The Newborn Avenger

What did a child of 1 night old do?

Odin's son Vali was the one who would defeat Hod, Baldr's killer. In "Baldr's Dreams," he appears as the child Rind will bear. The seeress told Odin that this child would fight when he was 1 night old. She foretold that he would send Baldr's killer to the flames.

In "The Seeress's Prophecy," too, Baldr's brother fights soon after his birth. He sets out for vengeance when he is only 1 night old. He neither washes his hands nor combs his hair until he has carried Baldr's enemy to the funeral fire.

Frigg wept in Fensalir. "The Seeress's Prophecy" also tells of her grief at the disaster that had struck the gods. Gylfaginning describes what kind of god Vali is: brave in battle, and a fine shot.

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