Loki happened to be away when they began to play, and when he came was angry in his heart that nothing could hurt Baldur.
“Why should he be so favored? I hate him!” said Loki to himself, and began at once to plan some evil.
All this while Queen Frigga sat in her palace, thinking of all her dear sons, and of how much good they did to men. As she sat thus, thinking, and spinning with her hands, there came a knock at the door. The queen called, “Come in!” and an old woman stood before her.
Frigga spoke kindly to her, and soon the old woman said she had passed by the field where the gods were playing, and throwing sharp weapons at Baldur.
“Oh, yes,” said Frigga; “neither metal nor wood can hurt him, for all things in the world have given me their promise.”
“What!” said the old woman; “do you mean that all things have really vowed to spare Baldur?”
“All,” replied the queen, “except one little plant that grows on the eastern side of Asgard; it is called mistletoe, and I thought it too small and soft to do any harm.”
Before long the old woman went away, and when she was quite out of sight of Frigga’s palace, threw off her woman’s clothes, and who do you suppose it was? Why, no woman at all, but that wicked Loki, of course, who hurried away out of Asgard, to find the poor little plant that did not know about Baldur’s danger. When he came to the place where the plant grew, Loki cutting off a branch, quickly made a sharp arrow, which he carried back to the playground, where the Æsir were still at their game, all but one, Hodur, the god of darkness, Baldur’s blind twin brother.
Then Loki went up to Hodur, and said to him in a low voice, “Why do you not join with the others in doing honor to Baldur?”
“I cannot see to take aim, you know, and besides, I have no weapon,” said Hodur.