Baldur's Funeral

After the beloved god Baldur was struck down by a mistletoe dart through Loki’s treachery, the Aesir were paralyzed by a grief that silenced the heavens. They carried his body to the shore to his ship, Hringhorni, the greatest of all vessels, to serve as his funeral pyre. So massive was the ship that the gods themselves could not launch it, eventually summoning the giantess Hyrrokkin, who pushed it into the sea with such power that the rollers burst into flame and the earth trembled. Baldur was laid upon the deck alongside his horse and his faithful wife, Nanna, who had died of a broken heart. Odin leaned over his son and whispered a secret into his ear before placing the gold ring Draupnir upon the pyre. Thor, consumed by sorrow and rage, hallowed the fire with Mjölnir, even kicking a dwarf named Litr into the flames. As the burning ship drifted into the dark horizon, all of creation—from the gods to the stones—wept for the loss of light, signaling the inevitable approach of Ragnarok.