SOURCE: Mosher, Arthur D. “The Story of Baldr's Death: The Inadequacy of Myth in the Light of Christian Faith.” Scandinavian Studies 55, no. 4 (autumn 1983): 305-15.

In the following essay, Mosher explores parallels between Baldr's death and Jesus's crucifixion.

Scholars have repeatedly been attracted to three narratives in the so-called Snorra Edda which are stylistically unique: the stories of Thor's visit to Útgarðaloki, Þórr's fishing expedition, and Baldr's death. Jan de Vries¹ has correctly pointed out that the numerous details and the complexity of the narratives differentiate these stories from the rather tersely related anecdotes about the other gods. Snorri Sturluson seems to have had particular interest in these stories. This rather different style has led to a lengthy scholarly debate about the mythological significance of the narratives. Eugen Mogk, for example, maintained that the stories arose in Snorri's fantasy as the means to tie several skaldic verses together...