Hermod glanced up at the world tree. He had been told the realm of Hel was deep beneath the ground. “At the foot of the tree, you’ll see a root that is bigger than the rest,” Odin said. “We call this root Helgrindr. Follow it, and it’ll lead you to the mistress’s domain.”
Hermod circled the tree on his horse. He soon spotted Helgrindr. It was thicker than the other roots and bulged from the earth. He followed it to a tunnel.
Icy air spewed from the opening. Hermod began to shiver. He tried to peer inside, but it was too dark to make anything out.
Hermod’s horse tensed.
He stroked her mane. ‘Don’t worry. I won’t make you go down there if you don’t want to. You must wait here for me to return, though.’
Hermod got off his horse and went into the tunnel.
The way down was steep. The further he went, the colder it became.
As he neared the end of the tunnel, the ground flattened, and he heard rushing water. In the distance, he could see the ebbing silver light of a river. A glimmering crystal bridge ran over it.
As he drew closer, everything became brighter. He could see that he was no longer alone. Around him, the dead roamed. They were all heading across the river.
When Hermod made it onto the bridge, one of the wardens of Hel stepped towards him. She towered over Hermod. Battle scars covered her face, and her hands were calloused. ‘Why do you wish to enter this land? You are not one of the dead?’
‘I wish to speak to your mistress.’
‘Why?’
‘I wish to bargain with her.’
The warden looked Hermod in the eye. The corners of her mouth twitched. ‘You’re welcome to try,’ she said. ‘Now, go. You have a long road ahead of you.’
Hermod bowed his head and crossed the bridge.
On the other side, there was a dark forest. Trees with silver leaves sprung up all around him. It was as if he was in a labyrinth.
Once he finally made it through the winding woods, he came to an enormous cavern. A vicious black dog guarded the entrance. It snarled and barked at Hermod but allowed him to enter.
Inside, vast swarms of the dead walked back and forth. Their moans echoed through the cavern. Hermod could also hear the gushing of water above his head. He looked up. There were no signs of water, only high, craggy ceilings with stalagmites spiralling downwards like sharp spears.
Hel loomed high on her rusty throne. She was a giantess with long black hair and deep-set black eyes. Her skin was ghostly white.
Hermod’s heart turned cold as he approached her. ‘Excuse me, mistress,’ he said.
Hel’s eyes fixed on Hermod. ‘Speak.’
‘I have come on behalf of the Aesir. We wish to strike a bargain with you. One of our most beloved gods, Baldur, has been sent to your realm through trickery. Is there any way you would be willing to release him back to Asgard?’
‘Tell me of this trickery.’
‘It began when Frigg had a dream foretelling her son, Baldur’s, death. To stop this from ever coming to be, she resolved to go to each living thing and make them swear never to harm Baldur. She went to see the wild beasts of Niflheim. She went to see the most venomous plants that grew in the nine worlds. She even visited the dwarves of Nidavellir. The beasts agreed they would never attack Baldur. The plants agreed they would never poison him. And the dwarves agreed to enchant all the weapons they made so that they would never harm him.
‘When Frigg returned to Asgard, she was overjoyed. She told us all about how she had saved her son. We were all so happy for her that we went to the mead hall to celebrate the news. We didn’t realise, however, that not everyone was so happy. While we drank, Loki sat in the shadows, deep in thought.
‘I regret to say that we became so drunk during the celebrations that we decided to throw weapons at Baldur to test his invulnerability. We threw swords, axes, and hammers. Each one just bounced off him. At some point, Loki approached Hodr, Baldur’s brother. He asked him if he would like to join in with the game. Hodr nodded but said he could not join in because of his blindness. “I will help you,” Loki said. “I will guide your hand.” Then, he handed Hodr a spear. Hodr snatched it without thinking of the implications.
‘You see, Loki remembered Frigg saying that she had pleaded with every living thing that could do Baldur harm, but not the ones that couldn’t do him any harm, such as the humble mistletoe. Loki had tied some mistletoe around the spear’s blade.
‘When Hodr threw the spear, the Aesir went silent. All that could be heard was Hodr’s laughter. “Did I hit him? Did I hit him?” he squealed.
‘Loki smiled. “You certainly did,” he told Hodr. Then, Loki turned into a crow and flew away. We have not seen him since.
‘This is why I ask you to let Baldur return home with me. Hodr does not deserve his fate. To kill one’s brother is a grave crime. He does not deserve to live out the rest of his life as a criminal for the sake of a cruel trick.’
‘I will give you your bargain,’ Hel said. ‘If you can get every person in the nine worlds to mourn for Baldur, I will release him.’
‘Thank you, mistress,’ Hermod said. ‘I will now leave and begin my task.’
Once Hermod had finally made it out of Hel, he ventured far across the nine worlds. He pleaded with everyone he met to mourn for Baldur. He laid it on so thick that even Bragi, the greatest poet in Asgard, would be impressed.
By the time nightfall came, there was only one more person left to convince, a giantess who lived in a small hovel in Jotunheim.
Hermod knocked on her door. He noticed a crow’s feather by the doorway but thought nothing of it.
Eventually, the door creaked open, and an old giantess with a scrunched-up face poked her head out. She squinted at Hermod. ‘What do you want?’
‘Have you ever heard of Baldur, my dear lady?’
‘Look around. What do you think?’
Hermod frowned. ‘Well, Baldur is the best of all the Aesir. He is loved by everyone he meets. He is the kindest go—’
‘Sounds like one of them do-gooders,’ the old giantess interrupted. ‘I don’t like him already.’
Hermod ignored the giantess’s remark and continued. ‘Unfortunately, Baldur is dead through an act of vile trickery. The mistress of Hel, however, has agreed to a bargain for his life. If I can convince every person in the nine worlds to mourn for Baldur, she will release him. So, I ask you, dear lady, will you mourn for Baldur?’
The giantess rubbed her chin. ‘No.’
‘Please, dear lady. I beg you.’
‘No! I told you.’
‘Why not?’
‘Because I’m old and I’m miserable, and I don’t see why anyone else should be happy. Now, goodbye!’ She went inside and slammed her door.
Hermod sighed. He left the hovel and began his long ride back to Hel. If he’d stayed five minutes longer, however, he would have seen a crow fly out of one of the hovel windows.
When he returned, he approached Hel’s throne. ‘What of our bargain?’ she asked. ‘Could you get every person in the nine worlds to mourn for Baldur?’
‘I could not.’
Hel smiled. ‘Then you have failed, and Baldur must remain here.’
Hoenir nodded and, with a heavy heart, began his long journey back to Asgard.
