Hann var blindr

The Function of Disability in the Aftermath of Ragnarǫk

Authors

• Sharon Choe The University of York

Keywords:

blindness, disability, mythology, myth of Baldr

Abstract

This article addresses the varying representations of the blind god Hǫðr in the Poetic Edda, Snorri’s Edda, and Saxo’s Gesta Danorum. By revisiting the importance of Hǫðr and his blindness in the death of Baldr myth, scholarship can further elucidate the shift between traditional secular power and developing ecclesiastical presence in thirteenth-century Iceland. As a minor god in the Nordic pantheon, Hǫðr has been largely left on the peripheries of Norse scholarship. This article suggests that he is in fact one of the most important actors in the downfall of the Æsir, and that his simultaneous marginalisation and participation in Baldr's death deserves more critical attention.