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Mother of Váli and a figure bound to Baldr’s vengeance Rindr is a figure in Norse mythology closely connected with Odin, Baldr and Váli. Her importance comes from a central prophecy: after Baldr’s death, Rindr will bear Odin a son destined to avenge him. That son is Váli, who grows with extraordinary speed and kills Höðr when he is only one night old. The sources offer different versions of Rindr. Her part in the Eddic poems is brief and solemn; later texts tell a much longer story about how Odin fathers the future avenger with her. The Völuspá mentions Rindr in its prophecy concerning Baldr’s death. After the god falls, someone must be born to avenge him. The poem foretells that Rindr will give birth to Váli, Odin’s son. The young god will fulfil his task with supernatural speed: he will be only one night old when he takes his revenge. The essential genealogy is: Odin + Rindr → Váli Rindr’s place in this tradition is decisive. She gives birth to the god whose existence is directly tied to restoring, through vengeance, the order broken by Baldr’s death. Rindr also appears in the Eddic poem Baldrs draumar. Odin travels to the world of the dead to consult a völva about Baldr’s ominous dreams. In their exchange, he learns about his son’s death and the vengeance that will follow. The prophecy says that Rindr will give birth to Váli in the western halls. Odin’s son will grow quickly and avenge Baldr. This tradition reinforces the fated nature of Váli’s birth: Rindr is part of a chain of events foretold before the tragedy is complete. Rindr’s exact nature is difficult to establish. The sources preserve traditions and classifications that allow for different interpretations. She may be treated as a female figure connected with the divine world, while other traditions place her closer to a princess or a woman of human lineage. It is therefore risky to assign her one certain category—ásynja, jötunn or human—across every version of the myth. What remains consistent is her relationship with Odin and her motherhood of Váli. The oldest surviving poetic sources focus mainly on the outcome of their relationship: Rindr must conceive Baldr’s avenger. A much fuller narrative appears in the tradition of Saxo Grammaticus. His Gesta Danorum presents transformed and euhemerised versions of many Norse myths. There, Rindr appears as Rinda, daughter of a king named Billing. Odin, under the Latinised name Othinus, repeatedly tries to win her. Rinda rejects his advances. Odin then adopts different disguises and strategies to approach her. Saxo’s account is considerably longer and darker than the Eddic references. After several failed attempts, Odin disguises himself as a woman named Wecha, presenting himself as a healer. When Rinda falls ill, he gains access to her under the pretext of treating her. The story ends with Odin using deception and sexual coercion to father the child destined to avenge Baldr. Their union produces Bous, a character generally regarded as corresponding to Váli in the western Norse tradition. Saxo’s story must be distinguished from the Edda versions. His work transforms gods into ancient kings, warriors, sorcerers and heroes, and many details differ sharply from the Icelandic accounts. Even so, the correspondence Rindr / Rinda → mother of Váli / Bous shows that the avenger’s motherhood belonged to a widespread tradition. Rindr’s father differs between traditions. In Saxo’s version, Rinda is the daughter of King Billing. The Norse tradition also includes a figure named Billingr, known especially from an episode in the Hávamál in which Odin seeks an encounter with Billingr’s daughter. The possible relationship between the two accounts has prompted scholarly discussion. The surviving sources do not explicitly and securely identify the unnamed daughter of Billingr in the Hávamál as Rindr. The resemblance is significant, but the identification must remain a hypothesis. Váli’s birth is the event that defines Rindr’s mythological role. Váli is Odin’s son and is born with a specific mission: to avenge Baldr’s death. His supernatural growth lets him fulfil that obligation almost immediately after birth. Váli kills Höðr, who caused Baldr’s death with the mistletoe prepared by Loki. The Völuspá adds that the avenger keeps his hands unwashed and his hair uncombed until he has completed his task. Rindr is thus at the beginning of one of the most important vengeance cycles in Odin’s family. Rindr’s role is closely tied to the inevitability found in many Norse stories. Baldr’s death has been foretold. So has the birth of his avenger. Rindr appears in that prophetic chain as the woman who must give birth to Váli. The surviving tradition tells us little about her wishes, thoughts or later life. The surviving sources almost lose track of Rindr after her son is born. Her later home, any continuing relationship with Odin and her ultimate fate are unknown. No surviving account describes her part in Ragnarök either. Her son, by contrast, has a known fate: Váli survives Ragnarök alongside Víðarr and becomes part of the divine generation in the renewed world. Rindr — the usual Old Norse form. Rind — a common modern-language adaptation. Rinda — the form used in Saxo Grammaticus’s Latin tradition. These variants refer to the figure connected with Odin and the birth of Baldr’s avenger, though the narratives around her differ considerably. Nature: Female figure of uncertain classification Principal relationship: Mother of Baldr’s avenger Consort or partner in the tradition: Odin Son: Váli Corresponding son in Saxo: Bous Father: Billing in Saxo’s version; his identification with the Billingr in other traditions remains uncertain Mythological role: Giving birth to the son destined to avenge Baldr’s death Connection with prophecy: Her motherhood of Váli is foretold in the poetic tradition Powers of her own: Unknown Weapons: Unknown Home: Unknown; Baldrs draumar places her motherhood in the “western halls” Classification as an ásynja: Uncertain Cult: No firm surviving evidence Fate: Unknown Role in Ragnarök: Unknown Name variants: Rindr, Rind, Rinda Principal sources: Völuspá and Baldrs draumar in the Poetic Edda, references in Snorri’s tradition and, as a parallel but substantially transformed version, Saxo Grammaticus’s Gesta Danorum.
Rindr