Váli is one of the lesser-known gods, but he plays a vital role in the story of Baldr’s death, one of the most beloved and tragic of the Norse myths. He is a god of vengeance and is attested in the Poetic Edda, the Prose Edda, and Gesta Danorum.

Váli is the son of Óðinn and the jötunn goddess Rindr. Óðinn, disguised as a woman, seduced or tricked Rindr into conceiving a child for the sole purpose of avenging Baldr. The story is difficult and strange, but its weight in the mythic cycle cannot be ignored.

He is described as unwashed, unkempt, and fiercely brave. He grows to manhood in a single night and takes up arms immediately. That same night, he kills Höðr, Baldr’s blind brother, and his own half-brother, who had been deceived by Loki into becoming the killer.

The reader, or listener when the myth was still oral tradition, knows that it is Loki who framed Höðr and is the true culprit behind Baldr’s death. In some versions of the myth, Váli is also present at Loki’s binding. After Loki is finally caught and brought to justice, it is Váli who slays one of Loki’s sons and ties the trickster to the rocks with his own son’s entrails.

Váli is fated to survive Ragnarök, along with his brothers: Baldr, Höðr, and Viðarr.

​

Thoughts on Váli

The circumstances of Váli’s conception and birth are strange, but considering he was fated to kill his own kin, one of the most dishonorable acts in Norse society, the confusion in the story makes sense. We turn to Saxo’s Gesta Danorum to help piece it together. After Baldr’s death, Óðinn seeks out seers for guidance. They reveal that the giantess Rindr must bear him a son who will avenge Baldr. Óðinn then seduces or deceives Rindr, sometimes while disguised as a healer. In other versions, the act is more violent and disturbing.

Váli takes a vow of abstinence, similar to his brother Viðarr. It is described in Vegtamskviða:

“Rindr will bear Váli in western halls.
He, Óðinn’s son, will fight when one night old.
He’ll neither wash his hands nor comb his head
before he conveys Baldr’s shooter onto the funeral pyre.”

There is a sense that avenging Baldr does not bring the gods any comfort. It is not a victory. Baldr is dead. Nanna is dead. Höðr is dead. And now Váli has killed his own brother. The chain of events that begins Ragnarök has been set in motion. This myth is one of the most tragic in the Norse cycle.

​

Signs and Symbols
Young warriors.

​

Associated Names
Vála
Ali
Bous