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Váli, a MythSource painting
Norse

Váli

Avenger of Baldr · Bold in Battle · Good Archer

01Identity

Váli in Norse tradition

Vengeance for Baldr defines Váli, the Norse deity who killed Höðr as retribution for Baldr’s death. He is also linked with archery and battle, and is said to survive Ragnarök. Unlike Bous, his medieval Danish counterpart or variant, Váli is identified in this tradition as the avenger of Baldr.

Top questions

The quick answers

  • Who is Váli?

    Váli is a Norse deity associated with vengeance and divine retribution; archery; battle and martial valor; the avenging of Baldr; and survival after Ragnarök.
    Source

    Source

    • Dictionary of northern mythology
    • the kalevala

  • What is Váli the god of?

    Váli is associated with vengeance and divine retribution; archery; battle and martial valor; the avenging of Baldr; and survival after Ragnarök.
    Source

    Source

    • Dictionary of northern mythology
    • the kalevala

  • What family links are recorded for Váli?

    Father: Odin, Mother: Rindr, 7 siblings.
02Family

Váli’s family, at a glance

OdinRindr
VáliBaldurBragiHermodHöðrMeiliThorVíðarr
03The names

The names Váli answers to

Wali

Alternate spelling of Váli

SourceDictionary of northern mythology

Vali

Unaccented transliteration of Váli

SourceDictionary of northern mythology

Bous

Danish-tradition counterpart or variant of Váli

SourceDictionary of northern mythology

Avenger of Baldr

The god who avenged Baldr by killing Höðr

SourceDictionary of northern mythology

04The myths

The myths of Váli

1 myth, with sources recorded for each.

Váli’s Birth and Vengeance for Baldr

Váli took up the fight against Höðr when he was only one night old. Odin had fathered him with Rindr, and the child grew to manhood before night fell. He then faced Höðr, whom the gods held responsible for Baldr’s death.

Váli washed neither his hands nor his hair before he carried out the killing. He brought Höðr down in vengeance for Baldr. His birth and sudden growth left no time between his arrival and the act expected of him.

In one telling, Váli’s birth followed the failure to bring Baldr back from Hel. Hel had agreed to release Baldr if every being in the cosmos wept for him. All did so except the giantess Thökk. That refusal kept Baldr in Hel, and Odin then sought vengeance. He took Rindr as his wife, and she gave birth to Váli that same day. Váli grew to adulthood before night fell and slew Höðr.

In another telling, Odin fathered Váli with Rindr, and Váli reached manhood in one day before killing Höðr for Baldr’s death. The two tellings joined Váli’s rapid growth to the vengeance that followed. After Höðr fell, Baldr remained in Hel until Ragnarök, when he was set free alongside his brother.

Váli’s Birth and Vengeance for Baldr, a MythSource painting of the scene

2 sources· checked 2026-08-19

  1. 1Treasury of Norse MythologyT1
  2. 2the ancient sourcesT1

    Quote

    “Váli is born to Odin and Rindr, grows to manhood in one day, and kills Höðr in vengeance for Baldr’s death.”

    the ancient sources

Also mentioned in

Stories elsewhere on MythSource that mention Váli, each on that figure’s page.

Continue the road

More of Váli’s family, sourced

OdinFatherBaldurSiblingThorSibling