned away. With her pacifying voice, all arrows agreed not to harm her son. Her grace moved everyone. Every animal and element, every sword and arrow, every plague and plant agreed. Frigg returned to Asgard with joy and through a massive feast. Wine flowed freely and everyone was jovial. Behind the wall, Loki stood unamused. The trickster god rolled his eyes. He had never cared about Baldor the Brave and thought too lowly of him. Loki took the form of an old woman and ask Frigg, “Surely you didn’t ask everything not to harm Balder.”

Frigg Shrugged, the only thing she had not asked was mistletoe. But what god could fear a weed-like mistletoe. After hearing this Loki dashed outside trying to find a spread of the weed. When night struck the god hurled the lone mistletoe and an arrow and shot it. Swiftly it pierced Balder’s heart.
Balder was dead.

Hermod, Baldor’s close friend stood forward from the weeping. Baldor went to hell herself begging for the soul to be freed. Hel agreed. Hel told Baldor that if he could prove that everything cared for Baldor, she would free is the soul. Hermod wends to everybody begging for their condolences. Every being wept at Baldor’s death.

Loki is annoyed. He would not want all his effort to go to waste so easily. He took the form of a Giant and started insulting Baldor. Hermod begged the giant to stop. But the giant did not listen and did not shed a tear. Hermod sighed in grief. The giant released a devious cackle after listening to Hermod sigh. Hermod then knew he had been tricked by Loki. Hermod along with Thor chained Loki to a rock with a poisonous serpent dripping venom on his brow for the rest of time.

This story is a Scandinavian myth that has been rewritten by Aryann