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The story of the insane Baldur from the God of War series.
Background[]
Early life[]
| “ | Baldur was the greatest gift Odin granted Freya; the one thing she treasured from their marriage. | „ |
| ~ Mimir about Baldur. |
Baldur of the Aesir was born to Odin and the Vanir goddess Freya in Asgard, in the wake of the Great War that unified the realms. Famed as the "Pride of the Aesir", he was described by Freya as a happy child and was to be known as the God of Light due to his loving nature. But this was not to be, for the Norns foretold that Baldur would die a needless death that would trigger Fimbulwinter - a bitter three-years long winter before the end of all things; Ragnarök itself.
In a desperate attempt to nullify the funest prophecy, Freya used her unparalleled knowledge of ancient magics to cast a spell on her son that would leave him virtually immune to all threats, physical or magical. With the notable exception of mistletoe, nothing would be able to harm Baldur. But Vanir magics was slippery by nature and the price Baldur had to pay would prove to be too much for him to handle, with dire consequences for both mother and son.
| “ | I can't taste. I can't smell. I can't even feel the temperature of this... this room. Feasting... drinking... women. It's all gone. GONE! Take it away, mother. Please... please, please, take it away. | „ |
| ~ Baldur begging for Freya to remove his curse. |
The spell Freya cast upon her son blessed - or cursed - him with invulnerability, but the downside was that he was also robbed from his very senses, leaving him an empty shell unable to feel or enjoy even the tiniest pleasure that a godly life had to offer. To add the insult to injury, Freya refused to lift the spell out of fear that the prophecy would be fullfilled. Following a heated argument during which Baldur nearly murdered his mother out of sheer despair, he ultimately let her live but swore that he would never forgive her.
Odin did not have such concerns as to the well-being of his son, and after he banished Freya to Midgard, he raised Baldur in his own way. Whether the All-Father was able to lift Freya's curse or not is unknown, but he did fill his son's head with lies and false promises of a cure. Before this, Baldur had to do Odin's bidding and as a result, he became little more than a puppet that proved to be very useful.
Due to his gift of invulnerability, Baldur was usually tasked with accomplishing the most dangerous missions on his father's behalf, and he quickly made his name as Odin's best tracker. As years went on, Baldur progressively lost his sanity and became hell bent on feeling pain again, something that no one was able to offer him. His senseless life took a turning point when one day, the stave hidding the location of the last Guardian in Midgard suddenly disappeared. Odin felt at last the presence of the last Giant, who was hidding deep in the Wildwoods. Sending Baldur to hunt him down, he assured his son that finding the Jötunn would get him closer to the cure he so desesperately needed.
God of War (2018)[]
Finding the last Giant[]
Riding his flying mount Dagsetr, the son of Odin set foot in front of Kratos' cabin and urged the Spartan to come out, claiming that he knew who he was. Upon meeting the Ghost of Sparta, a bemused Baldur thought that he was facing the last Jötunn living in Midgard, and acted increasingly hostile towards the Spartan. The latter could not know what Baldur was looking for, and he rebuffed him, much to the Aesir's amusement.
| “ | And here I thought your kind was supposed to be so enlightened. So much better than us. So much smarter. And yet you hide out here in the woods - like a coward. | „ |
| ~ Baldur adressing Kratos as if he were a Giant. |
As a consequence, Baldur slapped Kratos' face in the hope that he would lose control and fight back. It took a few more punches before the Spartan finally lost patience and brutally punched Baldur in the face, sending him flying back. However, much to Baldur's dismay, he still couldn't feel the slightiest pain from the powerful hit he just received. As the Ghost of Sparta was about to strike again, Baldur took him by complete surprise and delivered a strike that sent him flying through the air and over his house.
The two gods engaged in a vicious and particularly brutal fight that saw Baldur toss Kratos around as though he was a rag doll. The Spartan was able to fight back whenever he could thanks to his superior experience but years of inaction had made him rusty and way too slow for taking on the God of Light. Baldur notably mocked him for being too old for this and suggested that he could make Atreus talk instead.
This threat literally enraged Kratos, who rained down his fury upon Baldur and seemingly overpowered him. The Aesir found himself thrown against a boulder and was mauled by his opponent, who managed to crush him by burrying the son of Odin underneath the rock. Little did he know that Baldur remained as good as before, lifting the enormous boulder up with his sheer strength and throwing it back at Kratos, who barely had time to protect himself. The sheer amount of power unleashed by the son of Zeus and the son of Odin was such that it cracked open the ground beneath them.
| “ | When Odin sent me here, I just needed answers, but YOU, you had to act all proud. Throw whatever you have at me... I'll keep coming. That old body will give out. But before I end this, I want you to know one thing... I can't feel any of this. | „ |
| ~ Baldur to Kratos during their first encounter. |
Understanding that Kratos would not be able to make him feel pain again, Baldur decided to finish him for good. Nevertheless, the Spartan finally gained the upper hand and managed to brutally snap Baldur's neck, seemingly killing him. Utterly exhausted after the beating he took from Baldur, the Ghost of Sparta threw the Aesir's body in a nearby crevasse before heading back home.
Seeking answers from Mimir[]
It took more than a broken neck to finish the son of Odin, who recovered from his injuries and summoned reinforcements from Asgard. Magni and Modi, the mighty sons of Thor, answered their uncle's call and accompanied him to the highest peak of Midgard. They expected to get answers from Mimir, the Smartest Man Alive, and interrogated him about Kratos and Atreus' whereabouts.
| “ | The tattooed man. Tracks show he now travels with a child. Where would they go next? You help me, I help you. Tell me where they are and I'll talk to Odin. | „ |
| ~ Baldur attempting to make Mimir talk. |
But Baldur had nothing to offer Mimir in exchange for his hypothetical answer, as Odin would never free him from his torment nor let the Aesir harm him. As a result, the God of Knowledge rebuffed Baldur and his nephews, forcing them to leave empty-handed. Unbeknownst to the Aesir, they have never been so close to their goal, as Kratos and his son have been listening to their conversation and were about to free Mimir, right after their departure.
Hunting Kratos and Atreus[]
Later, after Kratos, Atreus, and Mimir (now a decapitated, reanimated head thanks to Kratos freeing him) return to the top of the Mountain and attempt to enter Jotunheim through the gate there, Baldur attacks them. Beating Kratos, he is shot through the chest and head by Atreus, which he simply shrugs off. Atreus - having become more egotistical and impatient since learning of his Godhood - is easily goaded into stunning Kratos with a lighting arrow and attacking Baldur head-on. Baldur easily disarms Atreus, holding him up by the neck and mocking him for thinking he was ready to take him on.
Stabbing Atreus in the shoulder with his own knife, Baldur bid Kratos goodbye before running off the edge of the mountain and landing on his pet dragon. Kratos swiftly followed, catching the dragon's tail and climbing on before the two Gods engaged in another brutal fight. Eventually, Kratos was tossed off, but not before slicing the dragon's wing and sending it crashing into a cliff face next to the Lake of Nine. However, Baldur, carrying Atreus, was able to jump off the dragon and land in the Realm Travel Room on Týr's Bridge. While attempting to use the Travel Room to enter Asgard, Baldur was interrupted by Kratos, who was able to redirect the Room to cast himself, Baldur, Atreus, and Mimir into Helheim, with all of them landing on the Bridge of the Damned.
Memories of the past[]
During the landing, Baldur was separated from the three protagonists. As they traveled through Hel, they came across Baldur being tortured by a vision. Through this, it is revealed that a century ago, Baldur's mother, Freya, blessed Baldur with invulnerability to all harm. However, a side effect of the blessing was that Baldur could no longer feel anything - be it taste, sexual pleasure or even pain. Baldur confronted Freya about this, admitting he would rather die than never feel again.
| “ | What you did to me... WHAT YOU DID TO ME! I'm a coward... I'm... I'm a coward. I'm a worth... worthless coward. | „ |
| ~ Baldur's breakdown after seeing his past while in Helheim. |
However, she refused to lift her blessing, fearing her son would suffer a pointless death as she had foreseen. The present Baldur watched this, pacing about and eagerly telling his vision counterpart to "do it." The vision - Baldur appeared as if he would kill Freya - however, it played out as history did, with vision-Baldur stating that he never wants to see Freya again. The vision ended, and Baldur screamed in fury, calling his vision-self a coward. Eventually, he collapsed into a sobbing wreck, calling himself a coward. Having missed his preys once more, Baldur found his way out of Helheim and resumed the hunt.
The final showdown[]
Much later, Kratos, Atreus, and Mimir ventured inside the World Serpent, Jormngandr, in order to find Mimir's missing eye and open a secret gate to Jotunheim. On their way back out of the Serpent, they felt him being violently thrown about and were spat up on the shore next to the frozen corpse of the Frost Giant, Thamur. Freya then joined them, telling them that she had started searching for her son. After some hesitation from Kratos and Atreus thanks to their knowledge of Baldur and Freya's relationship, the Invulnerable God waded out of the water, stating that he felt that hurting "the big snake" would get the pairs' attention, and chiding them for costing him something (implied to be a promise from Odin to lift his curse if he delivered the two to Asgard). He paused, however, upon noticing his mother.
| “ | I've spent the last one hundred years dreaming of this moment. I've rehearsed everything I ever wanted to say to you, every word, to make you understand exactly what you stole from me. But now I realize... I don't need you to understand anything. I don't need you at all. | „ |
| ~ Baldur unleashing out to his mother. |
Though Freya tried to make peace with her son, Baldur simply stated that he did not need her before approaching. Kratos, however, stopped him, telling the Norse God that he knew from experience that Baldur would find no peace in vengeance. Baldur ignored this and attacked Kratos. Eventually, Freya attempted to ensnare the two in vines to keep them from killing each other. Baldur dodged and went to attack Kratos. Atreus then stepped in, attempting to protect his father, to which Baldur responded by punching him in the chest. What Baldur did not know was that earlier, the dwarf Sindri had gifted Atreus with Mistletoe Arrows for saving him from a dragon. The head of one of these arrows was used to tie together Atreus' quiver after the string broke - right over his chest. As such, Baldur inadvertently stabbed his hand with the mistletoe arrow from Atreus' quiver stab, which - to his amazement and Freya's horror - broke the blessing that rendered him invulnerable, allowing him to feel again - but also to be killed.
| “ | Before you die, I want to thank you. Both of you. You've done what even the Allfather himself could not! I've never felt more alive! Ironic, isn't it? | „ |
| ~ Baldur taunting Kratos and Atreus. |
The fight continued, with Freya using her Seior magic to summon vines, Brood, and even reanimate Thamur's corpse in an attempt to stop the fight. Throughout it all, Baldur relishes in the agony it causes him, whether it be through Kratos' attacks, or his own freezing or burning himself. Eventually, Kratos and Atreus, with the help of Jormungandr, disabled Thamur's Corpse and beat Baldur, and Kratos attempted to strangle him to death. Atreus, however, held his father back, echoing Kratos' words about Modi earlier that Baldur is "beaten. Not worth killing." Letting go, Kratos warned Baldur to leave Freya alone, causing her to chide him for attempting to protect her. Baldur, in turn, chided Freya for her inability to remain uninvolved in his life, stating that he will never forgive her for her actions and that she needs to suffer for the century of feeling she stole from him.
Deliverance[]
| “ | Just can't help yourself, can you mother? No matter what... what I do or say, you won't... you won't stop INTERFERING IN MY LIFE. | „ |
| ~ Baldur to Freya. |
Freya responded that she has suffered for it, but says that if killing her will make Baldur whole, then she will let him. Baldur then began strangling Freya to death, only to be pulled back by Kratos. Incensed and uncomprehending of why Kratos continued to get involved when there was no reason for Baldur to keep chasing them, Kratos echoed the words of his father, Zeus, telling Baldur that "The cycle ends here. We must be better than this." Kratos then brutally snapped Baldur's neck. As Baldur lay dying on the ground, he blissfully felt, for the last time, the touch of snow on his cheek - the first snowflake of Fimbulwinter, the prelude to Ragnarök; The Twilight of the Gods.
Aftermath[]
| “ | I will rain down every agony, every violation imaginable, upon you. I will parade your cold body from every corner of every realm, and feed your sould to the vilest filth in Hel. That is MY promise! | „ |
| ~ Freya promising eternal torment to Kratos. |
Baldur's demise had dire consequences for the protagonists and the Nine Realms as a whole. By murdering Freya's cherished son and robbing her from the choice she made, Kratos turned a once caring mother into a vengeful warrior hell bent on seeing him suffer eternal torment at her hands. Not only that, the death of her son meant that Fimbulwinter had already begun and with it, the beginning of the end for all things. The loss of Baldur deprived the All-Father from one of his most valuable assets, and forced him to take matters into his own hands.