#bous

Bous de l'Abundància, d'Antoni Alsina. Parc de l'Espanya Industrial.

Norsery Rhymes from A to Z The Mighty Bous (Vali), Avenger of Baldr

Happy Thorsday! - Here’s another 20 min sketch of a Norse (and Germanic, Celtic) mythological characters. This week it’s Bous, Bui, Bo, Beau. The Avenger of Baldr, The Warlike Child. He who is born to fertilize the ground with death.

Also fulfilling this role in the other more common telling of the Death of Baldr is Vali. Who is described as; He of unwashed face and uncombed hair, The harbinger of brighter days, and the bringer of the lengthening days of eternal light. He is born to fertilize the ground with death, while he outlasts it.

Since The death of Baldur is told two very different ways we’ll go with the one that has Bous in it, and mark out the differences as we go. In the Gesta Danorum, Baldr and Hoetherus are rivaling Leaders (Or war generals), who fight in general and specifically for the affections of Nanna. In this version Baldur is not killed by Loki’s tricking of blind Hodr to shoot an arrow of Mistletoe that Hodr thought would not hurt him. But instead he is a competitor for Nanna’s affection like Baldr and travels to the underworld to find a magical sword that can overcome Baldr’s magical invincibility given to him from his eating of sacred foods (Fruit). Instead of it being based on all the things in the earth save Mistletoe swearing not to hurt him because Baldr is just so damn radiant. Baldr has a different, less benevolent character in the Bous version.

Bous is the son of Othinus (Still likely Odin) and the Rutenian princess Rinda, whom he rapes after the Seer of Hrostiof / Rostiof tells him that Rinda will bear him a great child who will be Baldrs avenger. Bous while growing up unnaturally fast, is ten years old before Odin calls him to be his vengeance against Hoetherus. This contrasts with the other version where Odin and the Giantess Rinda have Vali who is fully grown and fully himself full of personality and battle knowledge, and likely wolf strength and powers, all in a day. Thus the lack of bathing and combing of hair. Happening just days after Baldr’s death.   

In both cases Bous / Vali are off on their trek to find Baldr’s killer and slay them in turn. Bous and  Hoetherus meet in battle, and while Bous does manage to kill  Hoetherus, he is in turn killed by the magic sword from the underworld. 

This brings us to our last difference, that Vali Odinson survives his fight. If you consider there being only one Vali, and the mention of him in Loki’s punishment is a description of Odin’s Vali, and not a Vali son of Loki, then it’s this Vali Odinson who voluntarily turns into a wolfman (or just a berserker) and kills Loki’s son Narfi. Then binds Loki to a stone with Narfi’s entrails. As opposed to Vali Lokison being forcibly turned into a wolf and then chewing up his brother. 

Vali Son of Odin and Rinda is actually one of the few to survive Ragnarok and beyond. Vali is characterized as a light of hope past Ragnarok. Given wolf strength and powers, who seems to have a life lived well past his initial avenging, and one not limited to his initial bloody deeds. While Bous is essentially limited to being a tool of vengeance.  

About my post: https://aboutnorsemythology.tumblr.com/post/182826501206/höðr-and-baldr-and-two-sides-of-the-same-story

At least four reasons why I think Saxo's version is correct about Baldr death:

1️⃣ Snorry Sturluson (in The Eddas) says that Baldr was pure and innocent, the most beloved among the gods for his youth and purity.

But...

✔️ Bladr is not the most innocent and pure of the gods.

In "The Children of Loki" when Fenrir is cruelly tortured Baldr laughs as he and tje others gods move away:

"The gods left that place where the river of saliva flowed down into the dark lake, and they did not speak, but once they were far enough away they laughed some more, and clapped each other on the back, and smiled the huge smiles of those who believe they have done something very clever indeed".

(Baldr was one of those gods)

2️⃣ Snorry tell how Loki cheats Hord:

✔️The "naive" Hodr trusted the most deceitful of the gods and was guided to launch the arrow, (I guess it was very difficult to guess that Loki was going to deceive him) poor Hodr, confident,credulous, he launched a poisoned arrow that he didn't could see why he was blind!

3️⃣ Vali was born to avenge Baldr's death and he goes after Hord

✔️When Vali (or Bous) according to the versions, avenge the death of Bladr, he goes in search of Hodr and not of Loki. Ok, this is even more strange because according to Snorry Sturluson, Hodr was the excluded blind god who could not participate in the "try to hurt Baldr games" just because he was blind.

But even so Vali / Bous decides to punish Hodr for his ... credulity? no, he kills Hord because he was the killer of Baldr.

I think Hord, acording this version,was more innocent than Marvel's Loki and yet Vali/Bous went after him and killed him.

4️⃣ Who was really Hord?

✔️ Hodr means warrior, it is difficult for a warrior to be so gullible especially because he was one of the Aesir who knew perfectly well that Loki was a cheat.