"Who is there among the gods who will win my love and good-will? That
shall he have if he will ride to Hel, and seek Baldur, and offer Hela a
reward if she will let Baldur come home to Asgard."
Hermod the nimble, Odin's lad, said he would make the journey. So he
mounted Odin's horse, Sleipner, and went his way.
The gods took Baldur's body down to the sea-shore, where stood
Hringhorn, Baldur's vessel, the biggest in the world. When the gods
tried to launch it into the water, in order to make on it a funeral fire
for Baldur, the ship would not stir. Then they despatched one to
Jotunheim for the sorceress called Hyrrokin, who came riding on a wolf
with twisted serpents by way of reins. Odin called for four Berserkir to
hold the horse, but they could not secure it till they had thrown it to
the ground. Then Hyrrokin went to the stem of the ship, and set it
afloat with a single touch, the vessel going so fast that fire sprang
from the rollers, and the earth trembled. Then Thor was so angry that he
took his hammer and wanted to cast it at the woman's head, but the gods
pleaded for her and appeased him. The body of Baldur being placed on the
ship, Nanna, the daughter of Nep, Baldur's wife, seeing it, died of a
broken heart, so she was borne to the pile and thrown into the fire.
Thor stood up and consecrated the pile with Mjolnir. A little dwarf,
called Litur, ran before his feet, and Thor gave him a push, and threw
him into the fire, and he was burnt. Many kinds of people came to this
ceremony. With Odin came Frigga and the Valkyrjor with his ravens. Frey
drove in a car drawn by the boar, Gullinbursti or Slidrugtanni. Heimdall
rode the horse Gulltopp, and Freyja drove her cats. There were also many
of the forest-giants and mountain-giants there. On the pile Odin laid
the gold ring called Draupnir, giving it the property that every ninth
night it produces eight rings of equal weight. In the same pile was also
consumed Baldur's horse.
For nine nights and days Hermod rode through deep valleys, so dark that
he could see nothing. Then he came to the river Gjöll which he crossed
by the bridge which is covered with shining gold. The maid who keeps the
bridge is called Modgudur. She asked Hermod his name and family, and
told him that on the former day there had ridden over the bridge five
bands of dead men.
"They did not make my bridge ring as you do, and you have not the hue of
the dead. Why ride you thus on the way to Hel?"