Hodr: the Blind God
the Aesir god of darkness and winter
Hodr was an Aesir god of Asgard, the blind god of the old Norse myths. He was remembered in the lost pages of Norse myth as one of the gods who witnessed the great war between the Aesir and the Vanir.
Hodr was a god of the Aesir of Asgard, the blind god of the old Norse myths. He never appeared openly in the events of the Norse realms, but was remembered in the lost pages of myth as one who had looked on at the first great war. (The Lost Pages of Norse Myth)
A god of Asgard#
In the Norse myths Hodr is the blind son of Odin and Frigg, the god whom Loki tricks into killing his brother Baldur with a shaft of mistletoe. In God of War he is only ever named as one of the gods of Asgard, and nothing is said of his powers, his birth or any part in Baldur's fate. (Prose Edda; The Lost Pages of Norse Myth)
The lost pages of myth#
Hodr never walked openly through the events of the Norse realms. What was known of him survived in the lost pages of Norse myth, recounted by Mimir. There it was told that Hodr had been present, with other gods such as Idunn, Bragi, and Heimdall, to witness the first great war. When Freyr was set on fire by the gods, Hodr was seen drunk in the company of Bragi, Sif, and Hœnir. (The Lost Pages of Norse Myth)
Because Hodr was remembered among the gods before Freya married Odin, and so before Baldur was ever born, his relationship to Baldur is doubtful. He can't be the twin the myths describe, and the stories never say whether the two were kin at all. His ultimate fate went unrecorded. (The Lost Pages of Norse Myth; God of War (2018))
Frequently asked questions
- Who was Hodr in God of War?
- Hodr was an Aesir god of Asgard, blind in the Norse myths. He is never seen directly in the games but was remembered in the lost pages of Norse myth as a witness to the first great war between the Aesir and the Vanir.
- Is Hodr related to Baldur in God of War?
- Their exact relationship is uncertain. Hodr was remembered among the gods before Freya's marriage to Odin and before Baldur was born, so he can't be the twin brother the myths describe, and the stories never say whether the two were kin.
Sources
- GameGod of War (2018), Santa Monica Studio, 2018
- SerialThe Lost Pages of Norse Myth, Official God of War (2018) audio series narrated by Mimir, PlayStation, 2018
- BookProse Edda, Snorri Sturluson, around 1220
Spotted a factual error or a primary source we missed? Email a correction. Every flagged claim gets reviewed.
Followed from this entry
The Aesir
The Aesir were one of the two tribes of Norse gods, natives of Asgard known for their war-like nature and their hunger for knowledge. Descended from the slain primordial Ymir and ruled by Odin, they claimed dominion over all creation, waging genocide upon the Jotnar and war upon the Vanir before their fall in Ragnarok.
Baldur: the god who could feel nothing
Freya's spell made Baldur invulnerable but stripped every sensation from him, and a century of numbness drove him mad. Kratos killed him beside Thamur's corpse.
Bragi
Bragi was one of the Aesir of Asgard, the god of poetry in Norse myth and husband of Idunn. He never appears in the games, but Mimir names him among the drunken Aesir who jeered as Freyr burned, the insult that helped start the First Great War.
Freya
Freya was the Vanir goddess of love, war, and magic who married Odin to end the Aesir-Vanir War and was cursed to remain in Midgard. Once the Witch of the Woods, she aided Kratos and Atreus, swore vengeance after the death of her son Baldur, and at last turned her wrath on Odin himself.
Freyr: Freya's twin, killed at Ragnarok
Freyr led the Vanir resistance against Odin from a camp in Vanaheim. He died holding back the fire giant so that his allies could escape Asgard.
Heimdall: the watchman who saw every attack
Heimdall's foresight let him read minds and dodge any blow, until Brok worked out it could be overwhelmed. The Draupnir Spear got past it, and Kratos killed him.
Mentioned in2 entries
Hoenir: the silent god of the Aesir
Hoenir was the Aesir god of silence, indecision, mystery, and avoidance, a kind but simple minded young god who needed constant care. Odin sent him to Vanaheim under the guise of a cultural exchange, and the Vanir families welcomed him as one of their own. When Hoenir learned that the All-Father had sent him away out of disgust, he took his own life.
Norse Gods: the pantheon of the Nine Realms
The Norse Gods were the pantheon that ruled over Scandinavia, the lands known in their own cosmos as the Nine Realms of Yggdrasil. Divided into the warlike Aesir of Asgard and the nature-bound Vanir of Vanaheim, they counted among the most powerful races of the realms and were held to be the protectors of Midgard and humanity.
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