Berserks

So the Æsir took Baldr’s body and carried it to the sea. Hringhomi was the
name of Baldr’s ship. It was the biggest of all ships. This the Æsir
planned to launch and perform on it Baldr’s funeral. But the ship
refused to move. So they sent to Giantland for a giantess called
Hyrrokkin. And when she arrived, riding a wolf and using vipers
as reins, she dismounted from her steed, and Odin summoned
four berserks to look after the mount, and they were unable to
hold it without knocking it down. Then Hyrrokkin went to the
prow of the boat and pushed it out with the first touch so that
flame flew from the rollers and all lands quaked. Then Thor
became angry and grasped his hammer and was about to smash
her head until all the gods begged for grace for her. Then Baldr’s
body was carried out on to the ship, and when his wife Nanna
Nep’s daughter saw this she collapsed with grief and died. She was
carried on to the pyre and it was set fire to. Then Thor stood by
and consecrated the pyre with Miollnir. But a certain dwarf ran in
front of his feet. His name was Lit. Thor kicked at him with his
foot and thrust him into the fire and he was burned.

‘This burning was attended by beings of many different kinds:
firstly to tell of Odin, that with him went Frigg and valkyries and
his ravens, while Freyr drove in a chariot with a boar called
Gullinbursti or Slidrugtanni. But Heimdall rode a horse called
Gulltopp, and Freyia her cats. There came also a great company of
frost-giants and mountain-giants. Odin laid on the pyre a gold
arm-ring called Draupnir. It afterwards had the property that
every ninth night there dripped from it eight gold rings of the same
weight. Baldr’s horse was led on to the pyre with all its harness.
But there is this to tell of Hermod that he rode for nine nights
through valleys dark and deep so that he saw nothing until he
came to the river Gioll and rode on to Gioll bridge. It is covered
with glowing gold. There is a maiden guarding the bridge called
Modgud. She asked him his name and lineage and said that the
other day there had ridden over the bridge five battalions of dead
men.


- Prose Edda, Gylfaginning