Introduction
Hodr is a son of Odin, described as blind, remembered above all as the unwitting killer of his brother Baldr, having been guided by Loki's malice to throw the one weapon capable of harming him.
Family
The killing of Baldr
During a game in which the gods, knowing Baldr was invulnerable to all things, threw weapons and objects at him for sport, Loki approached the blind Hodr, who was standing apart, not participating. Loki gave him a dart made of mistletoe, the one substance never made to swear the oath of harmlessness, and guided his aim. Hodr, unaware of what he held or what he had done, threw it and killed Baldr instantly.
Death and vengeance
Hodr was himself killed shortly afterward by Vali, a son born to Odin and the giantess Rindr specifically to avenge Baldr, who grew to full size within a single day and slew Hodr without pause.
After Ragnarok
Despite this tragic role, the Poetic Edda's Voluspa prophesies that after Ragnarok, Baldr and Hodr are reconciled and return together to the renewed world, an ending that suggests forgiveness for what was, ultimately, an act Hodr did not choose or understand.