Is Baldur Good or Evil? A Descent into Darkness

As one of the most pivotal Norse gods, Baldur has a complex arc in mythology and the God of War video game series. While initially portrayed as righteous and peaceful, the burdensome invulnerability spell laid upon Baldur set him on a gradual descent into violence, vengeance and unbridled cruelty. By the events chronicled in the games, Baldur has transformed into a malevolent force of destruction – but one forged out of suffering. This fascinating evolution prompts a deeper look at the shifts in Baldur‘s morality.

Baldur‘s Origins and Early Life: The Noble God of Light

In his early days Baldur was undoubtedly a paragon of goodness and purity among Norse gods. As the son of Odin and Frigg, he radiated light and joy. Baldur served as a stabilizing presence among the more fractious Aesir and Vanir gods in Asgard. His glowing persona and friendly demeanor made him beloved by all in the heavens.

Baldur lived happily with his wife Nanna in the meadows of Breidablik, untroubled by earthly woes. He spent his days fostering harmony and trust among his godly peers through wisdom andemotional intelligence. At this early stage, Baldur clearly stood as a righteous, admirable god.

The fallen god Baldur as depicted in God of War (2018).

The Invulnerability Spell that Unmade Baldur‘s Goodness

Sadly, Baldur‘s golden era of nobility did not last. His concerned mother, the goddess Frigg, desperately sought a way to protect her beloved son from all potential harms following disturbing prophetic dreams. In her hubris, Frigg cast a powerful spell to make Baldur literally invulnerable, impervious to all injuries or ailments. However, this mystical protection came with a horrific curse: Baldur was now unable to physically feel anything at all.

Initially Baldur maintained his positive demeanor and relationships despite his numbness to all sensation. But gradually over years of isolation from the human experiences of his peers, Baldur went insane from sensory deprivation. He slowly grew to despise and resent his well-intentioned mother for robbing him of feeling‘s full spectrum. Baldur also felt betrayed by the other previously adoring gods who could not relate to his cursed predicament.

Baldur became unhinged over decades suffering from Frigg‘s spell, as highlighted repeatedly throughout his vengeful quest in God of War. By choosing invulnerability at the cost of emotion, Baldur‘s mother set him on the path towards darkness.

Baldur‘s Violent Vendetta and Campaign Against Kratos

Upon meeting the marked foreigner Kratos traveling in Midgard, Baldur became obsessed with this potential threat to his realm. He violently confronts Kratos on multiple occasions, disturbing the protagonist‘s journey with his mysterious son Atreus. Baldur clearly exhibits cruelty, ruthlessness and a drive for violence never present during his early enlightened years.

The once beloved god cherishes chasing, fighting and attempting to dominate Kratos in order to feel any vestige of sensation. His distortions peak when he revels that the prophesied Fimbulwinter and subsequent Ragnarök would allow him to "feel everything". Baldur‘s moral descent manifests through open yearning for destruction and suffering. He has shifted wholly from stability to chaos.

Baldur attacking Kratos relentlessly throughout the God of War sequel.

Baldur‘s violence targets not only innocents and strangers, but also his own divine family members. Throughout his deadly persecution of Kratos, Baldur repeatedly tries to murderously settle scores with former allies like the Vanir Goddess Freya – his own mother. Blind vengeance has corrupted his once pure spirit entirely.

Baldur‘s Death and Enduring Complexity

The fallen Baldur‘s campaign culminates in an attempted strangulation of Freya in front of Kratos. To spare Freya, Kratos reluctantly snaps Baldur‘s neck with his final living act one of homicidal rage towards family. This final demonstration of cruelty cements the descent of the beloved god into one hardly recognizable from his origins.

Yet despite Baldur‘s profound corruption, glimpses of his anguished humanity occasionally Peer through his exterior of insanity and violence. As noted by Mimir and Kratos, Baldur remains defined largely by the suffering inflicted Upon him from childhood. Traces of the noble soul he once hosted flicker beneath the surface.

In Norse mythology and its modern dramatic interpretation in the God of War series, Baldur undergoes a tragic fall from grace catalyzed by forces beyond his control. The beloved personification of light ultimately morphs into little but darkness and cruelty. Yet the complexity in his shifting morality illustrates the manifold drivers of human evil – psychological forces which transcend the archetypes of "good" and "evil" alone.