Familiar issues in the death of balder (balder) and the theft of thor's hammer (thor)

The Death of Balder (Balder) and The Theft of Thor’s Hammer (Thor) are remarkably similar to each other and to Raven and the Source of Light (Raven) though with some key differences. First and foremost, all of these stories are myths and are from different times and places on Earth. The stories of Balder and Thor are both from the same age and location whilst the story of Raven is from both a different age and location. This difference is why comparing and contrasting these stories is so interesting and surprising especially considering how similar they all are.

The first similarity between Thor and Raven is that they both deal with theft. In the first story, mjolnir is stolen and hidden by a frost giant while in the second story, all the sources of light in the sky are stolen by the clan’s chief. Though both are based on theft, they are a different kind of theft. In Thor, mjolnir is taken by the frost giant for the use of leverage whilst in Raven, the light is taken with the motivation of singular greed. The difference being that the one is driven by the direct benefits of stealing whilst the other indirectly benefits from the stealing.

Another big similarity is that all three of the stories contain the same critical story element; the ability to shapeshift. Without this ability present in each of the stories, the stories simply could not exist. The ability to shapeshift is integral to the plots of all three stories. Furthermore, the way in which the ability is utilized is the exact same. In all three cases it is used to deceive. In Raven, Raven uses the shapeshift ability to take the form of the chief’s son. In Thor, Thor himself dresses up as a women in order to trick the frost giants to get mjolnir back. In Balder, Loki shapeshifted himself inta women and then tricks Hodr into killing Balder.

The last similarity or rather difference is between Balder and Raven. At the end of Raven, Raven puts back the celestial sources of light. By doing so he is helping every living thing, causing life to go back to normal. In Balder Loki starts ragnorok, otherwise know as the end of the universe, which is the complete opposite of what happens in Raven. This is the biggest plot difference between the three stories. In one, the world gains back it’s light which can be seen as a metaphor for life, in effect restoring life back to the Earth. While in Balder the first step in the ragnarok prophecy is triggered.

Overall it’s quite surprising to see how similar these stories are considering their vast difference in origin. Furthermore, it’s interesting to see not only all the ways in which they are simular, but also how critical those comparable parts are to the plot. For example, none of these stories would be possible without the ability to shapeshift, the narratives just would not work. And yet all three stories share this necessary character trait.

It’s also interesting to note the biggest difference between the norse myths and the americans; the ending. Though the stories have natural differences like characters, tones, and environments, the biggest difference is the ending. What’s most surprising is that it’s not just that the stories have different endings, it’s that they are practically exact opposites. In Raven, the world is given new life, while in Balder the world’s life is taken away. They are exact polar opposites.

One final thing to consider is that the characters in these stories are all considered to be extremely intelligent. A description of Loki reads “ Loki is handsome and fair in appearance, evil in character, very changeable in his ways. He possessed that intelligence in greater degree than other men that is called cunning [slœgd], and tricks for every occasion.” (Waner, 5) Loki is not just perceived as a smart, perfect god, but rather seen as having an excessive amount of intelligence and other strong traits.

In Raven, there is a moment which reads “ He knew that the way from the Queen Charlotte Islands to the source of the Nass River was very long, so he collected a group of pebbles. As he flew, whenever he became tired he dropped a pebble into the sea. And it formed an island where Raven could alight on solid land and rest for a while.” (Rosen, 635) This plot point isn’t just smart, it’s genius on another level, deliberately shown to show how smart Raven is.

It’s interesting to note that these characters aren’t just seen as intelligent, but rather too intelligent. It is almost like they are tricksters because of their extra intelligence over others. They may feel like they must use all of their intelligence just because they have it. This would also match the boasting trait that most tricksters have. Tricksters are arguably the most complex/interesting form of character in literature. That alone may explain why they are prevalent in myths from all around the world.