Hodr

Hodr, also Höðr, is a figure in Norse mythology known as one of the Æsir. He is described as blind and is counted as a son of Odin and Frigg, and the brother of Baldr. The name appears in both the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda, though details about his role and attributes vary across sources.

The central episode associated with Hodr is the death of Baldr. According to the myth, Baldr was beloved by the gods and almost invulnerable after Frigg obtained a vow from all things not to harm him. However, the mistletoe had not been included in this vow. Loki manipulated Hodr into throwing a weapon made of mistletoe at Baldr, guided by Loki’s instructions, and Baldr was killed. The act is generally presented as an inadvertent misdeed by Hodr rather than a calculated act of malice, and it brings great sorrow to the gods and sets in motion later, turbulent events within the mythic narrative.

Hodr’s own fate is not consistently described in surviving sources. Some later or derivative traditions claim he dies during Ragnarök or is killed by his brother Vali, but there is no single, definitive account. Because of the variations and omissions in the sources, Hodr is typically treated as a relatively minor, tragic figure whose actions precipitate Baldr’s death rather than as a fully developed independent deity.

In modern discussions, Hodr is often cited as an example of blindness in myth and as a catalytic character within the broader Norse narrative.