The myth of Loki and the deadly mistletoe - Iseult Gillespie
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0:07 - 0:12Baldur— son of All Father Odin
and Queen Frigg, -
0:12 - 0:17husband of Nanna the Peaceful,
and God of truth and light— -
0:17 - 0:22was the gentlest and most beloved being
in all of Asgard. -
0:22 - 0:24In his great hall of Breidablik,
-
0:24 - 0:28Baldur’s soothing presence
eased his subject’s woes. -
0:28 - 0:31But lately, he was plagued
by troubles of his own. -
0:31 - 0:38Every night, Baldur had gruesome visions
foretelling his own imminent death. -
0:38 - 0:41Determined to protect her son
from these grim prophecies, -
0:41 - 0:45Queen Frigg travelled
across the nine realms, -
0:45 - 0:49begging all living things
not to harm Baldur. -
0:49 - 0:52Her grace moved each being
she encountered. -
0:52 - 0:58Every animal and element, every plague
and plant, every blade and bug -
0:58 - 1:00gladly gave their word.
-
1:00 - 1:05Frigg returned to Breidablik,
and threw a great feast to celebrate. -
1:05 - 1:11Wine flowed freely, and soon the gods
took turns testing Baldur’s immunity. -
1:11 - 1:15Lurking in the corner,
Loki rolled his eyes. -
1:15 - 1:19The trickster god had never cared
for Baldur the Bright, -
1:19 - 1:22and found his new gift
profoundly irritating. -
1:22 - 1:26Surely there was a flaw in Frigg’s plan.
-
1:26 - 1:28Taking the form of an old woman,
-
1:28 - 1:32Loki crept to Frigg’s side
and feigned confusion. -
1:32 - 1:39Why were the gods attacking sweet Baldur,
whom they all loved so dearly? -
1:39 - 1:43Frigg told her of the oaths,
but the old woman pressed on. -
1:43 - 1:48Surely you didn’t receive a vow
from everything, she asked. -
1:48 - 1:49Frigg shrugged.
-
1:49 - 1:53The only being she hadn’t visited
was mistletoe. -
1:53 - 1:57After all, what god could fear
a trifling weed? -
1:57 - 2:01At this, Loki dashed outside
to find a sprig of mistletoe. -
2:01 - 2:05When he returned, the festivities
had grown even rowdier. -
2:05 - 2:08But not every god was enjoying the party.
-
2:08 - 2:13Baldur’s brother Hodur, who was blind
and weapon-less, sat dejected. -
2:13 - 2:15Seeing his opportunity,
-
2:15 - 2:20the trickster slyly offered
Hodur a chance to participate. -
2:20 - 2:24Loki armed him with mistletoe,
guided his aim towards his brother, -
2:24 - 2:28and told Hodur to hurl with all his might.
-
2:28 - 2:33The mistletoe pierced Baldur’s chest
with deadly force. -
2:33 - 2:38The god’s light quickly flickered out,
and despair swept over the crowd. -
2:38 - 2:42Within moments, the impact
of Baldur’s death could be felt -
2:42 - 2:44across the nine realms.
-
2:44 - 2:49But from the weeping masses,
Hermod the Brave stepped forward. -
2:49 - 2:53The warrior god believed that with
the help of Odin’s mighty steed, -
2:53 - 2:55there was no plane he could not reach.
-
2:55 - 3:00He would travel to halls of Hel herself,
and bring Baldur home. -
3:00 - 3:04The god rode for nine days
and nine nights, -
3:04 - 3:09past halls of corpses
and over paths paved with bone. -
3:09 - 3:12When he finally reached
the Queen of the Underworld, -
3:12 - 3:16Hermod begged her to return
Baldur to his family. -
3:16 - 3:22Hel considered taking pity, but she wanted
to know the extent of the gods’ mourning. -
3:22 - 3:25She agreed to relinquish Baldur’s soul—
-
3:25 - 3:30if Hermod could prove that every
living thing wept at Baldur’s death. -
3:30 - 3:33Hermod shot back
to the land of the living. -
3:33 - 3:36He met with every creature
that Frigg visited earlier— -
3:36 - 3:40all of which cried for Baldur
and begged for his return. -
3:40 - 3:45Meanwhile, Loki watched Hermod’s
mission with disdain. -
3:45 - 3:48He would not let his work
be so easily undone, -
3:48 - 3:54but if he interfered too boldly it might
reveal his hand in Baldur’s murder. -
3:54 - 4:01Disguising himself as a ferocious giant,
he hid himself at Hermod’s final stop. -
4:01 - 4:03When the warrior came,
-
4:03 - 4:08the howling wind and craggy rocks
each declared their love for Baldur. -
4:08 - 4:12But the giant within spewed only contempt
for the deceased. -
4:12 - 4:18No matter how much Hermod begged,
she would not shed a single tear. -
4:18 - 4:23With his last hope dashed, the god began
to mourn Baldur a second time. -
4:23 - 4:28But an echo from the cave
rang out above his sobs. -
4:28 - 4:32Loki’s twisted cackle was well-known
to every Asgardian, -
4:32 - 4:36and Hermod realized he’d been tricked.
-
4:36 - 4:38As he leapt to accost the trickster,
-
4:38 - 4:42Loki took the form of a salmon
and wriggled into the waterfall. -
4:42 - 4:48His escape was guaranteed,
until Thor arrived at the scene. -
4:48 - 4:53Dragging Loki back to the cave, the gods
bound him with a poisonous serpent. -
4:53 - 4:58Here, Loki would remain chained
until the end of days— -
4:58 - 5:02the serpent dripping venom
on his brow as punishment -
5:02 - 5:05for dousing Asgard’s brightest light.
- Title:
- The myth of Loki and the deadly mistletoe - Iseult Gillespie
- Speaker:
- Iseult Gillespie
- Description:
-
View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-myth-of-loki-and-the-deadly-mistletoe-iseult-gillespie
Baldur was the gentlest and most beloved being in all of Asgard. But lately, he had been plagued by gruesome visions foretelling his own imminent death. Determined to protect her son from these grim prophecies, Queen Frigg travelled across the nine realms, begging all living things not to harm Baldur— all living things except one. Iseult Gillespie shares the myth of the death of Baldur.
Lesson by Iseult Gillespie, directed by WOW-HOW Studio.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TED-Ed
- Duration:
- 05:07
Elise Haadsma approved English subtitles for The myth of Loki and the deadly mistletoe | ||
Elise Haadsma accepted English subtitles for The myth of Loki and the deadly mistletoe | ||
lauren mcalpine edited English subtitles for The myth of Loki and the deadly mistletoe |