# Balder — Poetry character guide

> Balder in Poetry by Matthew Arnold.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Balder Dead, Baldur the Good

**First appearance:** 0135-balder-dead

## Snapshot

The beloved Norse god whose death sets all heaven grieving and whose release from Hel depends on every living and lifeless thing weeping.

## Who they are

Balder sits crowned at Hela's side in the abode of death, honored among the dead even as the gods above seek his return. When Hermod greets him, he refuses consolation—'gild me not my death'—preferring even a captive's life to this pale honor. His gentle refusal and the terms of his releasement make him the still center of the poem's mourning, the loss against which all other griefs are measured.

## Relationships

### [Hermod](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_16_se/characters/hermod)

_friendship_

Hermod is Balder's loyal brother and companion, who undertakes a perilous journey to Hel to try to bring Balder back from the dead.

### [Odin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_16_se/characters/odin)

_family_

Odin is Balder's father, a god who deeply loves his son but is unable to prevent his prophesied death.

### [Hela](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_16_se/characters/hela)

_psychological_

Hela, the goddess of death, holds Balder captive in the underworld, creating a relationship of power and tragic inevitability.

### [Nanna](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_16_se/characters/nanna)

_romantic_

Nanna is Balder's devoted wife, who dies of grief after his death and joins him in the underworld.

### [Hoder](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_16_se/characters/hoder)

_family_

Balder and Hoder are brothers, but Hoder is tricked into killing Balder with a mistletoe dart, creating a tragic fratricidal bond.

### [Frea](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_16_se/characters/frea)

_family_

Frea is Balder's mother, a goddess who tries desperately to protect him from his prophesied death.

### [Lok](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_16_se/characters/lok)

_rivalry_

Lok (Loki) is the trickster god who engineers Balder's death out of malice and jealousy.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_16_se/characters/balder
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_16_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_16_se/characters