The Legend
Hringhorni is described as the greatest of all ships, and it is forever bound to the most sorrowful of the Norse myths. When the beloved god Baldr was slain, the gods chose his own mighty vessel to serve as his funeral pyre.
Baldr's body was carried aboard, and his wife Nanna, dead of grief, was laid beside him. Odin placed his ring Draupnir upon his son, and the pyre was heaped high. Yet the ship was so vast that the gods could not push it out to sea.
They sent for the giantess Hyrrokkin, who came riding a wolf and reined it with vipers. With a single mighty shove she launched Hringhorni so hard that fire sprang from the rollers and the earth shook. Thor hallowed the pyre, and the burning ship carried Baldr into the sea.
Nature and Role
Greatest of Ships
So large that even the gathered gods could not move it unaided
A Funeral Pyre
Set ablaze upon the water to carry Baldr and Nanna to the dead
Quick Facts
At the Funeral
Hyrrokkin
The giantess who launched the ship with a single push
Baldr and Nanna
Laid together upon the pyre so they would not be parted