Balder

Balder, or Baldur, in Norse mythology, the son of Woden and Frigga, and the wisest and most beautiful of the gods. His mother, alarmed by dreams, exacted an oath from everything in nature not to harm him, but overlooked the mistletoe. The malicious Loki found out the secret from her by a stratagem, and when the gods, thinking Balder invulnerable, were casting stones and darts at him, he fetched the mistletoe and placed it in the hands of Hoder, the blind god of war, whose aim he then directed towards Balder, who fell dead. Hel, goddess of the nether world, consented to release him, but on condition that all things should weep for him. Loki's step-daughter, Thock, the giantess, alone refused. So Balder was detained in Hel's kingdom till the end of the world, when after a long struggle with the powers of evil he will return to reign in happiness and peace. Balder was avenged, however, by the Wali, who slew Hoder. The story appears to be a nature-myth typical of the triumph of Winter (Hoder) over Summer (Balder) and his subsequent defeat by Spring (Wali).