Breidablik
Home of Baldr in Nordic mythology
title: "Breidablik" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["baldr", "places-in-norse-mythology"] description: "Home of Baldr in Nordic mythology" topic_path: "general/baldr" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breidablik" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Home of Baldr in Nordic mythology ::
::callout[type=note] the location in Nordic mythology ::
Breiðablik (sometimes anglicised as Breithablik or Breidablik) is the home of Baldr in Nordic mythology.
Meaning
The word Breiðablik has been variously translated as 'broad sheen', 'Broad gleam', 'Broad-gleaming' or 'the far-shining one',
Attestations
Grímismál
The Eddic poem Grímnismál describes Breiðablik as the fair home of Baldr: ::data[format=table]
| Old Norse text | Bellows translation |
|---|---|
| :: |
Gylfaginning
In Snorri Sturluson's Gylfaginning, Breiðablik is described in a list of places in heaven, identified by some scholars as Asgard: ::data[format=table]
| Old Norse text | Brodeur translation |
|---|---|
| :: |
Later in the work, when Snorri describes Baldr, he gives another description, citing Grímnismál, though he does not name the poem:
::data[format=table]
| Old Norse text | Brodeur translation |
|---|---|
| :: |
Interpretation and discussion
The name of Breiðablik has been noted to link with Baldr's attributes of light and beauty.
Similarities have been drawn between the description of Breiðablik in Grímnismál and Heorot in Beowulf, which are both free of 'baleful runes' ( and respectively). In Beowulf, the lack of fācenstafas refers to the absence of crimes being committed, and therefore both halls have been proposed to be sanctuaries.
In popular culture
- Breidablik is a sacred weapon in Fire Emblem Heroes that the Summoner uses to summon Heroes coming from different Fire Emblem games.
- In the PlayStation game Xenogears, Bledavik is the name of the capital city of the desert kingdom of Aveh on the Ignas continent.
Citations
Bibliography
Primary
Secondary
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