# Hoder — Poetry character guide

> Hoder in Poetry by Matthew Arnold.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** the blind Hoder

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

## Snapshot

The blind god whose unwitting hand sends the mistletoe dart, turning divine grief into the long dark that follows Balder's fall.

## Who they are

Hoder moves among the gods as the one who cannot see, yet his blindness is less a flaw than a fate: he is the instrument through which the bright, beloved Balder is lost. The tragedy is not malice but the terrible gap between intention and consequence, and the gods' helplessness to shield themselves from their own doom. His act sets the poem's mourning in motion, making him the quiet hinge on which the Norse myth's sorrow turns.

## Relationships

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

_family_

Hermod and Hoder are brothers, with Hoder being the blind god who accidentally kills Balder, causing family tragedy.

### [Balder](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_16_se/characters/balder)

_family_

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

## Links

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