Voluspa (Hollander translation):
31. I saw for Baldr, the blessed god,
Ygg's dearest son, what doom is hidden:
Green and glossy, there grew aloft,
The trees among, the mistletoe.
32. The slender-seeming sapling became
A fell weapon when flung by Hoth;
But Baldr's brother was born full soon:
But one night old slew him Óthin's son.
33. Neither cleansed his hands nor combed his hair
Till Baldr's slayer he sent to Hel;
But Frigg did weep in Fensalir
The fateful deed: know ye further, or how?
Grimnismal (Hollander translation):
12. Breithablik the seventh; there Baldr the good
hath reared him his bright abode:
in that land it lies where least I know
falsehood and faithlessness.
Vafthrúthnismal (Hollander translation):
Óthin said:
54. "Far have I wandered, much afield have I been,
have oft striven in strength with gods:
what did Óthin whisper in the ear of his son,
ere Baldr on bale was laid?" (42)
Vafthrúthnir said:
55. "No dweller on earth knows what in days of yore
thou said'st in the ear of thy son:
with fey mouth fondly I flaunted my lore
and spoke of the day of doom.
With Óthin now my insight I matched:
of all beings thou art born wisest."
Baldrs Draumar (Hollander translation):
1. To the Thing forthwith fared all Aesir,
and all goddesses gathered together.
Among them mooted the mighty godheads
why Baldr the Bright had baleful dreams.
2. Up rose Othin, oldest of gods,
and on Sleipnir the saddle laid:
to the nether world rode, to Niflhel dark.
A hound he met which from Hel did come.
3. About his breast was he blood besprent,
and long did bark at Baldr's father.
Rode Othin on--- the earth did quake----
till the high halls of Hel he came nigh.
4. Then Othin rode to the eastern gate,
where the hoary seeress' howe he knew;
there spells he chanted to charm up the dead,
till unwilling arose the witch and spake:
5. "What man is this, to me unknown,
who maketh me fare such fear-fraught ways?
Was I buried in snow and beaten by rain
and drenched with dew, dead was I long."
(Othin said:)
6. "Vegtam my name, I am Valtam's son;
say of misty Hel as of Mithgarth I:
for whom are the benches with byrnies covered,
the dais decked eke with dazzling gold?"
(The seeress said:)
7. "For Baldr the beer brewed here standeth,
a shield lies over the shining drink;
in sorrow are sunk the sons of Othin.
I was loath to speak, now let me cease."
(Othin said:)
8. "Cease not, seeress, till said thou hast,
answer the asker till all he knows:
who will Baldr slay, the blameless god,
and send hither the son of Othin?"
(The seeress said:)
9. "Hoth will the hero hitherward send,
he will Baldr slay, the blameless god,
and end the life of Othin's son.
I was loath to speak, now let me cease."
(Othin said:)
10. "Cease not, seeress, till said thou hast,
answer the asker till all he knows:
the hateful deed who will avenge,
and Baldr's slayer who send to Hel?"
(The seeress said:)
11. "Rind * bears Vali in Western Halls;
but one night old will Vali slay him:
neither cleanses his hands nor combs his hair,
till Baldr's slayer he sends to Hel.
I was loath to speak, now let me cease."
(Othin said:)
12. "Cease not, seeress, till said thou hast:
answer the asker till all he knows:
who are the girls that greet so sore,
and their kerchief corners cast to the sky?"
(The seeress said:)
13. "Thou art not Vegtam, as I had thought,
but rather Othin, oldest of gods."
(Othin said:)
"Thou art no seeress nor sage woman,
but rather of thurses three the mother."
(The seeress said:)
14. "Homeward hie thee, happy in mind:
no chanted spells will charm me up
until Loki is loose from his bonds
and the day will come of the doom of the gods."
The Short Seeress' Prohphecy (Hollander translation):
1. Eleven only the Aesir were
when down had drooped in death Baldr.
Then Vali revenge did vow for him:
his brother's slayer he slew forthwith.
2. Was Baldr's father Bur's eldest son...
Prose Edda(Jean Young translation):
High One said: 'Another son of Óðin's is called Baldr, and there is [nothing but] good to be told of him. He is the best of them and everyone sings his praises. He is so fair of face and bright that a splendour radiates from him, and there is one flower so white that it is likened to Baldr's brow; it is the whitest of all flowers. From that you can tell how beautiful his body is, and how bright his hair. He is the wisest of the gods, and the sweetest-spoken, and the most merciful, but it is a characteristic of his that once he has pronounced a judgment it can never be altered. He lives in the place in heaven called Breióablik; nothing impure can be there, as it says here:
There where Baldr
has built his dwellings they call it Breiðabilk; in that land
where I know
there are fewest evil things.
. . .
High One replied: 'I will tell you about something that seemed far more important to the Aesir. The beginning of this story is that Baldr the Good had some terrible dreams that threatened his life. When he told the Aesir these dreams, they took counsel together and it was decided to seek protection for Baldr from every kind of peril. Frigg exacted an oath from fire and water, iron and all kinds of metals, stones, earth, trees, ailments, beasts, birds, poison and serpents, that they would not harm Baldr. And when this had been done and put to the test, Baldr and the Aesir used to amuse themselves by making him stand up at their assemblies for some of them to throw darts at, others to strike and the rest to throw stones at. No matter what was done he was never hurt, and everyone thought that a fine thing. When Loki, Laufey's son, saw that, however, he was annoyed that Baldr was not hurt and he went disguised as a woman to Fensalir to visit Frigg. Frigg asked this woman if she knew what the Aesir were doing at the assembly. She answered that they were all throwing things at Baldr, moreover that he was not being hurt. Frigg remarked: "Neither weapons nor trees will injure Baldr; I have taken an oath from them all." The woman asked: "Has everything sworn you an oath to spare Baldr?" Frigg replied: "West of Valhalla grows a little bush called mistletoe, I did not exact an oath from it; I thought it too young." Thereupon the woman disappeared.
'Loki took hold of the mistletoe, pulled it up and went to the assembly. Now Höð was standing on the outer edge of the circle of men because he was blind. Loki asked him: "Why aren't you throwing darts at Baldr?" He replied: "Because I can't see where Baldr is, and, another thing, I have no weapon." Then Loki said:
"You go and do as the others are doing and show Baldr honour like other men. I will show you where he is standing: throw this twig at him." Höð took the mistletoe and aimed at Baldr as directed by Loki. The dart went right through him and he fell dead to the ground. This was the greatest misfortune ever to befall gods and men.
'When Baldr had fallen, the Aesir were struck dumb and not one of them could move a finger to lift him up; each looked at the other, and all were of one mind about the perpetrator of that deed, but no one could take vengeance; the sanctuary there was so holy. When the Aesir did try to speak, weeping came first, so that no one could tell the other his griefin words. Óðin, however, was the most affected by this disaster, since he understood best what a loss and bereavement the death of Baldr was for the Aesir. When the gods had recovered from the first shock Frigg spoke. She asked which of the Aesir wished to win her whole affection and favour. Would he ride the road to Hel to try if he could find Baldr, and offer Hel a ransom if she would allow Baldr to come home to Asgarð The one who undertook this journey was a son of Óðin called Hermóð the Bold. Then they caught Óðin’s horse, Sleipnir, and led him forward, and Hermóð mounted that steed and galloped away.
'The Aesir, however, took Baldr's body and carried it down to the sea. Baldr's ship was called Ringhorn, [Curved-prow] it was a very large ship. The gods wanted to launch it and to build Baldr's funeral pyre on it, but they could not move it at all. They sent to Giantland then for the ogress called Hyrrokkin. And when she came - she was riding a wolf with vipers for reins -she jumped off her steed and Óðin called to four berserks to guard it, but they were unable to hold it fast till they struck it down. Then Hyrrokkin went to the prow of the vessel and at the first shove launched it in such a way that the rollers burst into flame and the whole world trembled. Thór became angry then and seizing his hammer would have cracked her skull had not all the gods begged protection for her.
'Then Baldr's body was carried out on to the ship, and when his wife Nanna, daughter of Nep, saw that, her heart broke from grief and she died. She was carried on to the pyre and it was set alight. Thór was standing by and consecrating it with Mjöllnir, when a dwarf called Lit ran in front of his feet. Thór tripped him up and kicked him into the fire, and he was burned to death. All sorts of people came to this cremation. First and foremost, Óðin, accompanied by Frigg and his valkyries and ravens. Frey drove in a chariot drawn by the boar called Gold-bristle or Razor-tooth. Heimdall rode the horse called Gold-tuft and Freyja was driving her cats. A great crowd of frost ogres and cliff giants came too.
Óðin laid on the pyre the gold ring which is called Draupnir; it had this characteristic afterwards, that every ninth night there dropped from it eight rings of equal value. Baldr's horse with all its harness was led to the pyre.
'Concerning Hermóð, however, there is this to tell. For nine nights he rode dales so deep and dark that he saw nothing, until he reached the river Gjöll and rode over its bridge; it is thatched with gleaming gold. The maiden who guards that bridge is called Móðguð. She asked him his name and family and said that the day before five troops of dead men had ridden over the bridge, "but the bridge resounds as much under you alone, and you don't look like a man who has died. Why are you riding here on the road to Hel?" He replied "I must ride to Hel to seek for Baldr. Have you seen anything of him on his way there?" She said that Baldr had ridden past over the bridge of the Gjöll, "but the road to Hel lies downwards and northwards".
'Hermóð rode on then till he came to the gates of Hel. Then he alighted and tightened his stirrups, remounted, and dug in his spurs, and the horse jumped over the gate with such vigour that it came nowhere near it. Then Hermóð rode right up to the hall and dismounted. He went inside and saw his brother Baldr sitting on the high seat there. Hermóð stayed there that night. In the moming he asked Hel if Baldr might ride home with him, telling her how much the gods were weeping. Hel said, however, that this test should be made as to whether Baldr was loved as much as people said. "If everything in the world, both dead or alive, weeps for him, then he shall go back to the Aesir, but he shall remain with Hel if anyone objects or will not weep." Then Hermóð stood up and Baldr led him out of the hall and taking [off] the ring Draupnir sent it to Óðin in remembrance, but Nanna sent Frigg, along with other gifts, linen [for a head-dress], and Fulla a gold ring. Hermóð rode back again to Asgarð and [when] he arrived [there] related all he had seen and heard.
'Thereupon the Aesir sent messengers throughout the whole world to ask for Baldr to be wept out of Hel; and everything did that - men and beasts, and the earth, and the stones and trees and all metals - just as you will have seen these things weeping when they come out of frost and into the warmth. When the messengers were coming home, having made a good job of their errand, they met with a giantess sitting in a cave; she gave her name as Thökk. They asked her to weep Baldr out of Hel. She answered:
Thökk will weep dry tears
at Baldr's embarkation; the old fellow's son
was no use to me alive or dead, let Hel hold what she has.
It is thought that the giantess there was Loki, Laufey's son - who has done most harm amongst the Aesir.'
The Balder Chapter of Our Troth can be found HERE.