Chapter 4

How Balder, the good and beautiful god, was done to death by a stroke of mistletoe, 101 _sq._; story of Balder in the older _Edda_, 102 _sq._; story of Balder as told by Saxo Grammaticus, 103; Balder worshipped in Norway, 104; legendary death of Balder resembles the legendary death of Isfendiyar in the epic of Firdusi, 104 _sq._; the myth of Balder perhaps acted as a magical ceremony; the two main incidents of the myth, namely the pulling of the mistletoe and the burning of the god, have perhaps their counterpart in popular ritual, 105.