The story of Baldur is, at its simplest level, a winter’s tale to mark the loss of the Sun before it returns in the Spring, and thus this is a very appropriate story for our current season. It also has mistletoe, which is always popular with those who love to kiss and be kissed.

Before I offer another angle on the tale, though, I would like to present a (very brief) summary of the tale. I’m sure that many of you already know the story. However, this is for those not experienced with the Norse tales, and to ensure we are all looking at the same key details.

Baldur was the most favored of the Gods. The son of Frigga and Odin, he was not only handsome and fair to look upon, but full of wisdom and generosity. It was said that any dispute could be brought to him, and his solution and sage advice would result in everyone feeling satisfied with the result. Truly, he was a shining god whom everyone loved and adored.

But he started having nightmares about an impending Doom. Odin, his father, rode to Helheim and sought the advice of a dead seeress who confirmed that there was a deadly ending on the horizon, tied into the eventual destruction of the gods themselves.

Frigga, his mother, went to all the plants, animals and all the other parts of creation, and made them all promise that they would never cause any harm to Baldur. All, that is, except the lowly mistletoe, because she deemed too weak and too insignificant.

And now, there was a new game in town whenever the Gods met to feast, called “throw the weapon at Baldur and watch it bounce off.” Everyone loved this game, apart from Loki (who generally hates seeing people being self-satisfied and feeling invincible) and Baldur’s brother Blind Hodr, who felt left out because he couldn’t see to take part.

Thus, by dint of asking around, Loki discovered Baldur’s weakness. He thereupon made a dart out of mistletoe, and offered to help Hodr take part in the festivities by directing his aim…with fatal consequences for the God at the center of all the adoration.

Baldur was now dead. Some versions also have the Goddess Hel suggesting that all living things must weep for Baldur if he is to be released…and an old witch (Loki no less), is supposed to have refused to ensure  Baldur stayed dead.

This is the bare bones of the myth, a story that drips with unavoidable loss, for Baldur, his parents, and the whole tribe.

But, I also think this is a story of warning for us, to show us how our failure to watch and take responsibility can result in the loss of our own happiness. This lesson comes in four parts: Fear, Complacency, Blindness, and Anger.

FEAR

Fear, to start with, lies at the root of this tale. It was fear that caused Baldur to wake up in terror from his nightmares. It was fear of losing his son that drove Odin to ride to Helheim and seek advice from the dead (and more knowledge than he really wanted). And it was fear that motivated Frigga, Baldur’s mother, to seek assurances from every object on Earth. But that fear was ultimately worthless.

When we fear and stress about the future, we live the same event twice…and sometimes those fears are groundless, and sometimes they will come true despite our worries.

Odin’s search for wisdom took him a place he would rather not have known, the end times for the Gods. As the Havamal itself says:

"It is best for man to be middle-wise,
Not over cunning and clever:
The learned man whose lore is deep
Is seldom happy at heart."

And for Frigga, she gave herself the impossible task of making allies with all the world…and still failing with the lowly mistletoe. Is this not the definition of an impossible task? Even a mother’s love was insufficient to protect Baldur from all danger. And maybe that is the lesson, fear of loss will never be enough to stop the process life and death, however much we would like to hope otherwise. However much we fear what might happen, we can never cover all the bases to present what we fear taking place, and our attempts to do so may actually make things worse.

COMPLACENCY

One of the other great mistakes we can make in life is complacency, the feeling that there is nothing that can go wrong. It is the opposite of the fear of everything going wrong. And history is littered with examples of leaders, generals, and populations believing they were invincible, or beyond harm, or that “things can only get better.” The most famous in the last 100 years is the Titanic, the “invincible” ship. But every con man knows that the easiest mark is the one who feels safe and secure.

And what better example of complacency do we have than the other Gods playing games with Baldur’s protection? His invincibility was not supposed to be a game, but a means to keep him safe. And yet how human it is that the act of making something safe increases the likelihood of risky behavior. I do suspect, for instance, that the safety and comfort of our everyday lives is making us blind and uncaring about the very real risks of a planetary catastrophe from global warming. We LIKE our high energy, well fed, ease of comfort lifestyle…so at best we pay lip service to the danger of rising global temperatures, and at worse we believe the soft lies of those who make money from our consumption and sing us back to sleep with half-truths and deception.

Had the Gods not been complacent, they would not have put Baldur’s health and safety deliberately at risk. Had they not been complacent, they would have noticed Loki’s anger and scorn. Had they not been complacent, they would have noticed Hodr, left on the outside, vulnerable to being “used” because he wanted to be part of the fun.

BLINDNESS

How often do we do things without thinking…blind to the consequences? We hear of people who follow their sat-nav’s instructions off the edge of the cliff, and we read of signs at the top of ladders that proclaim “stop here.” We assume it’s always someone else, but we can all get trapped in the moment without working through the possible results. It’s not just drink-driving but also texting while driving. It’s the party game that looks like crazy fun until something breaks. It’s the prank that your best friend plays which causes a fatal accident. “It’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye”

Hodr was blind, we say, how could he possibly know that the arrow he was holding would kill his brother? Well, it’s not like Loki was known to be entirely safe, and it wasn’t as if Hodr had asked any sensible questions. There is a great saying “If something seems too good to be true, it probably is.” Our internet is full of “News too good to check”. How often do you share a particularly juicy meme (especially if it attacks someone you dislike) without checking the facts? How aware are you of the trustworthiness of your news sources?

Blindness is no excuse for not asking questions, for not digging deeper, for not abandoning complacency and testing the truth of what you are told.

ANGER

So, why is it that Anger came at the end of this list? We tend to assume that without anger, the world would be a far happier place, so we should blame most issues initially on anger and other temper issues.

Except, I think Anger is only effective when it finds the right circumstances, and those are Fear, Complacency, and Blindness.

• When Fear is addressed, Anger cannot thrive on Ignorance.
• When Complacency is eliminated, Anger cannot grow in Secret.
• When Blindness is not excused, Anger cannot be spread with Lies.

We cannot prevent the anger of other people, though we can do much by making sure we don’t give them reasonable cause to be angry. Ultimately, though, anger is a choice by someone else, and we have little control over what they do or feel

But while Loki’s Anger created the Dart that killed Baldur, it was only effective because Fear, Complacency, and Blindness had made that dart uniquely effective.

We are about to celebrate the feast time of Yule (or Jul), when we light fires and call back the sun. North of the Arctic circle, the sun will actually disappear for days or even weeks. We know from experience that it will be back in the Spring, but still we eat, and drink, and share presents, celebrating the longest night and the sun’s slow return to give us light, warmth, and life.

But in political terms (speaking as a Liberal), I think we are also entering a political winter where populism and nationalism are driving people apart in fear, where too many of us have been complacent, and blindness has allowed anger to flourish. Whether Brexit, the growth in White Nationalism, the push back against equal rights for women and minorities, or the refusal to help those in need, we are now facing a decline in liberty and diversity. And we Heathens especially should be concerned, because not so long ago our ancestors were butchered by Christians and burned at the stake as witches. The freedom of religion some people seek is the right to impose their version of it on everyone else.

But, I will also remain positive about the future long term, however cloudy the skies are today. We might not be able to see the sun, and maybe the winds are blowing cold, but we know the clouds are only transient and the seasons will return to Spring and Summer. And above all, “Rebellions are built on Hope”.