S2E10: Balder's Ominous Dreams (Part 2)

Between Two Ravens: A Norse Mythology Podcast

Continuing our series on the Ominous Dreams of the Beautiful Balder. Chapter 49 of Gylfaganing in the Prose Edda. Odin fears that his son’s premonitions of death will come true and Balder’s mother, Frigg, obtains the oaths of all the dangers of the natural world so that they will not harm her son. Loki returns and wants to play a little game.
The gods attempt to injure Balder to prove that the oaths of protection are working. Loki deceives Frigg and is able to learn that one small plant was too young to swear an oath to the queen of the gods and can still harm Balder. The blind god Hod is easily deceived by Loki and it’s all downhill from there. Shawn and David discuss Loki and Odin’s ongoing battle for and against Fate.
David introduces the Greek God Dionysus as a potential parallel for Balder. The archetype of the resurrected son. Dionysus is another son of a king god. He dies and is brought back from the underworld with the aid of a guide. Dionysus is a bit more exciting than Balder and will help David connect to parallels with the Fertility God Freyr in future episodes. Stay tuned!
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Additional Info: Gylfaganning 49: http://www.voluspa.org/gylfaginning41-50.htm Prose Edda (Byock; Penguin Classics): https://amzn.to/3inCvzn
Prose Edda “Snora Edda” (See Anthony Faulks version from the Viking Society for Northern Research): http://vsnrweb-publications.org.uk/
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