Welcome to CHAPTER 57 of the Kinsmen Die podcast, home of fantasy fiction based on Norse mythology that’s written and read by me, Matt Bishop.In this podcast I read my first novel, Kinsmen Die, one chapter at a time. And, with each episode, when it makes sense, I provide some commentary about the source materials I’ve referenced in the text.

Frigg and Odin discovered that the "heart" of Baldr's mistletoe had been cut out and removed. When Baldr was born, Frigg and Odin had placed Baldr's spirit into that mistletoe by means of an ancient Jotunn blood magic. They did this because the Norns had told Odin that Baldr would die. By placing Baldr's spirit in the mistletoe, they made him impervious to all harm. Odin's hypothesis is that Baldr is "dying" at night b/c the mistletoe has been messed with. They don't know who did it or why, which is why Frigg and Odin rode down to visit Mimir. Mimir, it turns out, wasn't all there -- and not just b/c he's just a head w/o a body. Odin followed Mimir's trail into the spirit realm where he found Mimir held prisoner. Odin freed Mimir but not without getting wounded. While this was going on, Frigg was basically twiddling her thumbs and dreaming of the day she and Odin can leave Gladsheim behind and sail off into the sunset. This is where we find her.

You can find me online at: https://mattwritesmyths.com/ The show's public site is here: https://rss.com/podcasts/fensalirpodcast-kinsmendie/ The source for my short reading from Snorri’s Prose Edda is here: https://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/pre/pre04.htm The source for my reading from the Havamol is here:https://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/poe/poe04.htm Larrington’s translation of the Havamol can be found where books are sold online.